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Conductor and pianist James Levine was a major figure in the world of opera and orchestral music for more than 40 years. He led operatic productions and concert performances all over the world, also serving as a collaborative pianist on occasion. Most notable was his stint as music director of New York's Metropolitan Opera for more than 40 years. By the time of his death in 2021, Levine had appeared on well over 200 recordings, many of which remain highly influential.

Levine was born on June 23, 1943, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied both violin and piano as a child, and on the former instrument, he appeared with the Cincinnati Symphony at age ten in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64. By his late teens, he was studying piano at summer music festivals. At the Juilliard School in Manhattan, New York, Levine continued piano studies with Rosa Lhevinne and took conducting classes with Jean Morel. Levine served an apprenticeship with George Szell of the Cleveland Orchestra, becoming an assistant conductor of the orchestra from 1965 to 1970. In 1973, he became the music director of the Ravinia Festival (the Chicago Symphony's summer home) and Cincinnati's May Festival. He made his debut with New York's Metropolitan Opera in a 1971 summer performance, conducting Puccini's Tosca.

In 1972, after the departure of Rafael Kubelik, the Metropolitan Opera appointed Levine as principal conductor. He gained the rank of music director in 1975 and would hold it for more than 40 years. Levine was effectively the first music director of the Met, which had always featured various conductors. Levine's long tenure at the Metropolitan was remarkably long by world standards, inaugurating something of a golden age at the house. He built the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra into what is generally regarded as a world-class ensemble to his leadership. A 1996 gala celebrating Levine's 25th anniversary attracted numerous singers; Levine conducted the entire eight-hour extravaganza.

Levine was highly esteemed in Europe as well. In 1975, Levine began a long series of appearances at the Salzburg Festival in Austria, often conducting Mozart. An early recording -- from 1977 -- featured tenor Plácido Domingo and soprano Renata Scotto, with Levine leading the Philharmonia Orchestra of London in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur. He was equally adept in the heavier operas of Wagner, appearing at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany beginning in 1982. In Europe, he was highly visible as a conductor of instrumental music, leading such groups as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras. He was the chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra from 1999 until 2004. In 2004, Levine moved to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, holding this position until 2011. In 2016, following the revelation (after many denials) that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Levine resigned as the music director of the Metropolitan Opera. He was given the title of conductor emeritus. A series of sexual assault allegations came to light in 2017; those led to his termination by the Met in 2018. Levine denied the allegations; in 2020, he reached a settlement with the company later reported to have involved a $3.5 million payment to the conductor.

Levine was an impressively versatile conductor, with a repertory ranging from Bach, Haydn, and Mozart to Iannis Xenakis. His more than 200 recordings reflected that variety. As a conductor, he was charismatic but businesslike. He issued numerous recordings with the Metropolitan Opera (often on the RCA label) and other opera houses. Levine also led orchestral recordings with such ensembles as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (on the soundtrack to Fantasia 2000). Levine was a superb collaborative pianist who performed and recorded with top vocalists and was also heard on several chamber music recordings. Levine died in Palm Springs, California, on March 9, 2021. ~ James Manheim