Rechercher des critiques de musique classique, opéra et ballet | James Levine

The Met Opera's concert performance of Verdi's Requiem was an emotional tribute to Dmitri Hvorostovsky. 

James Levine brings masterful control to Mahler with the Staatskapelle in the Philharmonie.

The musical experience was dominated by the imagery making spectators feel, at least at times, overwhelmed.

There are several things wrong with the new Robert Carsen directed Der Rosenkavalier that just opened at the Met, but the singing is not among them.

Mozart's Idomeneo proved to be a challenge for some of the soloists initially but the superb orchestra under James Levine brought about a successful opening evening at the Met.

Elijah Moshinsky’s 15-year old production of Verdi’s Nabucco has returned to the Met, ostensibly as a vehicle for Placido Domingo.

James Levine’s excellent CSO appearance included a first half juxtaposing Mozart and Schoenberg anchored by a memorable Symphonie fantastique, and even a tribute to the victorious Chicago Cubs.

A winning ensemble of singers led by James Levine makes the revival of Rossini’s early opera a success.

James Levine returned to Ravinia to conduct the Chicago Symphony for the first time since stepping down as music director in 1993 in a monumental performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony – the same piece with which he debuted in 1971.

Nobody at Carnegie Hall last night could recall a Wagner concert so gigantic, so thrilling, or so special. 

An amiable revival of John Dexter's Die Entführung at The Metropolitan Opera makes Mozart’s Singspiel accessible and genial.

The Met brought back a 20-year-old traditional production of Simon Boccanegra with a starry cast led by James Levine.

James Levine conducts the MET Chamber Orchestra in the intimate setting of the Weill Recital Hall

The Met's brought back its Die Fledermaus set in the turn-of-the-century Vienna in a glittering production with a winning ensemble of singers.

The Met brought back its traditional staging of Tannhäuser with remarkable performances by the Orchestra, Chorus and soloists, with two outstanding male singers.

A bearded lady and her taxidermied shark are just two eccentric characters livening up Stravinsky’s 1951 moral fable The Rake’s Progress, though the shark is unique to Jonathan Miller’s revived production. 

Placido Domingo was "suffering from a bad cold" on Saturday afternoon, so baritone Luca Salsi, scheduled to sing Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor later that night, put on the costume and delivered a convincing last minute Don Carlo in Verdi's Ernani.

Great singing and acting from the Met's Tales of Hoffmann second cast. 

James Levine led the MET Chamber Ensemble through a remarkable performance of Carter's The American Sublime, whose scattered yet distinct clouds of sound evoked the warmth, irony, and philosophical musings of the texts.

The Metropolitan Opera’s five-year old production of Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann returned to the repertoire with a remarkable undertaking of the title role by Vittorio Grigolo.

After a six week hiatus, the Metropolitan Opera's new Le nozze di Figaro has returned, with a new cast and conductor.

James Levine led a solid and at times excellent performance of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in Otto Schenk's traditional production that somehow lacked sparkle and excitement.

Richard Eyre’s witty direction may weight Figaro too heavily towards bedroom farce than satirical drama, but with sparky acting it’s difficult not to be won over. 

James Levine and the Met Orchestra travel a few blocks south to Carnegie Hall, to perform a program of works by Antonin Dvořák.

Matthias Goerne steps in for Thomas Hampson and electrifies James Levine's Wozzeck at the Metropolitan Opera. 

Like Falstaff, I found myself attempting to gobble up as much as I could: the amusing story, Robert Carsen's resourceful directing, and the brilliant music. In addition to the strong instrumental performing, the singing was, on the whole, delightful.

It’s time to stop talking about James Levine’s comeback. After a scintillating return to Carnegie Hall in May and a fleet, immaculate Così fan tutte at the Metropolitan Opera in September, Levine has proven what he never really had to: his powers have not waned in his absence from the podium. Given sensible scheduling and interesting repertoire, we can focus once again on his music-making.

The wait was long between James Levine’s 2,442nd and 2,443rd performances at the Metropolitan Opera, but it was worth it. What’s more, Lesley Koenig’s 1996 production of Così wears its age well.

With a gleaming, glistening chord of purest A major, the man New Yorkers love to call “the Maestro” returned to the concert stage. His last public performance was a Die Walküre in May 2011, one that took its searing emotional power by maintaining the constant impression that it was about to disintegrate musically, just as Wotan’s worlds fell apart on stage and the conductor’s body buckled.