Obituary, James Levine (1943-2021)

The American conductor and pianist, who served as Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera for forty years before his career ended amid allegations of sexual abuse, has died aged 77.

Born in Cincinnati in 1943, Levine studied at the Juilliard School of Music and began his conducting career assisting George Szell at the Cleveland Orchestra, going on to forge a long-term relationship with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra after deputising for István Kertész at the Ravinia Festival in 1971. In the same year he made his first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera, conducting Puccini's Tosca with a cast headed by Grace Bumbry and Franco Corelli; four years later he succeeded Rafael Kubelík as Music Director, and over the course of the next four decades conducted over 2500 performances with the company at home and abroad.

During his tenure in New York he undoubtedly raised the artistic standards of the house to a new level, with highlights including Berlioz's Les Troyens with Plácido Domingo, Tatiana Troyanos and Jessye Norman in 1983, Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri with Marilyn Horne in 1986, Wagner's Ring Cycle with James Morris, Hildegard Behrens and Siegfried Jerusalem in 1989-90, and the world premiere of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles in 1991.

In addition to his work at the Met, Levine served as Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 2004 to 2011, following a five-year spell at the helm of the Munich Phiharmonic and two decades leading the Ravinia Festival. He also maintained a parallel career as a pianist, principally in chamber-music and song repertoire, recording with artists including Evgeny Kissin, Lynn Harrell, Cecilia Bartoli, Jessye Norman, Kathleen Battle, and Ensemble Wien-Berlin. In later years he focused increasingly on teaching and mentoring, including work with the Verbier Festival Orchestra and Tanglewood Music Center.

Levine stepped down from his position at the Met in 2016 on medical grounds but continued to make occasional appearances as Music Director Emeritus until December 2017, when multiple allegations of historical sexual abuse prompted the company to suspend and subsequently fire him following an internal investigation; the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Ravinia Festival had already terminated their relationships with him in the wake of the claims, though Levine maintained that all accusations were 'unfounded'.

Levine died at home in Palm Springs on 9th March, following a protracted period of ill health, and is survived by his wife Suzanne; his death was announced earlier today.