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Back in business?

jameslevineLa Cieca’s spy tells her that Maestro Levine returned to the Met today for a coaching session with the cast of Das Rheingold.

11 comments

  • well, coaching the kids does not mean I’ll be conducting this baby in 4 weeks…

    • LittleMasterMiles says:

      Well, it has to mean that he intends to, otherwise there’s no point in coaching the signers in his vision of the piece. But it doesn’t mean he’ll be successful.

      But one does have to wonder how he’s going to get through the first full week of October, and especially October 9. when he’s scheduled to conduct the Rheingold matinee in New York and then Mahler 2 in Boston at 8.

      Even if his health weren’t an issue, that kind of scheduling just seems irresponsible. One traffic jam or flight delay (they happen to Learjets too), and the BSO will have to give some apprentice his Bernstein moment.

  • mandryka says:

    This is very good news.

  • Orlando Furioso says:

    I’m happy to wish him well, and hope for the best.

  • OpinionatedNeophyte says:

    Still totally unconvinced he’s going to make both his Boston and NYC dates. The roulette wheel of inevitable disappointment continues to spin.

    • meow-bark says:

      Very true. Levine is doing very few rehearsals, so far almost 80% of them are done by his cover John Keenan.

      • LittleMasterMiles says:

        Are these coachings with singers, orchestral rehearsals, or both? What would a “normal” rehearsal schedule for a Rheingold look like at 3 weeks out?

        Wouldn’t you expect repetiteurs to be carrying a lot of the load at this point?

      • Gualtier M says:

        meow-bark: isn’t that par for the course? Doesn’t the assistant conductor handle most of the early rehearsals and Levine usually appears during the last two or three weeks and take over? That certainly happened last year when Colaneri did most of the “Tosca” rehearsals and pretty much most of the “Tosca performances as well…

        • meow-bark says:

          Gualtier M: At the MET a cover conductor usually assists with rehearsals, but does not due 80% of the initial singers coachings.
          That is done by the conductor and the cover steps into those few later.
          Colaneri did most of the last Tosca rehearsals last year, because Levine was already not well.
          But other theaters have different approach to rehearsals. In Vienna you don’t get the real conductor for a very long time.
          But it is sufice to say that both Levine and Keenan know Das Rheingold upside down.

  • irontongue says:

    Is Keenan the cover or an assistant conductor at the Met? ISTR a comment here some time back to the effect that if Levine can’t conduct, Donald Runnicles will take the helm.

  • Uninvolved Bystander says:

    Levine has been back for a few days. A couple of days ago Angela Meade posted on her Facebook page that she had an audition for the maestro.