In Sunday’s (9/12) New York Times, Anthony Tommasini writes, “Two of the most anticipated events of the new season are coming right up, and they both involve James Levine. On Sept. 27 Mr. Levine, as music director of the Metropolitan Opera, will conduct the premiere of Wagner’s ‘Rheingold’ in a production by Robert Lepage, the first installment of the company’s new ‘Ring’ cycle. Five nights later, as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Levine will conduct its opening-night gala, featuring Bryn Terfel (the Wotan of the Met’s ‘Ring’) in a Wagner program at Symphony Hall. As everyone who follows classical music must know by now, Mr. Levine has periodically been sidelined by serious health problems in recent years. … A spokesman for the Met recently said Mr. Levine was feeling much better and couldn’t wait to get back to work. If so, that is great news. But at this point simply showing up and doing the job will not be enough. At both the Met and the Boston Symphony much is riding on new ventures spearheaded by Mr. Levine. … Though Mr. Levine has had some bad luck with his health, he also, by his own admission, let himself go. In a 2007 interview he said that he had learned his lesson.”
Posted September 13, 2010
