New York Met's conductor bows out with injury
AFP
NEW YORK- The principal conductor of the New York Metropolitan Opera, James Levine, is bowing out of upcoming performances at the famed house with a back injury, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Levine suffered a vertebra injury last week while on holiday in Vermont, where he was already recuperating from back surgery.
Levine remains music director of the Met, while Fabio Luisi is named principal conductor for most performances this year, including new productions of "Don Giovanni," which premieres October 13, and "Siegfried," which premieres October 27.
Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, said "Jim’s latest setback is hugely disappointing for all of us."
The Met said that Levine hoped to take up the baton again in January in time for the new production of Wagner’s "Götterdämmerung," premiering January 27, and for the full cycles of "Der Ring des Nibelungen" in the spring.
In order to replace Levine, Luisi had to cancel performances with the Rome Opera, the Genoa Opera, the Vienna Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony, the Met said.
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Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, said "Jim’s latest setback is hugely disappointing for all of us."
The Met said that Levine hoped to take up the baton again in January in time for the new production of Wagner’s "Götterdämmerung," premiering January 27, and for the full cycles of "Der Ring des Nibelungen" in the spring.
In order to replace Levine, Luisi had to cancel performances with the Rome Opera, the Genoa Opera, the Vienna Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony, the Met said.
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