Posted on 03/17/2021 5:36:10 PM PDT by Captain Jack Aubrey
James Levine, the guiding maestro of the Metropolitan Opera for more than 40 years and one of the world’s most influential and admired conductors until allegations of sexual abuse and harassment ended his career, died on March 9 in Palm Springs, Calif. He was 77. His death was confirmed on Wednesday morning by Dr. Len Horovitz, his physician. He did not specify the cause, and it was unclear why the death had not been announced earlier. Mr. Levine had been living in Palm Springs. After investigating accounts of sexual improprieties by Mr. Levine with younger men stretching over decades, the Met first suspended and then fired him in 2018, a precipitous fall from grace at the age of 74. He fought back with a defamation lawsuit.
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All the underage black kids in Palm Springs can now breathe a sigh of relief. Flawed doesn’t even begin to describe him or that whole world. I grew up in it.
He made his friends call him Maestro and loved to vacation in Tuscanny.
(Sorry).
I'm a casual fan of the opera and hear a lot of the Levine performances on the Sirius Met Opera channel.
Are you a classical musician?
I often wondered how any orchestra placed musician can concentrate on their piece of music when surrounded by the sounds from other people’s instrument. I guess you just learn to block out all distraction.
I think I saw him conduct at the Met during a performance of Tosca, sometime in October of 1989. It was the finest Opera production I have ever seen. The sets were amazing, including the use of the “elevator stage”, where the set for the dungeon lowers, and the set and background art for the top of the fortress in Rome comes down, during which cast members ascend up stairs in real time. Incredible, at least I thought so.
It was widely known for decades that he abused boys and young men.
I was a singer. I grew up in the children’s choruses at the Met and City Opera. For most parts of the orchestra, it’s similar to the chorus where you are immediately surrounded by like-instruments. That probably makes it easier. Unless you’re the harp player or something. Then, you’re on your own.
Prayers for his soul.
I have insider info about his incompetence at conducting and saw it first hand. When John Corigliano wrote his opera for the Met, “The Ghosts of Versailles” , one of his requirements was to have Steven Mercurio do all of the rehearsals. It usually takes 2 years for a new opera to actually get performed. John didn’t trust Joe to pull it off. At the premier at the met, you could see poor Joe trying to cue the orchestra at the wrong places. The orchestra was so well rehearsed that they could ignore him. Credit to Steven for his great work. Also Julie Taymor did the large puppets and the assisted in the stagework.
There is no question he was brilliant at the Met, but he was also a monster. If it were just young men, he would have been just another lecherous old guy who abused his power. Not acceptable and unfair to men who wouldn’t put out in exchange for a leg up, but unfortunately also pretty common. But he also liked boys and so much so that he frequently went overseas for them. There is no excusing that. Truly evil.
Frie do who worked with Feidler at tbe Boston Pops said the same thing
Friend who worked with Feidler at tbe Boston Pops said the same thing
Vaccine?
You concentrate on your part, but you hear the others, and that inspires all to play together.
Very well could have been Levine conducting. The amazing, moving sets you saw were likely thanks to Zeffirelli. He was often criticized by Eurotrash who would have preferred a “daring production” where the singers threw feces at each other and held signs about contemporary politics, but, IMO, no one else ever better understood how a large opera house should be utilized.
Or maybe suicide due to some scandal that is about to break? A bit odd not to get a cause of death.
Please. He was the BY FAR greatest conductor of our lifetimes. Some of us have been privileged, and I mean privileged, to attend his performances.
ML/NJ
Brilliant musician but an evil evil man, what he got away with.
Now he is de-composing
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