Review: James Levine Opens Last Run as Metropolitan Opera Music Director

Levine, who is stepping down at the end of the season, conducted Verdi’s “La Traviata” on Tuesday. Read the New York Times review.

Introduction

James Levine opened his last run as Metropolitan Opera Music Director with a gala performance of Verdi’s “Requiem” on Sunday night. Levine, who led the Met for 40 years, will step down at the end of the season.

The “Requiem” was a fitting choice for Levine’s swan song, as it is a work that he has conducted many times over the course of his career. He led a stirring performance, eliciting powerful singing from the Met chorus and soloists. The orchestra sounded crisp and precise, and the whole performance had an elegiac quality befitting Levine’s final days as music director.

It was a bittersweet evening at the Met, as Levine received multiple ovations from the capacity crowd. There was a sense of nostalgia in the air, as Levine has been such an important part of the Met for so long. But there was also excitement for the future, as Levine will now have more time to pursue other musical projects. He will be missed at the Met, but his legacy will live on in the great performances that he has conducted over the years.

Levine’s Career

Levine made his debut as a conductor with the Metropolitan Opera in 1971, and he became music director in 1976. He has conducted more than 2,500 performances at the Met, which is more than any other conductor in history.

Levine’s Early Years

Levine began his musical training at the age of nine. He studied piano with Rudolf Serkin at the Marlboro Music School, and later he studied conducting with Hans Swarowsky at the Vienna State Academy. In 1960, he made his conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic.

Levine joined the Metropolitan Opera in 1971 as an assistant conductor. He became music director in 1976, and held that position until 2016. During his time as music director, Levine conducted more than 2,500 performances of 84 different operas. He also led the Met Orchestra on several highly successful tours, and made numerous recordings with them.

Levine’s Time at the Metropolitan Opera

James Levine has been the music director of the Metropolitan Opera for 40 years, and this season will be his last. Under his leadership, the Met has become one of the most important opera companies in the world, and he has been one of the most influential figures in classical music over the past few decades.

Levine was born in 1943 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and started playing piano when he was just seven years old. He made his debut as a conductor when he was only 11, leading a youth orchestra in a performance of Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto.” He went on to study at Juilliard, and in 1971 he became the music director of the Metropolitan Opera.

Levine has conducted some of the most famous opera singers in history, including Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Maria Callas, and Beverly Sills. He has also championed new works by contemporary composers, such as John Adams’s “Nixon in China” and Philip Glass’s “Satyagraha.” In addition to his work at the Met, Levine has been music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic. He has won numerous awards throughout his career, including 26 Grammy Awards.

Levine will step down as music director of the Metropolitan Opera at the end of this season, but he will remain active as a conductor and teacher. He will continue to lead the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in concert performances around the world, and he will be teaching at Juilliard.

Levine’s Final Performance

James Levine, who led the Metropolitan Opera for 40 years, conducted his final performance with the company on Saturday night. Levine, who is 72 and has been battling health problems, will now become the Met’s music director emeritus.

The Opera

James Levine’s 40-year run as the Metropolitan Opera’s music director comes to an end this week, with his final performance on Saturday leading a telecast of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” It is a momentous occasion in the history of the opera house, and one tinged with sadness, since Mr. Levine, who is 73 and battling Parkinson’s disease, is leaving under tragic circumstances.

Still, Saturday’s send-off should be a celebratory affair. In recent years Mr. Levine has not been able to conduct full-scale operas as he once did; his disability has gradually robbed him of the stamina for such protracted endeavors. But in concert performances he has been an inspired leader, both in the pit and on the podium.

And so it was on Tuesday night when he opened his last week as music director with a gala concert featuring some of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra’s most celebrated players. The program was a potpourri of popular opera excerpts and overtures, including works by Wagner and Strauss that Mr. Levine has long championed at the Met.

The Performance

The performance itself was stunning. James Levine led the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in a masterful performance of Verdi’s Requiem. The music was performed with passion and precision, and the sheer power of the orchestra was breathtaking. The chorus was also in top form, delivering a stirring rendition of the “Dies Irae” that brought the house to its feet.

The soloists were all excellent, but soprano Kristine Opolais deserved special mention for her beautiful and emotional performance of “Libera me.” It was clear that this was a special moment for Levine, as he drew an amazing performance out of his musicians. The ovation at the end of the performance was well deserved, and it was clear that this would be a hard act to follow.

Conclusion

Overall, it was a good performance by James Levine, with some ups and downs. His leadership was evident in the way the orchestra played, and the singers sounded good under his direction. However, there were some problems with intonation and rhythm in the orchestra, and the singing was not always as polished as it could have been. Nonetheless, it was a memorable performance, and it will be interesting to see what Levine does in his final season as music director of the Metropolitan Opera.