James Levine - it's about time

[+ WilliamM]

Excrpt from today's New York Times

 

"The Ravinia Festival also announced Monday night that it had “severed all ties” with Mr. Levine, its former music director, who had planned to begin a five-year term as conductor laureate in the summer of 2018. “We are deeply troubled and saddened by the allegations and sympathize with everyone who has been hurt,” the festival said in a statement.

 

The man who made the new accusations Monday, Albin Ifsich, said he had been abused by Mr. Levine beginning in 1968, when Mr. Ifsich was 20 and attending the Meadow Brook School of Music, a summer program in Michigan where Mr. Levine was a rising star on the faculty. He said that the abuse continued for several years after he joined a tight-knit clique of young musicians who followed Mr. Levine in Cleveland and later New York.

 

Mr. Ifsich — who went on to have a long career as a violinist in the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra — recalled visiting Mr. Levine’s dorm room one night to discuss problems the student was having with his bow arm. “And then he says, ‘If we’re going to work on your violin I have to understand you sexually,’” Mr. Ifsich said. The abuse began with Mr. Levine exposing himself and engaging in masturbation.

[Moondance]

... Since [Levine] is pretty much retired at this point in his life...

I think we can now safely say that he is completely retired.

... this story is not likely to have much effect on his ultimate reputation.

You can't mean that, @Charlie? While his active career was already nearing its end, his ultimate reputation is a work in progress ...

 

... and it is not shaping up as something about which James Levine can be proud.

 

The brilliant musical legacy will never again be discussed without reference to his being a sexual predator who preyed on admiring young men for decades.

[BaronArtz]

I am not questioning any of this and if it is all true is of course just awful when it involves minors especially. But I wonder why it takes these victims so long to come forward. Some of the events happened ... 3O years ago? Did they not talk to their parents or anybody else? Why now?

 

Regardless of the outcome, I think that Mr. Levine is one of the greatest conductors of the 2oth century. I am a huge Wagner fan, and nobody conducted these operas like he did. I will never forget 'Die Walkure' with Jessye Norman, conducted by Mr. Levine. In my mind, I will have to separate the musical genius from the person.

[Moondance]

The Met May Not Survive the James Levine Disgrace

By Justin Davidson*, vulture.com, December 3, 2017

 

... For decades, the Met was essentially the Levine Company. Its identity was intertwined with his. His taste in composers, his relationships with singers, his hires, orchestra, conducting style, and even, for a while, his eye for productions all shaped what happened onstage in seven performances a week. Divas remained loyal to the Met because they felt safe onstage so long as he was in the pit. Audiences burst into applause as soon as his corona of springy curls bobbed into the spotlight. Critics — and I include myself — lauded his leadership as well as his musicality. His cheery, seemingly eternal presence thrilled the board and helped keep the spigot of donations open.

 

I’m not sure the Met can survive Levine’s disgrace. The company is an outgrowth from, and a uniquely regressive example of, the 19th-century commercial opera houses that flourished through specialization, activity, and growth. August companies erected massive buildings, mounted expensive shows, packed in audiences, and concentrated prestige in the hands of very few gatekeepers, all of them men. That power structure produced a century and a half of lavishly misogynistic operas in which women are constantly going mad, turning into prostitutes, dying, or all three. Many companies in Europe and around the U.S. have somehow managed to find their way to the 21st century. But the Met, the world’s largest and busiest opera house, is also among the most cumbersome and conservative. In the past 40 years, it has hired just four female conductors and performed exactly one opera by a woman composer. With a crushing overhead and too many seats to sell every night, the company survives on a diminishing diet of goodwill.

 

In his heyday, Levine was the antidote to decline — the star-maker, prestige keeper, and donation magnet who could keep an antiquated system from showing its age. Over the last 15 years, his health and the Met’s fortunes have dimmed in sync. Soon it will all be gone: Levine; those who protected him; Peter Gelb, the general manager who quietly cooperated with last year’s Lake Forest police report and launched an investigation only after the news came out; the donors who ignored the possibility that their hero might be a pedophile. Will the Met be able to build back from that catastrophe? I hope so, but the company was already having a tough time surviving well before Mephistopheles finally showed up to collect on that decades-old deal.

 

* Justin Davidson is a classical music critic who, in 2002, won the Pulitzer Prize for his work.

James Levine puts the existence of the Met Opera at risk

SALON, December 4, 2017

... Full reporting and the victim's claims suggest that the Opera knew of the allegations some time ago. That, coupled with other accusations and the Met's already declining fortunes may mean this particular set of accusations — so similar to the many we have heard over the last few months since the exposés detailing Harvey Weinstein's purported history of sexual abuse — constitutes an existential threat to one of America's more well-regarded cultural institutions.

 

The Times reports that Peter Gelb, the Met's general manager, confirmed to the paper that other allegations concerning Levine's behavior "had reached the Met administration’s upper levels twice before, to his knowledge." One was the case above, and the second, first brought to the Met's attention in 1979, came in from the Met's former Executive Director Andrew Bliss, who "wrote a letter to a board member about unspecified accusations about Mr. Levine that had been made in an unsigned letter."

 

Even at this early stage of the Met's self investigation, there are two incidents of the institution not quickly and comprehensively responding to allegations tied to Levine. That in and of itself opens the opera up to possible liability from any of his past victims. Given that the Times has found two other men willing to accuse Levine of misconduct and, as it writes, "speculation surrounding Mr. Levine’s private life has swirled in classical music circles for decades," it is possible to imagine that there will be more victims coming forward, more tales of institutional malfeasance and more potential for more lawsuits on the way.

 

None of this is anything the Met can afford right now. While sales this year have slightly improved, the opera is still generally in the midst of a long decline at the box office. The Met has depended more on philanthropic giving than show receipts for years. Giving and income are still generally strong; however, that has come at the price of concessions from unions, wage decreases and cost cutting across the board. Simply put, less money is going into what you see during a night at the opera, and not enough people are paying enough for it.

 

But all of that is a symptom of a deeper problem. A box at the Met no longer carries the same sort of cultural cachet it once did. When the Met actively targets millennials with discounts and marketing campaigns, it's because the elite whales are either aging out or visiting less. Currently, Gelb isn't just trying to carry the company from season to season — he's trying to establish a future for opera in New York City, one that isn't secured.

 

Fighting for continued relevance and working hard to fill up seats is hard enough when you're not handling the same sort of scandal that has, elsewhere, destroyed once-esteemed studios. Where the Met was once flirting with a manageable disaster, Levine may have pushed it to the precipice.

[+ sniper]

I am not questioning any of this and if it is all true is of course just awful when it involves minors especially. But I wonder why it takes these victims so long to come forward. Some of the events happened ... 3O years ago? Did they not talk to their parents or anybody else? Why now?

 

Because right now it seems more likely they will be believed? When it's just you and the person has money and an army of lawyers and also the surrounding details are enough to make an outsider hearing the story think that well maybe you kinda/sorta consented, AND you think you are the only one coming forward, it makes more sense to keep your mouth shut and move on with your life. But if you later hear someone else came forward that may either give you the courage, or make you want to speak up so the other person is believed.

[Nvr2Thick]

[+ Charlie]

I think we can now safely say that he is completely retired.

 

You can't mean that, @Charlie? While his active career was already nearing its end, his ultimate reputation is a work in progress ...

 

... and it is not shaping up as something about which James Levine can be proud.

 

The brilliant musical legacy will never again be discussed without reference to his being a sexual predator who preyed on admiring young men for decades.

His ultimate reputation will depend not on his personal life but on the enormous body of work, all of which is available because of modern technology. People will watch and listen to performances over and over; they will not read the recent newspaper articles about his sexual activities over and over. He is personally tainted, just as von Karayan and Flagstad were personally tainted by their Nazi connections during WWII, but that is not what they or he will be remembered for.

[+ Charlie]

How is Levine different from Spacey? To suggest "who is just being opportunistic" makes me wonder if you realize not everyone is as knowing as you at age 17.

I am well aware that my own reactions at 17 were my own, and not necessarily typical, but I suspect that some of the teenage boys whom Levine approached were not sensitive flowers who took monetary compensation from Levine and/or the Met because they felt emotionally violated.

[Moondance]

His ultimate reputation will depend not on his personal life but on the enormous body of work, all of which is available because of modern technology. People will watch and listen to performances over and over; they will not read the recent newspaper articles about his sexual activities over and over. He is personally tainted, just as von Karayan and Flagstad were personally tainted by their Nazi connections during WWII, but that is not what they or he will be remembered for.

You mean the way Nixon is remembered for establishing diplomatic relations with China and initiating détente with the Soviet Union, not for that other thing?

[+ Charlie]

You mean the way Nixon is remembered for establishing diplomatic relations with China and initiating détente with the Soviet Union, not for that other thing?

"That other thing" was a REALLY BIG thing, not to mention a unique event in American political history, that will always overshadow anything else he did as President. Nevertheless, with the passage of time, the opening to China has loomed more and more important in many serious appraisals of Nixon.

[Phil_musc]

Just a side consideration - what is the age of consent here - the youngest, Mr Pai, claimed things began when he was 16. Doesn't that make it at least legal (not that anyone seems to care a hoot about whether allegations would stand up in court)?

 

There appear to be a lot of reporters and people running around making claims about responsibilities and legal repercussions with absolutely no awareness of the legalities of things.

[+ WilliamM]

Just a side consideration - what is the age of consent here - the youngest, Mr Pai, claimed things began when he was 16. Doesn't that make it at least legal (not that anyone seems to care a hoot about whether allegations would stand up in court)?

 

There appear to be a lot of reporters and people running around making claims about responsibilities and legal repercussions with absolutely no awareness of the legalities of things.

 

Why are we still discussing Levine. The Met fired him. Levine has been replaced by Emanuel Villaume for all but one of the early performances of "Tosca," including December 31.

 

The first paragraph of the Vulture article @Moondance mentioned above. Moondance included the most important paragraphs. I am adding just one paragraph.

 

The investigations have begun, three victims have stepped into the light, and, while his crimes remain in the “alleged” column, James Levine’s career has clearly ended. If the now 74-year-old high priest of the Metropolitan Opera’s pit did what he has been credibly accused of doing, the principal casualties are his victims — three who have identified themselves, those who may soon do the same, and others who never will.

Edited December 5, 2017 by WilliamM

[+ Topseed]

Amen.

[+ quoththeraven]

Sometimes I felt coerced or forced into doing things I didn't want to do sexually. But I never perceived it as abuse, merely an education in the ways of the world.

That was abuse. It's great it didn't harm you, but that doesn't make it right or less damaging to others.

 

I am glad this is finally being addressed. I expressed the opinion that Levine was wrongly treated as untouchable for this before and heard crickets.

 

There are enough accusations that ambiguity over one relationship doesn't matter. Moreover, that relationship was abusive and inappropriate from the beginning. To argue that continuation absolves the original offense is wrong. It's like negating LeTourneau's rape conviction because her former student later married her.

 

That this was an open secret should have tipped people off. In every instance I'm aware of, that's meant abuse has been allowed to go on as a cost of talent or genius or a result of power, as if there aren't other talented people and no loss of talent from recipients of abuse.

Edited December 6, 2017 by quoththeraven

[+ quoththeraven]

Just a side consideration - what is the age of consent here - the youngest, Mr Pai, claimed things began when he was 16. Doesn't that make it at least legal (not that anyone seems to care a hoot about whether allegations would stand up in court)?

 

There appear to be a lot of reporters and people running around making claims about responsibilities and legal repercussions with absolutely no awareness of the legalities of things.

Age of consent in New York is 17. In many states it's 18. 16 is the age of consent in a decided minority of states.

 

I'm surprised you didn't check yourself before lecturing.

[+ quoththeraven]

His ultimate reputation will depend not on his personal life but on the enormous body of work, all of which is available because of modern technology. People will watch and listen to performances over and over; they will not read the recent newspaper articles about his sexual activities over and over. He is personally tainted, just as von Karayan and Flagstad were personally tainted by their Nazi connections during WWII, but that is not what they or he will be remembered for.

It's what I'll remember him for because he should not have had that long, storied career.

[Kenny]

His ultimate reputation will depend not on his personal life but on the enormous body of work, all of which is available because of modern technology. People will watch and listen to performances over and over; they will not read the recent newspaper articles about his sexual activities over and over. He is personally tainted, just as von Karayan and Flagstad were personally tainted by their Nazi connections during WWII, but that is not what they or he will be remembered for.

His ultimate reputation will be “a brilliant musician who was also a sexual predator,” just like the others are remembered, even by you, as “brilliant musicians who were Nazi sympathizers.” The slimy part is not just a passing newspaper story to wrap today’s fish and it will not be going away. Ever.

[+ Awwshuck]

His ultimate reputation will be “a brilliant musician who was also a sexual predator,” just like the others are remembered, even by you, as “brilliant musicians who were Nazi sympathizers.” The slimy part is not just a passing newspaper story to wrap today’s fish and it will not be going away. Ever.

 

It would go away if he hired me.

[+ Charlie]

Tough crowd here. Most people are remembered as human beings who were morally flawed in some way. That may temper their reputation--and should: I don't believe in hagiography--but whether the flaw should be considered more important than the accomplishment is always a matter of opinion. I know that MLK, Jr., plagiarized his doctoral dissertation (in theology, of all things) and cheated on his wife, but that is not what I remember him for.

[+ quoththeraven]

Tough crowd here. Most people are remembered as human beings who were morally flawed in some way. That may temper their reputation--and should: I don't believe in hagiography--but whether the flaw should be considered more important than the accomplishment is always a matter of opinion. I know that MLK, Jr., plagiarized his doctoral dissertation (in theology, of all things) and cheated on his wife, but that is not what I remember him for.

It's a harsh crowd because people have been given passes they don't deserve and because there's far more hagiography than truth.

 

You're entitled to balance that however you want to, but it's unreasonable to argue serious, credible accusations weren't willfully ignored or fended off with money, which is the most sickening part for me.

[+ Charlie]

I never argued that serious accusations were not willfully ignored or fended off with money--in fact, my initial posts in this thread made exactly that point about the Met's behavior.

[Kenny]

Not to defend Levine in any way but there have been some very famous consensual lifetime love affairs (see Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy) between an older man and a younger man who fell in love and stayed with each other for life.

 

Don, who was 18 (stories that say 16 are incorrect), pursued Chris, who was initially interested in Don’s older brother, Ted. That’s how Don & Chris met.

Edited December 6, 2017 by Kenny

[Kenny]

It is difficult to make unerring generalizations about how any individual teenage male reacts to this kind of situation. I was technically a minor (17) when I first started to have sex with men, and it was always with adults, mostly in their 20s or 30s, but sometimes a lot older.

God forbid those adults should have said “no” to you.

[+ Charlie]

God forbid those adults should have said “no” to you.

OK, I was an easy lay for anyone who had a safe place to do the deed, which usually meant older men.

[Kenny]

But I wonder why it takes these victims so long to come forward. Some of the events happened ... 3O years ago? Did they not talk to their parents or anybody else? Why now?

It can take a couple decades for one to acknowledge to oneself what happened, never mind to the larger world. The shame can be intense and debilitating.

 

It’s a very different kind of acute abuse, but look at the president* — he has never come to terms with the abuse suffered as a kid at the hands of his awful parents, and he’s 71.