James Levine
Conductor and pianist James Levine was one of the powerhouse figures of the classical music scene. Throughout his career, Levine conducted many of the leading performers, orchestras, and opera companies in the world, most notably serving as the music director of the Metropolitan Opera for 40 years.
Levine was born on June 23, 1943, in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a child, he undertook both piano and violin; he was so accomplished on the violin that at the age of ten, he played Mendelssohn's second violin concerto at a Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra youth concert. He studied piano at various summer music festivals before enrolling at New York's Juilliard School, where he took conducting courses with Jean Morel and continued piano studies with Rosina Lhevinne. George Szell of the Cleveland Orchestra then invited him to become an apprentice. At the conclusion of this term, he became an assistant conductor of the orchestra from 1965 to 1970. In 1973, he became the music director of both the Ravinia Festival (the Chicago Symphony's summer series) and the Cincinnati May Festival. His debut with the New York Metropolitan Opera also came in a summer festival appearance, conducting Puccini's Tosca.
In 1973, following the sudden departure of music director Rafael Kubelik over artistic differences, the Metropolitan Opera appointed Levine to be its principal conductor. Although Kubelik was the first conductor ever to have been given that title at the Metropolitan, he did not remain there long enough to actually exercise the wide responsibilities it implies; Levine was effectively the first music director of the Met. Levine's tenure at the Metropolitan was one of the longest such associations between an opera company and its chief conductor, providing the company with one of its greatest and most stable periods. His season planning was outstanding, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra owes some of its reputation as a world-class ensemble to his leadership. In 1996, the Metropolitan Opera conducted a televised celebration of the 25th anniversary of Levine's first performance there in the form of a gala. So many singers agreed to appear that the event lasted over eight hours, conducted entirely by Levine.
In 1975, Levine began to appear regularly at the Salzburg Festival in Austria, where his performances of Mozart were highly esteemed, and he proved himself an excellent Wagnerian in his appearances at the Bayreuth Festival beginning in 1982. He also conducted groups such as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, and he served as the chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra from 1999 until 2004. In 2004, Levine became the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, holding this position until 2011. In 2016, following the revelation that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Levine resigned as the music director of the Metropolitan Opera, assuming the role of music director emeritus. A series of sexual assault allegations came to light in 2017, leading to the termination of his contract with the Met in 2018. Levine died in Palm Springs, California, on March 9, 2021.
Levine commanded a wide repertoire in opera and the concert hall, ranging from Bach, Haydn, and Mozart to Iannis Xenakis. He was known for an open and engaging personality, which appeared in his rehearsals as well, but this did not prevent him from conducting them with businesslike efficiency. He produced a large number of recordings with the Metropolitan Opera and other opera houses, as well as orchestral recordings with great orchestras, such as the Chicago Symphony on the soundtrack to Fantasia 2000. He was also noted as a pianist who accompanied many of the world's top vocalists and participated in several chamber music recordings.
© Joseph Stevenson & Keith Finke /TiVo
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Salzburg Recital - Beethoven - Debussy - Wolf
Wereldlijke vocale muziek - Released by Philips on 1 jan. 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live in Tokyo 1988
Kathleen Battle, Plácido Domingo, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Levine
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream / Schubert: Rosamunde
Judith Blegen, Florence Quivar, James Levine, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO)
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1985
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Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Berliner Philharmoniker, James Levine
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 23 jun. 2009
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Dvorák: Violin Concerto In A Minor, Op. 53 / Bruch: Violin Concerto No.1 In G Minor, Op. 26
Shlomo Mintz, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, James Levine
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: String Quintet In C Major D.956 / Schumann: Piano Quintet In E Flat, Op. 44
James Levine, Walter Levin, Henry Meyer, Peter Kamnitzer, Lynn Harrell, Lee Fiser
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1991
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Mozart: Violin Concertos No.3 & 4 / Rondos
Itzhak Perlman, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, James Levine
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1983
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Energy Classics
Philharmonia Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Claudio Abbado, James Levine, Lorin Maazel
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Symphonies No.1 In B Flat Major, Op. 38 "Spring" & No. 4 In D Minor, Op. 120; Manfred Overture
James Levine, Berliner Philharmoniker
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1992
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Verdi: Luisa Miller
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 2 nov. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
La Bohème: Best Of
James Levine, Alfredo Kraus, Renata Scotto, Carol Neblett, National Philharmonic Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on 22 jul. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Giordano: Andrea Chenier
Klassiek - Released by RCA Classics on 29 okt. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana
Klassiek - Released by RCA Classics on 1 jan. 1979
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Good Morning! - Classics for Breakfast
Neeme Järvi, Claudio Abbado, Herbert von Karajan, James Levine
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 25 jan. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Otello
Klassiek - Released by RCA Classics on 21 jan. 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3
James Levine, Berliner Philharmoniker
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte K620 (Highlights) - Sony Classical Masters
Opera - Released by RCA Red Seal on 1 jan. 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto
Münchner Philharmoniker, James Levine, Alexandra Gruber
Klassiek - Released by MUNCHNER PHILHARMONIKER GBR on 28 jun. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Classic Tale: Music For Our Children
Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Cher, Orchestra of St. Luke's, James Levine
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bryn - A night at the opera
Bryn Terfel, Charles Mackerras, James Levine
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, James Levine
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 28 sep. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo