Can you discuss the role Maestro Levine played in transforming the Metropolitan Opera’s Orchestra into what it is today?

Susan Froemke. Photo courtesy HBO.

Susan Froemke: I learned during the filming that when Levine became the music director of the Metropolitan opera in 1974 at age 31, he felt that the Met was a great orchestra but one that needed improvement in certain areas.  He also believed that opera was in a state of quiet crisis and told the New York Times at the time, “I often think, my God, I’m going to be in the generation that sees this whole thing die.”  For him, what was at stake was the quality and emotional content of the Met’s performances.

Levine’s dream was to bring the Met orchestra up to the level of the Cleveland Orchestra at its peak. “I wanted to hear the Met orchestra play Mozart operas with the sophistication and communication of detail like George Szell’s Cleveland Orchestra.” In the 1960’s, Levine had studied for six years with Szell, first as an apprentice and later as an assistant conductor.  Szell, a Hungarian born autocrat, had built the Cleveland Orchestra into one of the country’s finest symphonic ensembles. It bothered Levine that many people thought an opera could be performed better in concert with a symphony orchestra on the stage than with an opera orchestra in the pit. He felt that this shouldn’t be the case.  He said, “The orchestra that plays in the pit should produce a panorama of expression, of details, that’s astonishing from beginning to end.”

So Levine accepted the job of music director but only after he was able to obtain control over casting, musical staff, directors and designers. This was the first time in the Met’s history any conductor had held this position.

His vision was to bring the Met into the contemporary era by broadening and expanding the orchestra’s repertoire, increasing the capacity of the orchestra, chorus and ensemble, and rotating the repertoire with new productions.

To do this, he made a commitment to stay in New York and developed a kind of collaborative stability with the orchestra that existed in opera before the jet age when maestro’s built orchestras.

David Langlitz, principal trombone, recalled in one interview, “In rehearsals, I’d see him work slowly over a period of weeks, sometimes even months, looking for a particular sound, looking for a particular interpretation, and just patiently going with it, going through it, working with a player. That’s the way to build an orchestra:  we feel as if what we’re doing is valued.”  Numerous players echoed this sentiment.

He really invigorated the Met orchestra, making it into a world-class ensemble.

During one of our last shoot days, Levine told me, “After all the work I’ve done over the 40 years with the orchestra, I find they are more dramatic, more lyric, more vocal, more consistent, more committed, more able to deal with the pressure than any other orchestra. And there’s stability to the way we work that produces a different kind of result than you can get in any relationship that is more ad hoc. You can’t conduct that. They have to know how to do it.”

Was there anything you were surprised to learn about Levine and/or his career during the making of this program?

I knew that Maestro Levine was a genius musically. I saw it every time I filmed him rehearsing with his orchestra, working with a renowned singer or coaching a young artist.  What I wasn’t aware of was his business acumen—something often lacking in artists.  During his tenure at the Met, he has always had a vision of where he wanted to take the company. When he sensed during the late 70’s that the Board leadership was weak, he was savvy enough to ask for more artistic control so there would be no creative backsliding. When top management positions became available, he lobbied for people whom he could partner with successfully to achieve his goals. He always kept an eye on the box office even while introducing new, unfamiliar productions from modern composers in the 70’s and 80’s.

How does Levine differ from other prominent conductors, and what makes his approach to music and conducting unique?

I’m not really an authority on this subject but I can offer some anecdotal observations. Many of the Met musicians that I spoke to agreed that Levine–to some degree–ushered in the “love conductor” era. As demanding as his musical ethos is, it’s still a far cry from that of the old-fashioned tyrant conductors like his mentor George Szell or Herbert von Karajan.

In 1987, I filmed Karajan during the Salzburg Summer Festival rehearsing the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (one of the world’s best) for a rare Wagner concert.  Karajan was exacting in his instructions, often insulting the players as though they were schoolboys. He drilled them over and over on certain passages, barking at them until he finally got the sound he wanted. Levine couldn’t be more different. He absolutely does not believe in being confrontational because it doesn’t build relationships. If some player or singer is having a bad day, he will never criticize them then. He is aware of human limitations.

Michael Ouzounia, the Met’s principal viola player and longtime friend says, “He gives musicians a certain latitude for being temperamental.  I think he feels that his function is to get the best performances out of the forces, and not to be imposing because he doesn’t really believe you can impose. He grew up in a milieu where fear was a component of orchestra playing, but that doesn’t suit his personality. He developed a way to get great results without being autocratic.”

Ray Gniewek, a former Met concertmaster agrees, “His approach is one of understanding. It gives players, especially those who had played under stricter conductors, confidence that he was going to help you through a difficult spot, not challenge you.”

I think Levine’s understanding of human psychology and the role that confidence plays in delivering a strong performance is one of his strongest assets.

What do you think played more of a role in informing Levine’s career, instinct and innate talent, or his training (as a pianist and conductor) and musical upbringing?

I believe James Levine was born to do what he was meant to do.

There is a wonderful story I heard about his childhood. When he was two years old, his father and mother would always sing him to sleep. The next morning, he would climb out of his crib and pick out the tune–sung to him the night before–on the piano! He was a child prodigy whose parents made all the right decisions on how to encourage his talent and educate him.

While filming, Jimmy told me: “I was born with a degree of talent that is impossible for me to understand frankly. It’s sort of like being born with a voice. I was very fortunate that almost every aspect of music, whether it was artistic style, content, or technical fascinated me and I had very good teachers.  Right from the beginning, I was able to learn in a sort of continuous flow. I didn’t really have any problem.”

When he was a kid, he used to listen to the Saturday Met opera broadcasts. As a ten year-old, he traveled to New York every other week during the winter season to take lessons from Rosina Lhevinne on the piano. He said that he probably went to two opera performances every couple of weeks at the Met. Later, while he was in Cleveland, he studied quite a bit with Pierre Boulez.  He remembers: “I brought music to him, asked him questions, and had a kind of Socratic dialogue with him. When people ask me today, where do you get an education like that? I guess it’s always true that you have to produce it for yourself. You have to go after it. I think I worked for everything.”

Levine feels that it’s important to continue to learn and he does, from his orchestra players and contemporaries. He expects it. But he also believes: “I’d been given a lot of talent and I thought it was part of the deal that if you’re one of those people who gets a lot of talent, you have to be responsible to it. So where the passion for the art form is concerned, I find it necessary to use every fiber to keep making the work better.”

This is not the first film you have made centered on the Metropolitan Opera and more broadly, classical music in general. What attracted you to making films about this genre?

First of all, I thank my lucky stars that I’ve been able to produce so many classical music films. Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, and I started making films together 25 years ago. At the time, I was making documentaries with Albert and David Maysles and Peter would introduce us to great musicians who were often experiencing critical life changes. This was perfect for our cinema verite style of filmmaking, which Peter became a practitioner of as well. We made films on Vladimir Horowitz, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jessye Norman, Osawa and many others. Each film had a very different narrative but each also contained extraordinary musical performances whether in rehearsal or concert.

In the course of the filming, we would have to discover the narrative so, on one level, I never considered that I was making a film in a certain genre. I was more concerned with storytelling, character development, and capturing the drama as it unfolded before the camera–just as I would be with any subject. But deep down, I always knew that I could count on a few astonishing performances from these great artists that would complement the narrative action in each film. I was never disappointed. These films tell great human stories but they also give the audience the best seat in the house during an outstanding musical performance. That’s the great appeal to me of this genre.

At one point in the film, in an interview at the New York Times, Levine refers to himself as a “teacher conductor.” We also get to watch him working with the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. How much do you think Levine’s love of teaching has shaped his role in the opera community, his repertoire, and how he views himself?

Maestro Levine is a self-professed “teacher conductor” and I think, within the world of classical music, no one disagrees.  It’s his modus operandi.  It is how he has built the Met orchestra into one of the world’s best.  When you watch him rehearse, he talks throughout telling the players in detail what he wants and why. He makes them repeat a phrase until he feels they have it in their minds and can do it without him. Through this approach, the orchestra becomes more agile in their ability to play in a large variety of styles which, in turn, has allowed Levine to expand their repertoire.

It’s uncanny how so many singers — from Placido Domingo to very young artists — have told me that they learned more from Levine in one hour of coaching than in three years spent at a vocal school. Another consistent remark I heard was how he has an almost psychic ability to know exactly what a singer needs at any given moment. With his ability to clearly communicate the necessary instruction and through positive reinforcement, he leads the singer to a new understanding of text or technique.

I believe Maestro Levine is driven to teach because he feels it the most important work that he does. Through numerous rehearsals, he knows he can achieve a performance that is the intent of the composer. And that is always his greatest goal.

What was the hardest part of making this documentary?

For me, the hardest part was not being able to include more scenes of Levine working with the singers in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. There were 12 singers in the class we filmed and we had marvelous footage of Levine working with them, especially when they first began the program and were quite “green” despite their talent. His intuitive, passionate coaching was just fascinating to watch. The depth of his understanding of the text of some of the world’s most famous arias, which the students were attempting to sing, was revelatory. You can see I’m a fan!  His work with them probably changed many of their career trajectories.  It communicated so strongly what his genius is that I really regret not being able to incorporate more of that footage into the film.

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.