It happened in Boston
UPDATE: It’s official.
EARLIER: La Cieca hears from a generally reliable source that James Levine has resigned from his post as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Expect an official announcement later today.
Cher Public
- MrGuy1804: You are right on the money. I was not terribly impressed with any of the singing. There were a few... 12:29 AM
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How sad. His back problems sound just excruciating (and of course it’s a great loss for music-lovers).
Sad, endeed. Now I realize how lucky I was when I saw Maestro condacting twice during my short stay in New York. It was Don Pasquale and Simon Boccanegra.
Both were brilliant!
Seems like the right thing to do, here’s hoping he focuses on his health and is able to enjoy his life a bit more. Once these issues are truly under control, he will be welcomed back with adulation. Perhaps a similar announcement will appear vis a vis the Met once the season is over.
An announcement was expected at the 2011-2012 season presentation and Gelb said the opposite, that they were planning together far into the future. It was meant to quell speculation. This certainly would free him up to be healthy for his Met obligations.
I blow hot and cold with levine, but when I like his work, I have really liked it. I just hope he really takes the time to heal, even if the lack of activity drives him up the wall. A bad back is not something you can isolate until it gets bettter.
The Boston Globe has the announcement.
http://www.boston.com/ae/specials/culturedesk/2011/03/levine_stepping_down_as_boston.html?p1=News_links
Oops, sorry didn’t see the update at the top of the post.
I was surprised to see that Maestro Anton Coppola conducted the commercial recording:
In all the discussion of Levine’s health why is there no mention of Parkinson’s, the symptoms of which he has seemed to have had for ten or twelve years?
Didn’t someone make some report here about, signs of flaying (or shaking) gestures of his legs and arms, in regard to that Boston rehearsal?
One only hopes it was just acute transmitted pain from his back and spinal problems.
Coppola, by the way, at the published age of 93 is still conducting opera!
I had the privilege of singing chorus under Coppola several times in the early 80s. Boheme, Cav/Pag, Rigoletto, a few others. One of the nicest men on the podium and a real pleasure to work with. However, he is a short man, and if you were positioned too far upstage, it was nearly impossible to see him over the lip of the stage – one had to keep an eye out for the tip of the baton to swoop up over the horizon of the stage on the upbeats.
I was in the offstage chorus for Suor Angelica and he conducted what was probably the best performance of it I have ever heard (Patty Craig and Lilli Chookasian as Angelica and Zia
Principezza). I remember when the curtain came down the audience let out such a roar and some members of the company were saying “they’re applauding the lighting effect” or “they’re applauding Puccini” or whatever. But to this day I still think that roar of applause was for Coppola.
Has anyone heard his opera on “Sacco and Vanzetti”?
Coppola on “Sacco and Vanzetti”? No I haven’t heard anything, tell me more! I had a relative named after Vanzetti.
Opera “Sacco and Vanzetti”
This is all I can find on it — have always wondered what it sounds like. When I knew him, he was talking about finding a suitable subject for an opera, and more than once he brought to rehearsals his own re-workings of scenes we were working on.
http://raforum.info/spip.php?article510&lang=fr
“…Nearly one hundred people – including a cast of two-dozen singers, large chorus, extras and production personnel – crowded on the vast stage of the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center at the conclusion of Anton Coppola’s opera Sacco & Vanzetti ; there was barely enough room for the composer to take a bow…”
“… Find room they did, and justifiably so. The world premiere (March 17) was a triumph for the eighty-three-year-old Coppola…”
“… Sacco & Vanzetti may turn out to be the operatic sleeper of recent years and come to enjoy a greater shelf life than other works launched with much greater fanfare. The resources required may discourage other companies from picking up the opera. But Coppola’s attractive, compelling work merits wider advocacy.”
And i was in his Chenier in Cincinnati in the 90′s. he is a sweet man and a hell of a conductor.
This ia sadness beyond words.
I pray the Maestro will recover his health and stay with the Met.
Buona Fortuna, Jimmy.
This should allow him to stay on at the Met. It was just impossible for him to continue in both positions.
In 2004 Alex Ross wrote:
“Levine is stressing new music in Boston: he thinks it will have an invigorating effect on how the orchestra plays and on how the audience listens”
[....]
“It remains to be seen how the average listener will take this strict modern diet”
******
Yeah well, unsurprisingly, most have rejected it.
I wish Mr. Levine would stop advocating utterly unmemorable modernism (i.e. Carter, Wuorinen, Babbitt) and devote all his energies to opera.
Never trust anyone who doesn’t embrace modernism.
Boston? They demolished their opera house for a parking lot.
I’m told that THEY do like ‘early’ music.
Many musicians I know think that Wuorinen is the greatest living composer.
*sigh*
The original opera house fell into disrepair at the same time as many opera houses and other theaters did in America – the 40s. A college now has a dormitory on that original site.
In 1991, the city decided its opera company needed a better, permanent home and spent 30 billion dollars renovating what is now the new Opera House.
BSO concerts, even weighed down heavily with Levine’s modern projects, sell out almost every performance. In the last couple of years, he’s found a much better balance of new and traditional, and he’s been very respected.
I’m going to assumed you just didn’t know the facts.
do they really all almost sell out? That’s extremely impressive if that’s the case. It sure isn’t true for the nyphil or my poor philadelphians.
“BSO concerts, even weighed down heavily with Levine’s modern projects, sell out almost every performance.”
That’s not true in the least.
The BSO’s attendance woes have been well-publicized, and the orchestra has resorted to heavy papering for the last three seasons.
Even Christoph Dohnanyi, Bernard Haitink and Colin Davis do not attract full houses in Boston.
Thank you, Drew. The person you quote has been a blight on this board for some time, a champion of misinformation, false equivalences and sheer — well, I’ve been enjoined to behave so I tremble to characterize the absence of cerebration. Beings of this kind should not be indemnified from shall we say severe correction.
I am especially sick of this dim entity’s ignorance — about the faking of Domingo on his records for example and the many, many, many, many short falls, unmusical compromises and sheer arrogant disregard for the art form of his live performances on a regular basis for at least 25 years, many of these things abetted by the collusion of the apparently divine Levine (lowering ALL of Alvaro for example).
The person you quote noted that: People who have never seem the operas in question performed by others LOVE Fleming and Dessay (implication they are above criticism)– a statement of mind numbing philistinism.
It’s along the line of some other — please supply the adjective — who averred “Levine can conduct anything put in front of him,”. Really? Why all the mistakes at the Met Orch concerts, including two of the worst readthroughs of the Mahler 9 ten years apart I have ever heard, or the composers of certain new scores cursing him and the orchestra for not getting what they wrote?
Has Alex Ross and the ‘Net created a world where ANY deaf and dumb dodo of sufficient arrogance can opine with impunity? Is there any hope?
I wonder where the ability to qualify statements went (“Of course, I enjoy Dessay a lot but have to admit I haven’t heard many other people do her rep not even she in what were probably her better years, nor have I studied the scores and really, don’t care all that much about details, and also acknowledge there might be better. Still, she gave me pleasure and I felt well repaid for buying my ticket.”)
Or, “I’ve read that Boston, like Ny Phil and Philly are experiencing problems with attendance but when I’ve gone it has looked full and the audiences were very enthusiastic. If course there may have been a lot of paper and discounting but still I had the impression of success.”
NO!!!! This oven mitt KNOWS!!!
MrsJC:
What are you talking about?
Is the following about me? Seriously. What?
I am especially sick of this dim entity’s ignorance — about the faking of Domingo on his records for example and the many, many, many, many short falls, unmusical compromises and sheer arrogant disregard for the art form of his live performances on a regular basis for at least 25 years, many of these things abetted by the collusion of the apparently divine Levine (lowering ALL of Alvaro for example).
I don’t believe I have ever posted about Domingo… maybe I suppose. Faking of his record?? Really, truly, completely lost.
The person you quote noted that: People who have never seem the operas in question performed by others LOVE Fleming and Dessay (implication they are above criticism)– a statement of mind numbing philistinism.
Lordy. I said – Those who have never seen Fleming and Dessay perform the SAME ROLES THEY’VE PERFORMED EARLIER in their careers don’t have preconceived ideas of how they should perform it now.
If I hear Fleming’s Armida recording, I expect to hear that and will be disappointed. If I’ve seen Dessay’s previous Lucia, I expect to see that today.
My point was that, in my opinion, those who were unfamiliar with these two performers’ previous incarnations of the roles they’re playing today, enjoy the current productions better.
MrsJC – Please try harder to understand my point.
Finally,
The person you quote has been a blight on this board for some time, a champion of misinformation, false equivalences and sheer — well, I’ve been enjoined to behave so I tremble to characterize the absence of cerebration. Beings of this kind should not be indemnified from shall we say severe correction.
Yes, I was corrected and accept the corrections. Will you admit you’ve been wrong here in this post?
I’ve never been a blight before. So I’m a “blight on the board.” A BOB. Sounds like fun. I’m always up for trying new things.
And, MrsJC – I truly don’t know what I’ve said that has bothered you so. Perhaps you just can’t stand someone who isn’t shy about saying they don’t agree with either your opinions or your tone? If I’ve offended you in some way, I apologize.
I have noted that those who dish it out are often the least able to have it dished on them.
Gosh darn HTML tags:
Italics are supposed to end after:
(lowering ALL of Alvaro for example) at the end of paragraph one.
I hope you all will please indulge me – I’m reposting this entire message. I fear that the italics in the original were so messed up and are so confusing that MrsJC won’t be able to understand where and how I’m responding.
MrsJC:
What are you talking about?
Is the following about me? Seriously. What?
I am especially sick of this dim entity’s ignorance — about the faking of Domingo on his records for example and the many, many, many, many short falls, unmusical compromises and sheer arrogant disregard for the art form of his live performances on a regular basis for at least 25 years, many of these things abetted by the collusion of the apparently divine Levine (lowering ALL of Alvaro for example).
I don’t believe I have ever posted about Domingo… maybe I suppose. Faking of his record?? Really, truly, completely lost.
The person you quote noted that: People who have never seem the operas in question performed by others LOVE Fleming and Dessay (implication they are above criticism)– a statement of mind numbing philistinism.
Lordy. I said – Those who have never seen Fleming and Dessay perform the SAME ROLES THEY’VE PERFORMED EARLIER in their careers don’t have preconceived ideas of how they should perform it now.
If I hear Fleming’s Armida recording, I expect to hear that and will be disappointed. If I’ve seen Dessay’s previous Lucia, I expect to see that today.
My point was that, in my opinion, those who were unfamiliar with these two performers’ previous incarnations of the roles they’re playing today, enjoy the current productions better.
MrsJC – Please try harder to understand my point.
Finally,
The person you quote has been a blight on this board for some time, a champion of misinformation, false equivalences and sheer — well, I’ve been enjoined to behave so I tremble to characterize the absence of cerebration. Beings of this kind should not be indemnified from shall we say severe correction.
Yes, I was corrected and accept the corrections. Will you admit you’ve been wrong here in this post?
I’ve never been a blight before. So I’m a “blight on the board.” A BOB. Sounds like fun. I’m always up for trying new things.
And, MrsJC – I truly don’t know what I’ve said that has bothered you so. Perhaps you just can’t stand someone who isn’t shy about saying they don’t agree with either your opinions or your tone? If I’ve offended you in some way, I apologize.
I have noted that those who dish it out are often the least able to have it dished on them.
It is a FACT that THEY tore down the opera house and replaced it with a parking lot. Most theaters, then and now, were/are in some state of disrepair. The building was gutted in 1958 but was so solid and of such fine construction that it defeated two demolition companies. BTW the building opened in 1909 with Gioconda – Louise Homer was LA CIECA! To its end it was the venue for Met Opera tours. I find your ’30 billion’ figure incredulous if not laughable. C. 1963 the construction cost of the New York State Theater was16 million dollars. The recent renovation was 100 million. On the other hand Boston has had its share of graft scandals – maybe, maybe…
Man.. okay…
1. Jack:
I meant 30 million, not billion. Of course I didn’t mean billion. You’re right, it’s a ridiculous figure. Apologies for the typo. Should have reread my post.
And yes, THEY (I assume you meant the city) demolished the building, which had, as I said, fallen into disrepair in the 40s. I thought making the point that the dorm was where the building used to be made it clear that it was demolished. Thanks for making it even more clear. And yes…. the dorm does have a parking lot. The dorm building and the lot take up the area of the old opera house.
Your sentence was:
“Boston? They demolished their opera house for a parking lot.
I’m told that THEY do like ‘early’ music.”
You made it sound as if our city had no opera house because it was demolished. In fact, we do have an opera house – and one which the city and its citizens spent 30 Million dollars to refurbish.
This was the reason for my post to you regarding that sentence.
2.
Thank you Drew for your comment. Whenever I have been there, it’s been almost full – and I’ve heard the same from others. I assumed it was ticket sales…. but yes, I accept your comment about the papering. I was simply going on what I’ve seen inside the hall.
I appreciate the info.
Boston has a vaudeville/movie theater they call an opera house.
In NY no one would call City Center an opera house because it inadequate for the needs of opera performance. Opera has been performed in both venues but as a marriage of convenience. Boston HAD a significant
opera house. It was demolished at the behest of Northeastern University
and the lot was used only as parking lot for many years.
That noun phrase “university culture” – an oxymoron.
The City of Boston did not pay all that money to restore its opera house. The Clear Channel company did, in order to bring traveling Broadway productions to Boston. At first there was a clause that a few opera productions a year would be performed there, but that didn’t happen. Neither of Boston’s two major opera companies performs in the Opera House. Boston Ballet and touring Broadway productions perform there and the opera companies both have to make do with inferior performing venues. The Wang Center, which is large enough for grand opera, has horrible acoustics.
Many musicians I know think that Wuorinen is the greatest living composer.
I can quite honestly say this is an opinion I have never before encountered.
You have never met Mr. Wuorinen I take it.
[img]http://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/istockphoto_1803807_gold_star_2.jpg[/img]
Carter, Babbitt and Wuorinen are not modernism – they are the relics of a past century and really very old in all senses- their music is of a past and vanished another age
If you go back 100 years to 1911 and advocated composers of their generation as ‘modern’ you would be citing Brahms, Smetana or whoever, which in the time of Schonberg and Stravinsky would be just preposterous.
And from the many musicians I know, I’ve never heard a good word about Wuorinen – it simply isn’t ‘heard’ – it’s cerebral stone dead stuff. The others have more to recommend them, but I can’t say I have their stuff on my iPod, a couple of Carter pieces excepted……..
oops – delete ‘another’!
I think there’s a middle ground between “greatest living composer” and “no good word to say about him”. I think “cerebral” is an ill-chosen adjective -- thought and feeling are not mutually exclusive. Nor are we able to second-guess whether a composer “heard” the music s/he wrote. Some of Wuorinen’s music is interesting, some of it less so. It’s seldom faceless. I’ll post the opening of the concerto for Electric Cello, which might win him some sympathy in these parts:
M.Croche – just saw this, and thank you for posting. This music is indeed arresting, and unlike other (mainly vocal and chamber) pieces of Wuorinen’s I’ve heard.
Jack Jikes,
“Many musicians I know think that Wuorinen is the greatest living composer…”
A risible claim, isn’t it?
Can you name a single work by Charles Wuorinen — a man who has been composing for over 40 years now — that has entered the marginal (forget standard) repertoire?
True, one shouldn’t equate frequency of performance with greatness but don’t you find it odd that the intelligent concert-goer could not think of one, let alone pronounce his last name?
Heck, at least Schoenberg produced ‘Transfigured Night’ and ‘Songs of Gurre’
(P.S. I love basically all of the Second Viennese School so the issue is not about tonality or “melodiousness”)
Why has no one suggested a gastric bypass for our beloved Maestro? Within a year after, the dramatic weight loss would heal all back problems and remove all diabetes and other weight related symptoms. He would return to optimum health and be able to handle his duties with the Boston Symphony and the Met. He is relatively young and we have seen many other slender maestri conduct full schedules well into their eighties. God Bless you Meastro Levine, please have the gastric surgery.
Yes but then his Brunhilde will suck!!!!
Good one.
I agree that he should lose weight, but gastric bypass would be death knell for him. He is so frail and unfit, what he really needs is exercise and smart dieting. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though these are things he is willing to do. After all, shouldn’t the last time around have been a wake up call? As much as I have often marveled at Levine’s performances, I don’t really think he should be given carte blanche at the Met anymore. He needs to prove that he can realistically assess what he is physically capable of doing and schedule himself accordingly.
Have you guys seen Levine lately? HE IS QUITE FRAIL AND THIN. He doesn’t need anything to inhibit his food intake. He is quite small and can barely walk. Seriously, I think that his whole health story is being kept from us.
Gualtier:
I have the utmost respect for your postings…and I know the the nature of the ‘net doesn’t allow for modulation of “tone of voice” -so I assure you I ain’t being “snappy” to your last line..
BUT..
…I CERTAINLY HOPE SO..!…
WHO are ANY of US– to really be privy to the Maestro’s personal health issues-really?
Isn’t it enough–and all too clear–to know-and see– that Levine is ailing?–and to be sad at that fact…without probbing into the particulars?
sidessa: Gastic bypass surgery is not to be ‘taken lightly’, even if treated by some gullible people out there, as a form of cosmetic cum health surgery.. In some cases it can cause even greater overall problems to peoples’ quality of life. Even too absolutely wrecking them. Rather than the less drastic : strict proper diet, rest, a set form of suitable correct form of individually tailored exercise and removal of all stress. If Levine has diabetes symptoms / problems – the involuntary ‘shakes of legs & arms of the limb extremities – I commented on previously – can easily fit with that problem. It is simply called ‘physical nerve – damage’ possibly not controlled by the requirements of the tasks: a sufferer has taken on, in their workload. Let’s leave aside whether or not, he can ‘survive’ conducting The Ring at the Met. Of paramount importance in any case : this man himself in his late 60′s, should be taking a good hard look in the mirror and thinking and deciding firstly about his own personal health issues and welfare. Bugger the Ring! The fans are not in his predicament. The MET will find a conductor if they have to. Better to, now rather than later. Sorry!
I happen to enjoy many of the contemporary composers Levine has programmed (but not Harbison!), but haven’t found he has a talent for them. He’ll make a better guest than Music Director.
Ah yes, those many notable Levine-led contemporary scores we’ve seen at the Met. He could conduct anything you put in front of him but which contemporary composers does he regularly program…?
(I admit I don’t follow the Boston program much, so am waiting to be surprised)
Has Levine ever conducted Tristan Murail? For some reason this strikes me as a nice pairing, much better than Levine-Wuorinen or even Levine-Carter.
m.croche, why do you think Levine would pair well with spectral music?
I was thinking primarily of Levine’s slow, comparatively sensuous Wagner and his fondness for the equally sensuous Berg. It occurred to me that Levine might be an interesting conductor to pair with Murail’s beautiful, time-suspending music. (Murail specifically, mind you, not all “spectralist” music.) The previous discussion had led to me to revisit the youtube videos of Levine conducting piano concertos by Babbitt and Carter – to my mind the Babbitt really benefited from Levine’s patient ear. Carter’s note-spinning is fluent, but somehow a bit empty for me. It was the color in the Babbitt that led me to think of Murail. (Not such a strange pairing perhaps – many who work a lot with electronics must surely develop a keen sense for orchestral sonority.)
I was just curious because I have only heard Murail’s music (and that of other composers with a similar approach) interpreted by relatively small, specialized groups (such as the Ensemble Intercontemporain or the Arditti Quartet) in specialized venues (such as IRCAM). Boulez is of course an example of a “mainstream” conductor of avant-garde music, but he is the exception rather than the rule.
Incidentally, aside from Murail, from the same generation, I very much like Horatiu Radulescu and Michael Levinas, both of whom I find very original.
Ah, well Murail teaches at Columbia so he’s not unfamiliar in the US. I’ve listened to only a bit of Radulescu and Levinas, mostly because I’m lazy. I’ll move them up the queue.
M Croche,
“I was thinking primarily of Levine’s slow, comparatively sensuous Wagner”
Exactly.
Which is why I wish he’d study and conduct the most worthwhile and rewarding opera of the last 30 years, Messiaen’s ‘Saint Francis of Assisi’
Carter, Wuorinen and Babbitt are really getting tiresome at this point.