“The stage was being set to announce the retirement of James Levine, the music director of the Metropolitan Opera since 1976, after his longstanding health woes seemed to worsen this season to the point that singers and musicians were having difficulty following his conducting,” writes Michael Cooper in Monday’s (2/1) New York Times. “But then Mr. Levine and Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, paid a visit last week to his neurologist for an update on his condition—and the doctor gave Mr. Levine an 11th hour reprieve, saying that Mr. Levine’s most serious problems could probably be solved by adjusting the dosage of a medication that he has been taking to treat his Parkinson’s disease.… [Levine] has not only shaped but also helped define the modern Metropolitan Opera since becoming its music director 40 years ago, conducting more than 2,500 performances, choosing repertoire, and nurturing many careers…. Mr. Levine is scheduled to conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra later this month in Philadelphia, and his next test at the Met will be in March, when he is to start rehearsals for a production of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra.”
Posted February 2, 2016
