James Levine

After a trying seven-month absence, James Levine made his long-awaited return to the helm of the BSO last night at Symphony Hall. At 6:14 p.m., the conductor emerged onto the stage and the full hall rose to welcome him back. He placed his hands over his heart to show his thanks. And then, as if to underline the sentiment, he led a thundering all-Wagner program of orchestral and vocal excerpts, with help from the superb bass-baritone Bryn Terfel. Opening night gala programs are not typically known for their musical substance, but this was easily the most artistically rewarding season-opener I have attended...

James Levine , former music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, will not be returning to work at the Metropolitan Opera any time soon. Levine, whose chronic health problems forced him to step down from the BSO, will miss the remainder of the Met's current season - and all of the 2012-13 season - to recover from the spinal injury he suffered last August. The Met announced yesterday that Levine's health has "greatly improved" in recent months, but he needs more time. "While this is a blow to Jim, our company, and his many fans, we want to make it possible for him to eventually return...

After a trying seven-month absence, James Levine made his long-awaited return to the helm of the BSO Saturday night at Symphony Hall. At 6:14 p.m., the conductor emerged onto the stage and the full hall rose to welcome him back. He placed his hands over his heart to show his thanks. And then, as if to underline the sentiment, he led a thundering all-Wagner program of orchestral and vocal excerpts, with help from the superb bass-baritone Bryn Terfel. Opening night gala programs are not typically known for their musical substance, but this was easily the most artistically...

Italian conductor Riccardo Chailly has withdrawn from his two weeks of scheduled performances in January with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, citing "health reasons. " The concerts had been keenly anticipated as a first meeting between the BSO and a prominent conductor frequently speculated to be a potential candidate to succeed James Levine as the BSO's next music director. Orchestra spokeswoman Bernadette Horgan said yesterday that the search committee is just beginning its work, and has not released any information about official candidates.

James Levine 's health is apparently not improving much. Levine, whose chronic health problems forced him to step down as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is canceling yet more performances at the Metropolitan Opera. The Met said yesterday that Fabio Luisi will replace Levine in a new production of Wagner 's "Goetterdaemmerung. " The 67-year-old Levine has not conducted since May 14.

Italian conductor Riccardo Chailly has withdrawn from his two weeks of scheduled performances in January with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, citing "health reasons. " The concerts had been keenly anticipated as a first meeting between the BSO and a prominent conductor frequently speculated to be a potential candidate to succeed James Levine as the BSO's next music director. Orchestra spokeswoman Bernadette Horgan said yesterday that the search committee is just beginning its work, and has not released any information about official candidates.

James Levine , the former music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming performances with the Metropolitan Opera after falling and damaging his vertebrae. As a result of this latest injury, the Met has made Fabio Luisi its principal conductor and announced that he will replace Levine in productions of "Don Giovanni" and "Siegfried. " Levine will continue as the Met's music director. The latest injury, during Levine's vacation in Vermont, came as he was recovering from another back surgery.

James Levine , former music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, will not be returning to work at the Metropolitan Opera any time soon. Levine, whose chronic health problems forced him to step down from the BSO, will miss the remainder of the Met's current season - and all of the 2012-13 season - to recover from the spinal injury he suffered last August. The Met announced yesterday that Levine's health has "greatly improved" in recent months, but he needs more time. "While this is a blow to Jim, our company, and his many fans, we want...

The Boston Symphony Orchestra's schedule this fall is packed with events linked to James Levine's ambitious and challenging Beethoven/Schoenberg Project, but not this week. If the orchestra's season is like a river with a quickening current, pulling us toward next week's performances of Schoenberg's monumental opera "Moses und Aron," then last night's program was an eddy in which to linger, a peaceful pocket of the Central European Romanticism capable of pleasing even the most conservative tastes.

Reprinted from late editionsof yesterday's Globe. Karita Mattila made her Symphony Hall debut Thursday night, and the Finnish soprano brought the Boston public to its feet, cheering. But she wasn't the only blazing star; conductor James Levine, oboist John Ferrillo, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra were right up there in the firmament with her. Over the last several years Mattila has emerged from her cool Mozartean cocoon and established herself as one of opera's most electrifying personalities.

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Ludovic Morlot, conductor At Symphony Hall, Nov. 17-29; West Coast tour, Dec. 6-10. www.bso.org We may never know exactly how much of the current Boston Symphony Orchestra season was to have been conducted by James Levine, who resigned as music director earlier this year. But one large chunk of it is a series of concerts that began last night, continues through next weekend, and culminates in a four-city West Coast tour in early December.

James Levine 's health is apparently not improving much. Levine, whose chronic health problems forced him to step down as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is canceling yet more performances at the Metropolitan Opera. The Met said yesterday that Fabio Luisi will replace Levine in a new production of Wagner 's "Goetterdaemmerung. " The 67-year-old Levine has not conducted since May 14.

Filling the void Jeremy Eichler pointed out vital concerns about the current state of the BSO being reactive instead of initiating forward moves ("At BSO, future starts now," Arts & Entertainment, Oct. 2). We, the audience, have been patiently waiting for signs of leadership. As a longtime BSO subscriber and former student in Longy's Continuing Education Program, I and my musical friends went through what Eichler eloquently enumerates: the upward leap of confidence and joy when James Levine arrived, then the slow dreaded downward spiral from his deteriorating health and...

It's official. James Levine's name has been taken off the Boston Symphony Orchestra's logo, his conducting chairs packed into storage closets. The post-Levine era has begun. As the BSO, which opens its new season on Friday, sets out on its search for the next music director, questions have been swirling about the process itself and what the public can expect. Conductor searches are, of course, routine in the business, but it's been a while in Boston. After Seiji Ozawa stepped down from the BSO podium in 2002, the orchestra and Levine essentially knew they wanted to work together, and that "search" was...

James Levine , the former music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming performances with the Metropolitan Opera after falling and damaging his vertebrae. As a result of this latest injury, the Met has made Fabio Luisi its principal conductor and announced that he will replace Levine in productions of "Don Giovanni" and "Siegfried. " Levine will continue as the Met's music director. The latest injury, during Levine's vacation in Vermont, came as he was recovering from another back surgery.

Troubling news came last night from Symphony Hall, as James Levine withdrew from the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s keenly anticipated performance of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony. At the concert’s official start time, managing director Mark Volpe took the stage to tell a near-capacity crowd that Levine “recently had a procedure to address his ongoing back issues.’’ “Unfortunately, he is experiencing some complications which have been further exacerbated by a viral infection,’’ Volpe said.