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From Daniel Wakin’s NYTimes report on James Levine’s podium return (September 17):
Despite evidence that working too hard in the past has contributed to his health problems, Mr. Levine, 67, is scheduled for a nightmarish week in October. He will lead the Boston orchestra in Mahler’s huge Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”) at 8 p.m. on Oct. 7. On Oct. 8, he conducts a 1:30 p.m. repeat concert. Mr. Levine must then be in New York the next day for a 1 p.m. “Rheingold” and back in Boston that evening for another “Resurrection.”
What if Levine were a star pitcher, bouncing back and forth between Sox and Mets mounds for playoff games, or a bank president shuttling between board meetings for two different multi-national conglomerates. Would any party condone this kind of setup? There’s not a single musician in either band who would be allowed anywhere near the same liberties, and rightfully so. The best either audience can hope for is fatigue.
These problems were both foreseeable and avoidable, and yet neither organization took precautions. None of Levine’s employers so much as request that he train a successor (or three) for the highly likely event that he collapses onstage. It’s like a bad reality show, Propping Up Sacred Conductor Cows: Upbeats to a Cardiac Arrest. Please: no wagering.
