James Levine

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James Levine (2013)

James Lawrence "Jimmy" Levine [ lɪˈvaɪn ] (born June 23, 1943 in Cincinnati , Ohio ) is an American conductor and pianist who was a conductor at the Metropolitan Opera from 1971 to 2016 . With a two-year break (2013–2015) he was also the artistic director for many years. He is considered one of the leading conductors in the USA.

Artistic career

James Levine was born in 1943 as the eldest of three children of wealthy textile merchant Lawrence M. Levine and New York actress Helen G. Levine, b. Goldstein (artist career as Golden ), born in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father, known as Larry Lee , performed as a band leader and pop singer at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in the 1930s . One of his grandfathers, Morris Goldstein, was a cantor and composer of Jewish liturgical music, most recently at the Rockdale Temple in Cincinnati. The Levine family attended the Reformed synagogue without receiving Yiddish and Hebrew . James Levine did not attend bar mitzvahs and increasingly stayed away from Jewish Sunday school.

At the age of four he received his first piano lessons from Gertrude Englander and was soon known as a “piano-playing prodigy ”: at ten he appeared publicly as a solo pianist at a youth concert. Under the direction of Thor Johnson , he played Mendelssohn's 2nd Piano Concerto (D minor) with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra . Later he also performed under the conductor Max Rudolf and made music at several events in Cincinnati.

From the age of ten he was selected by Walter Levin , the first violinist of the LaSalle String Quartets trained in music theory, harmony, counterpoint, score studies and chamber music. Jenő Takács taught him the piano. From 1956 Levine attended summer courses at the Marlboro Music Festival in Marlboro, Vermont, where he received piano lessons from the festival's artistic director, Rudolf Serkin . He was also trained by Claude Frank in chamber music and Martial Singher in art song. From 1957 he attended the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado, where he would later teach himself. There he received lessons from Rosina Lhévinne (piano), Jennie Tourel , Mack Harrel , Adele Addison and Hans Hotter (vocals) and Wolfgang Vacano (conducting). In 1960 he won an instrumental competition in Aspen. During his school days at Walnut Hills High School , he flew to New York at regular intervals to study analysis and composition. His piano teacher was Rosina Lhévinne. After his high school diploma in 1961, he studied piano with Lhévinne and conducting with Jean Morel at the Juilliard School in New York until 1964 (without a degree) . Morel, who worked at the Met, had Levine conduct some operas in the 1960s.

After Levine received the John Erskine Scholarship in 1963 , he became a finalist in the American Conductors Project of the Ford Foundation in 1964 . The grant included several weeks of teaching at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore a. a. with Alfred Wallenstein , Max Rudolf and Fausto Cleva . In this context he also appeared with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra . Levine was discovered by juror George Szell , who brought him to the Cleveland Orchestra . Levine received support from the Kulas Foundation . In 1967 Levine officially became assistant conductor and made his debut with Strauss ' Don Juan . His commitment to new music also began in Cleveland , so in 1967 he played his sonata No. 1 in the presence of Pierre Boulez . Two years earlier, in 1965, he was founding conductor of the University Circle Orchestra at the Cleveland Institute of Music , as its music director until 1972. He also became Chairman for Orchestra Training at the Music Institute. At Oakland University's Meadow Brook School of Music, which is located near Detroit , he supported Robert Shaw , Szells' second assistant conductor and choir director, as co-conductor and took over the summer academy as music director in 1968 and 1969.

In 1970 he made his debut with Verdi's Aida at the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff (Wales) and with Puccini's Tosca at the San Francisco Opera . A year later he conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Mahler's 2nd Symphony ("Resurrection Symphony ") at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois. From 1973 to 1993 he was music director of the festival. From 1973 to 1978 he also directed the choir festival Cincinnati May Festival . He has appeared as a guest conductor with the Big Five (New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Cleveland) and other leading symphony orchestras in the USA. In 1972 he stood at the podium of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra for the first time .

After Szell's death in 1970, he moved to the Metropolitan Opera (Met) in New York City, which was then directed by Rudolf Bing . There he celebrated in 1971 with the opera Tosca (with Grace Bumbry be in the lead role) debut . 1972/73 he was guest conductor at the house. In 1972 the General Manager of the Met, Gorden Gentele , appointed him Principal Conductor . With the 1976/77 season Levine was the successor to the 1974 resigned Rafael Kubelik music director (Music Director) . In 1980, Levine founded the Lindemann Young Artists Development Program , which promotes young singers. In 1982 he was responsible for the anniversary production of Wagner's Parsifal . In the course of his active involvement at the Met - he sat down u. a. for a renewal and took part in national television productions - in 1986 he was given the artistic director of the house, which was created especially for him . In the decades of his artistic activity at the Met, he conducted around 2000 performances of 75 operas, including many first performances by the orchestra. He also directed world premieres of John Corigliano , Philip Glass and John Harbison there . After a 50-year break, he brought Wagner's Ring des Nibelungen back to the Met in 1989. An accident in 2006 led to increasing health problems; from 2011 he was represented on an interim basis by Fabio Luisi . After briefly retiring in 2012, he stepped onto the Met's podium again from 2013 until his final retirement in 2016. Levine's designated successor is Yannick Nézet-Séguin .

In the concert hall, Levine has conducted most of the world's major orchestras. In 1974 he made his debut with Strauss ' Rosenkavalier at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden , London. Through his contact with the opera director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and the Vienna Philharmonic , he made regular guest appearances at the Salzburg Festival between 1975 and 1993 . This collaboration began in 1975 with the London Symphony Orchestra , which he held for the first time in 1973. He was a guest conductor at the Bayreuth Festival several times (1982–1998); there he was involved in productions by Götz Friedrich , Wolfgang Wagner and Alfred Kirchner . After Herbert von Karajan's resignation , he stepped in at short notice in May 1989 for a guest concert by the Berliner Philharmoniker in the Schauspielhaus Berlin (East). He worked with this orchestra for the first time at a subscription concert in 1978. In 1996 he went on a world tour with the three tenors ( José Carreras , Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti ).

In 1999, in addition to his work in New York, Levine succeeded Sergiu Celibidache as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic . Foreign tours have taken him and the orchestra through Europe and the USA. In 2002 they made their debut at the London Proms . The Munich Philharmonic was honored by the German Association of Music Publishers for the “Best Concert Program of the 2002/2003 Season”. Levine also premiered Penderecki's 6th Symphony in Munich (2003). In summer 2004 he joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Music Director . He brought works by u. a. Charles Wuorinen and Gunther Schuller at the world premiere. He worked with student orchestras at Tanglewood Music Center , the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer academy. He gave up his engagement in Boston in 2011 for health reasons. In 2013 he was wheelchair- bound again as a conductor at the Met. He was Music Director and Conductor Laureate of the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra, founded in 2000 . Since the end of his conducting career in 2016, he has appeared as a song accompanist .

Since 1972 he has produced more than 200 sound carrier recordings (among others for EMI , RCA , Deutsche Grammophon ). Levine specialized in late Romanticism ( Brahms , Beethoven and Mahler) and the early 20th century. He presented the complete recordings of the symphonies by Brahms, Schumann and Mozart . He also recorded Wagner's Ring des Nibelungen . In 1999 he was involved in the soundtrack for the Disney cartoon Fantasia 2000 . During his recordings he worked a. a. with Christa Ludwig and Kathleen Battle as well as Jennie Tourel , Lynn Harrell , Kiri Te Kanawa and Cecilia Bartoli . The distinguished pianist has also recorded chamber music works on CD.

Sexual abuse allegation

In October 2016, a 46-year-old man filed a complaint against Levine. He had sexually abused him for several years from 1985, starting at a time when he was 15 years old. Subsequently, other allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Levine emerged. At the beginning of December 2017, the Met initiated its own investigations and suspended its collaboration with Levine for the duration. In March 2018, the Met declared the collaboration with Levine over. Without disclosing details of the investigation, for which 70 people were interviewed, the Met said the investigation had produced credible evidence of sexually abusive and harassing behavior by Levine toward vulnerable early career artists under his authority.

Three days after his release, Levine filed a breach of contract and reputation complaint against the Met in the New York State Supreme Court. He claims $ 5.8 million in damages and the restoration of "name, reputation and career." Levine "clearly and unequivocally denied any wrongdoing" in connection with the allegations made against him; Managing director Peter Gelb only wanted to get rid of him. The Met immediately denied Levine's allegation. In 2019 there was an agreement between Levine and the Metropolitan Opera.

Awards

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
Carmen - Fantasy (with Anne-Sophie Mutter & Vienna Philharmonic )
  DE 37 11/15/1993 (10 weeks)
Paris 1998 (with The Three Tenors )
  DE 3 08/31/1998 (18 weeks)
  AT 8th 08/30/1998 (16 weeks)
  CH 10 08/30/1998 (10 weeks)
  UK 14th 08/29/1998 (9 weeks)
  US 83 09/12/1998 (10 weeks)
  • 1976: Honorary Doctorate, University of Cincinnati
  • 1977: Edison Award
  • 1980: Cultural Award of the City of New York, Manhattan Borough President ’s Office
  • 1982: Grammy Award (Best Orchestral Performance, Best Engineered Recording / Classical)
  • 1983: Grammy Award (Best Opera Recording, Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance)
  • 1984: Grammy Award (Best Choral Performance (Other Than Opera))
  • 1984: Musician of the Year, Musical America
  • 1986: Grammy Award (Best Choral Performance (Other Than Opera))
  • 1987: Grammy Award (Best Opera Recording, Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist (s) (With Orchestra))
  • 1987: Smetana Medal
  • 1989: Grammy Award (Best Opera Recording)
  • 1990: Grammy Award (Best Opera Recording)
  • 1991: Grammy Award (Best Opera Recording)
  • 1992: Honorary Doctorate, Northwestern University
  • 1992: Honorary Doctorate, New England Conservatory of Music
  • 1993: Grammy Award (Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist (s) (With Orchestra))
  • 1994: ECHO Klassik (recording of the year with music of the 20th century, special price)
  • 1994: Admission, Class IV (Humanities and Arts), Section 5 (Visual and Performing Arts - Scholarship, Criticism, and Practice (including Art, Architecture, Sculpture, Music, Theater, Film, and Dance)), American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 1996: Gold Medal, National Institute of Social Sciences
  • 1996: Grammy Award (Best Classical Vocal Performance)
  • 1997: National Medal of Arts , United States Congress
  • 1997: Anton Seidl Award, Wagner Society of New York
  • 1997: Lotus Award, Young Concert Artists
  • 1998: 18 chart weeks and number three in the German album charts : Paris 1998 (with the three tenors )
  • 1999: Wilhelm Furtwängler Prize
  • 2000: Honorary doctorate, Juilliard School
  • 2002: Gold Medal of Honor for Services to the State of Vienna
  • 2002: Kennedy Center Honors , John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
  • 2003: Crystal Award, World Economic Forum
  • 2003: American Classical Music Hall of Fame
  • 2005: Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 2006: Metropolitan Opera Guild Opera News Award
  • 2007: Grammy Award (Best Classical Vocal Performance)
  • 2008: Opera Honors, National Endowment for the Arts
  • 2009: Ditson Conductor's Award, Columbia University
  • 2009: Grammy Award (Best Orchestral Performance)
  • 2010: George Peabody Medal, Peabody Institute, Johns Hopkins University
  • 2012: Grammy Award (Best Opera Recording)

His honorary doctorate (Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts), awarded in 1996 by the State University of New York at Potsdam and the SUNY College of Optometry, was revoked by the Board of Trustees in May 2018 with reference to the credible allegations of abuse.

literature

  • José A. Bowen:  Levine, James. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
  • Julian Caskel: Levine, James . In: Julian Caskel, Hartmut Hein (Hrsg.): Handbuch Dirigenten. 250 portraits . Bärenreiter, Kassel 2015, ISBN 978-3-7618-2174-9 , pp. 256-258.
  • Martin Elste :  Levine, James. In: Ludwig Finscher (Hrsg.): The music in past and present . Second edition, personal section, volume 11 (Lesage - Menuhin). Bärenreiter / Metzler, Kassel et al. 2004, ISBN 3-7618-1121-7  ( online edition , subscription required for full access)
  • Ingo Harden : James Levine . In: Ingo Harden, Gregor Willmes: Pianist profiles: 600 performers: their biography, their style, their recordings . Bärenreiter, Kassel 2008, ISBN 978-3-7618-1616-5 , p. 435 f.
  • Douglas McLennan: James Levine . In: Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990 . Edited by Stephen Wasserstein, Ken Wachsberger, and Tanya Laplante. Vol. 1. Schirmer Reference, Detroit 2004, p. 380.
  • Max Lopprt, Israela Stein:  Levine, James. In: Encyclopaedia Judaica . 2nd Edition. Volume 12, Detroit / New York a. a. 2007, ISBN 978-0-02-865940-4 , p. 718 (English).
  • Jane Prendergast: James Levine . In: Lee Stacey, Lol Henderson (Eds.): Encyclopedia of Music in the 20th Century . Routledge, London 1999, ISBN 1-57958-079-3 , p. 370.
  • Roderick L. Sharpe, Jeanne Koekkoek Stierman: Maestros in America: Conductors in the 21st Century . Scarecrow Press, Lanham 2008, ISBN 978-1-4616-6948-7 , pp. 133-137.
  • Alexander Rausch: Levine, James. In: Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon . Online edition, Vienna 2002 ff., ISBN 3-7001-3077-5 ; Print edition: Volume 3, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-7001-3045-7 .
  • James Levine. In: Encyclopædia Britannica . Accessed March 13, 2018 .
  • Entry "Levine, James" in Munzinger Online / Personen - Internationales Biographisches Archiv, URL: http://www.munzinger.de/document/00000014375 (accessed by not registered on March 17, 2018)
  • Gudrun Haas-Regnemer: James Levine: From child prodigy to top maestro; Stations in an unusual career . Haag and Herchen, Frankfurt am Main 1988, ISBN 3-89228-251-X .
  • Robert Chesterman (Ed.): Conductors in Conversation: Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti, Carlo Maria Giulini, Claudio Abbado, Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, James Levine . Robson Books, London 1990, ISBN 0-86051-560-5 , pp. 143-170.
  • Robert C. Marsh: James Levine: his life, his music . With a foreword by Jessye Norman and a contribution by Joachim Kaiser . From the American by Harald Stadler, Piper, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-492-04158-2 .
  • James Levine. In: Julia Spinola: The great conductors of our time. With a detailed lexicon part. Henschel, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-89487-480-5 , pp. 245-246.

Web links

Commons : James Levine  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Julian Caskel: Levine, James . In: Julian Caskel, Hartmut Hein (Hrsg.): Handbuch Dirigenten. 250 portraits . Bärenreiter, Kassel 2015, ISBN 978-3-7618-2174-9 , pp. 256–258, here: p. 256.
  2. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 7.
  3. ^ Robert C. Marsh: James Levine . Munich 1999, p. 30.
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Ingo Harden: James Levine . In: Ingo Harden, Gregor Willmes: Pianist profiles: 600 performers: their biography, their style, their recordings . Kassel 2008, p. 435 f.
  5. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 8.
  6. ^ A b Roderick L. Sharpe, Jeanne Koekkoek Stierman: Maestros in America: Conductors in the 21st Century . Lanham 2008, pp. 133-137, here: p. 133.
  7. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 12.
  8. ^ Jenő Takács : memories, experiences, encounters. Eisenstadt 1990, p. 58 f.
  9. ↑ a b c d e f g h i José A. Bowen:  Levine, James. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
  10. ↑ a b Jane Prendergast: James Levine . In: Lee Stacey, Lol Henderson (Eds.): Encyclopedia of Music in the 20th Century . London 1999, p. 370.
  11. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 14.
  12. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 16.
  13. ^ Robert C. Marsh: James Levine . Munich 1999, p. 33.
  14. ^ A b Gudrun Haas-Regnemer: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 18.
  15. ^ Roderick L. Sharpe, Jeanne Koekkoek Stierman: Maestros in America: Conductors in the 21st Century . Lanham 2008, pp. 133-137, here: pp. 133 f.
  16. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 146.
  17. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 23.
  18. ^ Robert C. Marsh: James Levine . Munich 1999, p. 35.
  19. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 22.
  20. ^ Roderick L. Sharpe, Jeanne Koekkoek Stierman: Maestros in America: Conductors in the 21st Century . Lanham 2008, pp. 133-137, here: p. 134.
  21. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 24.
  22. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Martin Elste :  Levine, James. In: Ludwig Finscher (Hrsg.): The music in past and present . Second edition, personal section, volume 11 (Lesage - Menuhin). Bärenreiter / Metzler, Kassel et al. 2004, ISBN 3-7618-1121-7  ( online edition , subscription required for full access)
  23. ^ Roderick L. Sharpe, Jeanne Koekkoek Stierman: Maestros in America: Conductors in the 21st Century . Lanham 2008, pp. 133-137, here: p. 135.
  24. ↑ a b c d e f g James Levine. In: Encyclopædia Britannica . Accessed March 13, 2018 .
  25. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 64.
  26. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 72.
  27. ↑ The Munich Philharmonic , www.mphil.de, accessed on 25 March 2018th
  28. ↑ UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra. In: Tagesspiegel . September 3, 2008.
  29. ↑ Douglas McLennan: James Levine . In: Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990 . Detroit 2004, p. 380.
  30. ↑ Isabel Vincent, Melissa Klein: Legendary opera conductor molested teen for years: police report. In: New York Post . 2nd December 2017
  31. ↑ Michael Cooper: Met Opera to Investigate James Levine Over Sexual Abuse Accusation. In: The New York Times . December 2, 2017, accessed December 4, 2017
  32. ^ Allegations of abuse: Met suspends conductor Levine. In: orf.at . 4th December 2017.
  33. ^ James Levine's Final Act at the Met Ends in Disgrace. In: New York Times. March 12, 2018, accessed March 13, 2018 .
  34. ↑ Abuse allegations: Levine sues against expulsion. In: Tagesschau. March 16, 2018, accessed March 16, 2018 .
  35. ↑ Bayerischer Rundfunk: Process averted: James Levine and Met agree. In: BR-Klassik . August 8, 2019, accessed December 8, 2019 .
  36. ↑ Chart sources: DE AT CH
  37. ^ Robert C. Marsh: James Levine . Munich 1999, p. 45.
  38. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 147.
  39. ↑ Gudrun Haas REGNEMER: James Levine . Frankfurt am Main 1988, p. 148.
  40. ^ Musician of the Year , www.musicalamerica.com, accessed March 17, 2018.
  41. ^ Honorary Degrees Recipients , www.northwestern.edu, accessed on March 22, 2018.
  42. ↑ Book of Members 1780 – present, Chapter L. (PDF; 1.1 MB) In: American Academy of Arts and Sciences (amacad.org). Retrieved March 17, 2018 .
  43. ↑ James Levine was awarded a Gold Medal of Honor. www.wien.gv.at, accessed on March 17, 2018.
  44. ↑ NEA Opera Honors , www.arts.gov, accessed on 17 March 2018th
  45. ↑ SUNY Honorary Degrees , www.albany.edu, accessed on March 22, 2018.
  46. ^ Bill Cosby, Met's James Levine loose honorary SUNY degrees. cbs6albany.com, May 4, 2018, accessed May 4, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Levine, James
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Levine, James Lawrence
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American conductor and pianist
DATE OF BIRTH June 23, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Cincinnati , Ohio , USA