Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/03/22

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Subject: Levine and the BSO [was Re: [Leica] LKH photos from Uruguay]
From: r.s.taylor at comcast.net (Richard S. Taylor)
Date: Wed Mar 22 12:47:31 2006
References: <5.1.1.6.2.20060319145504.0116dc08@mail.bresnan.net> <p06230919c0466461b9a1@[131.142.12.152]> <442159E9.6010901@waltjohnson.com> <p0623091dc0473efba4b6@[131.142.12.152]> <A4D6A41F-F631-4899-AA1A-5AA19AD6E74C@cox.net>

Steve - Levine has revitalized the BSO.  He took charge of the 
orchestra even before he arrived formally, demanded and got 
additional rehearsal time, and pushed their routine playing to levels 
they only rarely achieved under even the best of guest conductors. 
After 30 years of listening to occasionally exciting but usually 
pedestrian subscription concerts, this was a revelation.

The orchestra seems to like playing for him.  After one piece they 
played while he was still a visiting conductor, one that the full 
orchestra had played at an astonishing level of precision, grace and 
emotion, and before the audience erupted into the ovation I knew was 
coming, many of the players looked at one another with big smiles on 
their faces that seemed to say, "Look what we just pulled off!"

This season at an all-Beethoven concert he played the 7th with such 
verve and excitement that the hall was literally rockin'.  Never 
heard anything like it.

That concert made me get a last minute ticket for Beethoven's 9th a 
few weeks later.  Unfortunately, Levine fell on stage and hurt his 
conducting arm during the inevitable ovation that followed their 
playing of the 9th the night before I was to hear it.  What I heard 
was an entirely competent but not very special 9th even though they 
had played it with Levine to a standing ovation the night before. 
His presence makes the difference.

We were talking about talent earlier on this forum.  That's talent.

May his arm heal rapidly.

Dick




>On Mar 22, 2006, at 11:02 AM, Richard S. Taylor wrote:
>
>>Walt - Sounds like I need to spend some time with Siskind and 
>>White. But then again, all those "Equivalents" never made much 
>>sense to me either.  On the other hand, since Levine started 
>>conducting in Boston, I've (finally) started to make some sense out 
>>of Schoenberg, so who knows?
>
>Richard...I'd very much like to know how James Levine does in 
>Boston... I knew him in Cleveland as a young man, a formidable 
>talent, many wonderful concerts there and a few in Philadelphia...
>
>Steve
>

(snip)

Replies: Reply from jshul at comcast.net (Jim Shulman) (Levine and the BSO [was Re: [Leica] LKH photos from Uruguay])
In reply to: Message from lkhermann at bresnan.net (lkhermann) ([Leica] LKH photos from Uruguay)
Message from r.s.taylor at comcast.net (Richard S. Taylor) ([Leica] LKH photos from Uruguay)
Message from walt at waltjohnson.com (Walt Johnson) ([Leica] LKH photos from Uruguay)
Message from r.s.taylor at comcast.net (Richard S. Taylor) ([Leica] LKH photos from Uruguay)
Message from kididdoc at cox.net (Steve Barbour) ([Leica] LKH photos from Uruguay)