James Levine rehearsing circa his Metropolitan Opera debut with Tosca, June 5, 1971, at the age of 28.

1971

June 5
James Levine makes his Met debut conducting Tosca.

1974

January 31
Conducts the Met premiere of Verdi’s I Vespri Siciliani.

February 9
Conducts the eleventh-hour Met debut of Kiri Te Kanawa in Otello. Other major artists to debut under Levine include Ben Heppner, Karita Mattila, Jessye Norman, Bryn Terfel, Tatiana Troyanos, and Dolora Zajick.

1976

Named Music Director, having been Principal Conductor since 1973.

October 15
Conducts Puccini’s Il Trittico, in which Hildegard Behrens and Neil Shicoff make their debuts.

1977

March 15
Conducts the first Live from the Met telecast, a performance of La Bohème starring Luciano Pavarotti and Renata Scotto.

March 18
Demonstrates his commitment to modern masterpieces by adding Berg’s Lulu to the Met repertory.

December 22
Conducts an all-star Tannhäuser with a cast led by James McCracken, Leonie Rysanek, Grace Bumbry, and John Macurdy, with Bernd Weikl and Kathleen Battle making their debuts.

1979

October 12
With the new production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, not heard at the Met since 1947, Levine begins building the Mozart repertory to include every major work.

October 16
Conducts the company premiere of Kurt Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, starring Teresa Stratas, Richard Cassilly, Astrid Varnay, and Cornell MacNeil.

1981

December 3
A new all-Stravinsky program conducted by Levine features two Met premieres—Le Sacre du Printemps and Oedipus Rex—as well as Le Rossignol.

1982

October 14
Introduces Mozart’s Idomeneo to the Met, in a new production by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, with Luciano Pavarotti starring in the title role alongside Ileana Cotrubas, Frederica von Stade, Hildegard Behrens, and John Alexander.

December 12
Performs with Frederica von Stade and Nicolai Gedda at a special onstage recital celebrating Gedda’s 25th Met anniversary. It’s one of a series of recitals where Levine accompanies artists on piano, featuring such singers as Marilyn Horne, Christa Ludwig, Jessye Norman, Renata Scotto, and Martti Talvela.

1983

January
Appears on the cover of Time magazine in a profile that declares him as the premier American conductor on the international scene.

September 18
Appears with Leontyne Price on “In Performance at the White House,” a televised concert with President Reagan in the audience and a number of young Met artists also performing.

October 22
Performs in the Met’s two-part Centennial Gala, leading scenes from Der Rosenkavalier, Otello, La Fanciulla del West, Tristan und Isolde, and other operas.

1984

October 18
Adds Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito to the Met repertory, with Kenneth Riegel, Renata Scotto, Gail Robinson, and Ann Murray in her company debut.

1985

February 6
Conducts the Met premiere of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, with Simon Estes and Grace Bumbry in the title roles.

1986

September 22
The Opening Night performance of Die Walküre marks the first part of a new Ring cycle, directed by Otto Schenk and designed by Günther Schneider-Siemssen, with Hildegard Behrens, Peter Hofmann, Jeannine Altmeyer, and Simon Estes in the principal roles and Maestro Levine on the podium.

1988

October 12
Levine’s 1089th performance, of Das Rheingold, exceeds Artur Bodanzky’s previous Met record (1,088) of most performances by a conductor.

1989

January 16
Leads the Met premiere of Schoenberg’s Erwartung with Jessye Norman, who also appears, with Samuel Ramey, in Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle.

April 1, 8, 15, 22
Conducts the first full cycle of Wagner’s Ring in nearly 15 years, in the new Schenk–Schneider-Siemssen production.

1991

December 19
Conducts the world premiere of John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles. Other operas commissioned by the Met under Levine include Philip Glass’s The Voyage, Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy, Tan Dun’s The First Emperor, and John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby (see December 20, 1999).

1992

May 5
Launches the MET Orchestra’s annual concert series in Carnegie Hall, showcasing the ensemble in works outside the operatic repertory.

June 3
Takes the MET Orchestra to Europe for Seville Expo ’92, the first of a number of international tours the orchestra would embark on. Other cities visited over the years include Tokyo, Frankfurt, Madrid, Vienna, Cologne, Hamburg, Prague, and numerous U.S. cities.

1993

January 14
Conducts a new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg with Donald McIntyre, Karita Mattila, Francisco Araiza, and Hermann Prey.

April 3
In the third season of Levine-led Ring cycles, Christa Ludwig sings her Met farewell as Fricka in Die Walküre.

October 21
Leads his third Verdi premiere at the Met: Stiffelio, with Plácido Domingo in the title role.

December 2
Adds another Verdi opera to the Met repertory: I Lombardi, with Luciano Pavarotti.

Metropolitan Opera Music Director James Levine and longtime collaborator Plácido Domingo rehearse Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra.

1996

February 8
Conducts a new production of Così fan tutte, with Cecilia Bartoli making her Met debut as Despina.

February 10
Conducts a Saturday double-header of Verdi’s two final masterpieces, Otello and Falstaff, one of nearly 50 times he has led two performances at the Met in one day. Other memorable same-day pairings include La Bohème and Lulu, Ariadne auf Naxos and Don Carlo, and Elektra and Simon Boccanegra.

April 27
Celebrates his 25th anniversary with the Met leading a gala performance of more than 50 Met stars in more than 35 different works.

1997

February 10
Conducts a new production of Berg’s Wozzeck, followed in November by a new production of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress—two new stagings of 20th-century masterpieces in a single year.

October 16
Conducts the Met premiere of La Cenerentola, with Bartoli and Ramón Vargas.

1998

March 1
Leads the inaugural concert of the MET Chamber Ensemble.

November 15
Conducts the MET Orchestra in the world premiere of Milton Babbitt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 at Carnegie Hall. Other orchestral or chamber works commissioned by Levine include Charles Wuorinen’s Theologoumenon and Tıme Regained, William Bolcom’s Symphony No. 7, Hsueh-Yung Shen’s Legend for Percussion and Orchestra, and Elliott Carter’s In the Distances of Sleep.

1999

February 8
Brings Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron to the Met for the first time, with John Tomlinson and Philip Langridge in the title roles.

December 20
Conducts the world premiere of John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby, commissioned by the Met to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his debut, with Jerry Hadley and Dawn Upshaw.

2003

February 10
A new production of Les Troyens premieres, with Levine conducting Deborah Voigt, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and Ben Heppner in the leading roles.

December 4
Adds Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini to the Met repertory, with Marcello Giordani in the title role.

2004

March 13
Conducts Luciano Pavarotti’s farewell performance in Tosca. Other artists to have had their final performances under Levine’s baton include Marilyn Horne, Hermann Prey, Leontyne Price, Teresa Stratas, and Renata Tebaldi.

2005

March 15
Conducts the farewell of Mirella Freni, celebrating the 50th anniversary of her operatic debut and the 40th anniversary of her Met debut.

2006

December 30
Conducts a matinee of The Magic Flute to launch The Met: Live in HD, the company’s series of live performance transmissions to movie theaters around the world.

2009

March 15
Conducts the Met’s 125th Anniversary Gala, which is also a tribute to Levine’s longtime collaborator Plácido Domingo.

May 4, 5, 7, 9
Conducts the final cycle of Otto Schenk’s Ring production. It’s the 21st complete cycle of this staging—all of which were conducted by Levine.

2010

September 27
The premiere of a new production of Das Rheingold, directed by Robert Lepage, marks Levine’s 31st Opening Night, a Met record.

2011

June 5
After a season that includes new productions of Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, Levine takes the Met on tour to Japan, where he conducts Don Carlo on the 40th anniversary of his Met debut.

“Panic in the Streets” c. 1950 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Renewed c. 1977 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

On March 21, 1999, and for the first time in its long and illustrious history, the Academy Awards® ceremony occurred on a Sunday. Over 45 million people watched on television. While glamorous nominees and other Hollywood elites walked the fabled red carpet into L.A.’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, perhaps the most accomplished and influential attendee entered discreetly through a back door.

Introduced by one of the greatest actors of our time, Robert De Niro, and one of the greatest directors of our time, Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest directors of all time prepared to return to the OSCAR® stage to receive the iconic gold statuette for the first time since 1954. After a video retrospective featuring the man and his work, Elia Kazan was escorted onto the stage by his wife, Frances, to receive an honorary OSCAR® recognizing and celebrating his lifetime of extraordinary achievement in film.

Not everyone applauded. Even fewer rose to their feet. But the ovation lasted for nearly a full minute—an eternity in an OSCARS® television broadcast. Although his history was controversial and his relationship with Hollywood was at times ambivalent, no one could deny the genius of his visionary and influential body of work in film. Kazan graciously thanked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its courage and generosity in bestowing such an honor. He embraced an emotional Scorsese and DeNiro, then humbly concluded, “I think I could just slip away.”

Kazan the honoree was not always so reserved and retiring. Elia Kazan the director bravely and artfully confronted some of the more pressing social issues of his time: topics such as class division, bigotry and corruption. His courage and talent behind the camera delivered some of Hollywood’s most unforgettable cinematic achievements, such as A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), On the Waterfront (1954) and East of Eden (1955). His leadership and tutelage elicited OSCAR®-Winning performances from screen greats such as Vivien Leigh, Anthony Quinn, Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint.

Elia Kazan was born Elias Kazancoglu in 1909 to Greek parents living in Turkey. His family emigrated to New York City in 1913. Although there were expectations that he would join the family rug business, his heart was set on theater. Kazan graduated from Williams College, then attended the School of Drama at Yale University.

Following his education, Kazan entered the world of theater in New York. He began as an actor, appearing in stage productions such as Golden Boy and Men in White. He quickly earned a reputation as a reliable jack-of-all-trades, earning the nickname “Gadge” (short for gadget). Kazan eventually earned the opportunity to direct.

On stage, he brought to life the works of some of America’s greatest playwrights, including Tennessee Williams (A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) and Arthur Miller (All My Sons, Death of a Salesman). The latter two productions earned Kazan Tony Awards® for Best Direction (1947) and Best Director (1949), respectively. Kazan also won a Tony® for Best Direction in 1959 for his work on J.B.

The gifted Kazan was discovered by Hollywood early in his career. He executive produced and appeared as an actor in 1935’s Pie in the Sky. Kazan moved behind the camera to serve as an assistant director on the 1937 short subject People of the Cumberland. His education in film continued when he was cast in the role of “Googi” in the 1940 James Cagney vehicle City for Conquest. Kazan took particular note of Cagney’s acting technique and his rapport with the cast and crew.

Kazan’s unique experience, talent and versatility earned him a contract with Twentieth Century Fox in 1944 to direct five films in five years. His first outing proved that the studio made the right choice. Kazan’s direction of the 1945 adaptation of the beloved Betty Smith novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was a critical success and an instant classic. Kazan’s natural ability to summon great performances from his cast was fast becoming his trademark—James Dunn won the 1945 ACADEMY AWARD® for Best Supporting Actor, and Peggy Ann Garner won an OSCAR® for Outstanding Child Actress (a Special Award at the time, for which she was bestowed a miniature statuette).

The 1945 film The Sea of Grass gave Kazan the opportunity to direct silver-screen heavyweights Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Kazan, however, was disappointed with his sophomore directing effort. Kazan bounced back in 1947 with the fact-based murder drama Boomerang, earning him Best Director awards from both the National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle. Kazan’s profile continued to rise in Hollywood. Fox’s 1947 film Gentleman’s Agreement — a controversial study of anti-Semitism — earned Kazan his first ACADEMY AWARD® Best Directing Nomination and Win. His triumph would turn out to be bittersweet. The politically sensitive nature of Gentleman’s Agreement also garnered the unwanted attention of the U.S. Congress and its House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

In 1952, after initially refusing to testify, Kazan appeared before the HUAC (not to be confused with the U.S. Senate counterpart led by Joseph R. McCarthy). Kazan had briefly been a member of the Communist Party of the United States of America in the mid-1930s. While questioned under oath, Kazan reluctantly identified people in the worlds of both theater and film—and most ended up blacklisted in Hollywood. Torn between his principles and personal loyalties, Kazan made a difficult and lonely decision to speak truthfully rather than to protect his friends and their careers. Many would never forgive Kazan. Others, in time, would come to respect him not only for his undisputed cinematic talent, but also for his honesty and integrity.

Excruciating moral dilemmas also punctuated many stories Kazan told from behind the camera. His fearless honesty, profound vision and innovative aesthetics led to ACADEMY AWARD® Best Directing Nominations for A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), East of Eden (1955) and America America (1963), also earning Kazan nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Most notably, Kazan again took home the Best Director OSCAR® in 1954 for On the Waterfront, a singular masterpiece earning twelve ACADEMY AWARD® Nominations, which culminated in eight OSCAR® Wins, including Best Picture. This Kazan classic would be cherished and honored for years to come. In 1989, On the Waterfront was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” as deemed by the United States Library of Congress.

In a twist of personal irony, the story in On the Waterfront culminates in longshoreman Terry Malloy’s (Marlon Brando, Best Actor Winner) moral dilemma as to whether he should give testimony against a powerful and crooked union boss (Lee J. Cobb, nominated Best Supporting Actor), who is connected with his [Malloy’s] attorney brother (Rod Steiger, nominated Best Supporting Actor). Perhaps it was Kazan’s own difficult decision to finally relent to the HUAC and give his own testimony that gave him the unique perspective and impetus to evoke landmark performances that earned OSCAR® Wins or Nominations for not only Brando, Cobb and Steiger, but also for Karl Malden and Eva Marie Saint (Winner, Best Supporting Actress).

Kazan’s remarkable work continued through the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s. Under his direction, films such as John Steinbeck’s classic tale East of Eden (1955), the provocative Baby Doll (1956), the revealing Splendor in the Grass (1961) and his very personal America America (1963, loosely based on his uncle’s life) earned additional OSCAR® Nominations and Wins for others affiliated with Kazan’s work. His final film was an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished novel The Last Tycoon (1976), starring Robert DeNiro.

Scorsese and DeNiro proudly stood behind Kazan while he faced a theater full of grateful admirers and unforgiving detractors on that memorable Sunday in 1999.

Solemnly holding his third and final ACADEMY AWARD®, Elia Kazan personified the conflicted, controversial and principled outsider who often underscored the allure and cultural significance of his many films. He may have then openly wished to “just slip away,” but the cinematic treasures he left us ensure that he will forever be first remembered as a man of remarkable gifts and accomplishments during a truly golden era of Hollywood. Elia Kazan passed away on September 28, 2003.