James Levine, who dominated over Met Opera, dies at 77

Conductor James Levine, who dominated over the Metropolitan Opera for greater than 4 many years earlier than being eased apart when his well being declined after which was fired for sexual improprieties, has died. He was 77.
Levine died March 9 in Palm Springs, California, of pure causes, his doctor of 17 years, Dr Len Horovitz, stated Wednesday.
Levine made his Met debut in 1971 and have become one of many signature artists within the firm’s century-plus historical past, conducting 2,552 performances and ruling over its repertoire, orchestra and singers as music or creative director from 1976 till pressured out by common supervisor Peter Gelb in 2016 because of Parkinson’s illness.

Levine turned music director emeritus and remained head of its younger artists program however was suspended on Dec. 3, 2017, after accounts within the New York Post and The New York Times of sexual misconduct courting to the Nineteen Sixties.
He was fired the next March 12 and by no means performed once more. He had been scheduled to make a comeback efficiency this Jan. 11 in Florence, Italy, however the live performance was canceled because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.