June 15, 2010: James Levine's health problems

>> Rooney: GOOD EVENING.

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MUSIC DIRECTOR JAMES LEVINE HAS MISSED ABOUT OF 60% OF THIS SEASON DUE TO HEALTH REASONS, AND HE'LL MISS THE ENTIRE SUMMER SEASON AT ENGELWOOD.

AND HIS UNFORTUNATE HEALTH WOES.

>> AT SYMPHONY HALL, THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE AND A VOID.

THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA HAS ANNOUNCED THAT MUSIC DIRECTOR JAMES LEVINE WILL MISS THE TANGLEWOOD SEASON AS HE CONTINUES TO RECOVER FROM BACK SURGERY PERFORMED IN APRIL.

THIS AFTER LEVINE'S HEALTH PROBLEMS HAVE KEPT HIM OFF THE PODIUM FOR 22 OF HIS SCHEDULED CONCERTS WITH THE B.S.O.

MARK VOLPY WAS UNAVAILABLE FOR COMMENT, BUT SAID IN A STATEMENT "SINCE THERE IS TYPICALLY A LONG RECOVERY PERIOD NEEDED AFTER MAJOR BACK SURGERY, WE UNDERSTAND IT IS THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION FOR JIM TO TAKE THE SUMMER OFF."

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>> AS DIRECTOR AT THE B.S.O., AND THE METROPOLITAN OPERA, LEVINE IS GENERALLYLY LAWDED FOR HIS GENIUS U BUT HE HAS BEEN PLAGUED WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS.

IN HIS OWN STATEMENT, LEVINE WROTE "THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO NOT RISK ANY DELAY IN MY RECOVERY SO I CAN RETURN TO GOOD HEALTH AND MY CONDUCTING DUTIES AT THE B.S.O. AND MET THIS FALL WITHOUT FURTHER INTERRUPTIONS."

INTERRUPTIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY TESTED THE PATIENCE OF PATRONS AND PLAYERS, GROWING WEARY OF THE MISTRO'S MISFORTUNES.

>> Rooney: AND JOINING ME ARE JEREMY EICHLER RICHARD DYER.

WELCOME TO THE BOTH OF YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Rooney: THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT JAMES LEVINE IS WIDELY CREDITED WITH BRINGING THE B.S.O. INTO THE WORLD CLASS ARENA OF ORCHESTRAS.

BUT THE QUESTION NOW FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE AND THERE IS A LOT OF RUMBLINGS BEHIND THE SCENES, AND THEY'RE CONCERNED.

WHAT IF HIS CURRENT PROBLEM REPREVAILS AND IT GOES ON INTO THE FALL SEASON.

THAT'S THE BIG QUESTION.

>> AND IT IS A VERY BIG QUESTION.

MR. LEVINE'S PROBLEM, IF THAT IS WHAT IT IS, IS THAT HE IS TRYING TO MAINTAIN A SCHEDULE AS THE SAME HE SHOULDERED WHEN HE WAS 45.

AND HE IS NOW 66.

>> Rooney: 66 IS NOT THAT OLD, THOUGH.

>> IT IS NOT THAT OLD, BUT HE CAN'T CONTINUE TO OPERATE AS A YOUNG MAN.

BUT WHAT HE CAN CONTINUE TO DO IS OPERATE AT THE TOP OF HIS MUSICAL FORM.

IN ALL OF THIS TALK ABOUT THE 60% OF THE CONCERTS HE MISSED, I HEARD NOBODY TALK ABOUT THE 40% HE DID AND HOW GOOD THEY WERE.

>> Rooney: YEAH, THEY HAVE.

BUT WHEN IT IS MORE THAN 50% OF THE THINGS YOU MISSED, INCLUDING THE VERY IMPORTANT BEETHOVEN SERIES THIS WINTER

>> IT IS NOT AS IF HE DELIBERATELY MISSED THEM.

THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT BOTHERS ME ABOUT THE DISCUSSION, THERE IS NO UNDERSTANDING OF ILLNESS.

I KNOW THE BOARD IS CONCERNED.

I KNOW THE MANAGEMENT IS CONCERNED.

I KNOW THE PUBLIC IS CONCERNED.

KNOWING JAMES LEVINE, I ALSO KNOW THERE IS PROBABLY NOBODY MORE CONCERNED THAN HE IS.

BECAUSE THIS IS HIS LIFE.

NOT HIS LIVELIHOOD ANYMORE, BUT HIS LIFE.

>> Rooney: DO YOU THINK, JEREMY, THERE IS CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT LOSING ONE OR THE OTHER, THE MET OR THE B.S.O.?

IT IS A HUGE BURDEN AND JUGGLE.

THERE IS TRAVEL INVOLVED?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

I MEAN, THE IDEA OF HIM HAVING TWO POSITIONS OBVIOUSLY ADDS TO THE STRESS, THE DEMANDS ON HIS TIME, HIS WORK WEEK.

IT IS WORTH REMEMBERING, THOUGH, THAT PRIOR TO COMING TO THE B.S.O., HE WAS, OF COURSE, AT THE MET, BUT HIS SECOND POSITION WAS ACTUALLY IN MUNICH.

SO BY COMPARISON, THE COMMUTE TO BOSTON ISN'T SO BAD.

YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAVE IT MUST BE SAID, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IN ANY OF THESE CONVERSATIONS WOULD MISTAKE THE WHAT HAPPENED THIS PAST SEASON AS TENABLE TO BE REPEATED OVER THE LONG TERM.

THE QUESTION IS SORT OF WHAT IS HIS NEW BASE LINE OF HIS HEALTH AFTER HE HAS HAD THE PROPER TIME FOR RECOVERY, AND WHERE DOES THE DISCUSSION GO FROM THERE.

>> Rooney: AND HE HAS HAD A SERIES OF HEALTH PROBLEMS.

NOT TO PICK ON HIM, BUT HE HAS THE WEIGHT, AND CANCER, AND A ROTATOR CUFF, NOBODY IS TRYING TO BEAT HIM UP OVER THE HEALTH ISSUES.

THE QUESTION IS: WHAT CAN YOU DO?

AND IT REALLY HAS TO COME FROM HIM.

>> THAT'S WHAT IS REGRETTABLE ABOUT SO MUCH OF THE DISCUSSION IS THAT HE HAS TO DECIDE WHAT HE WANTS TO DO WITH THE REST OF HIS CAREER.

OTHER PEOPLE ARE NOW ANXIOUS TO MAKE THAT DECISION FOR HIM.

I DON'T KNOW.

I MEAN, I HAVE NO IDEA WHETHER HE WANTS TO CONTINUE WITH THE B.S.O., TO THE EXTENT HE WANTS TO CONTINUE AT THE MET.

BUT, CLEARLY, SOME ADJUSTMENTS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE MADE.

>> Rooney: AT WHAT POINT, JEREMY, DO YOU THINK THIS BECOMES A BUSINESS DISCUSSION.

I UNDERSTAND HE DOESN'T GET PAID FOR ALL OF THE CONCERTS FROM HE ISN'T THERE, BUT HE HAS A BASELINE SALARY.

HIS WHOLE PACKAGE IS $3.4 MILLION, AND THERE IS THE FACT THAT HIS ABSENCE COULD AFFECT SUBSCRIPTIONS TO THE B.S.O., AND ATTENDANCE AT TANGLEWOOD.

SOMETIMES IT IS JUST A HARD, COLD BUSINESS DECISION.

THERE ARE NOT A LOT OF CONDUCTORS LINING UP AND ABLE TO DO IT

>> THERE ARE NOT MANY OUT THERE ON HIS LEVEL.

>> Rooney: HIS SKILL, RIGHT.

>> AND ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE REAL CONCERNS, BUT ALSO, PEOPLE, IN DISCUSSING THEM, COMPLETELY PASS BY THE MANY EPISODES OF HIS PREDECESSORS ILLNESSES AND CANCELLATIONS.

ZALLO WAS OUT A WHOLE LOT ONE SEASON AFTER A SKIING ACCIDENT HIS ROTATOR CUFF

>> Rooney: HE WAS THERE FOR 30 YEARS, THOUGH.

>> YEAH, HE WAS.

>> I THINK THAT THIS SUMMER IS GOING TO BE A KEY PERIOD FOR HIS RECOVERY, ONE HOPES.

AND THAT COME THE FALL, IF HE'S NOT IF THERE ARE MORE DELAYS I THINK AT A CERTAIN POINT HE HAS TOO MUCH RESPECT FOR BOTH OF THE INSTITUTIONS THAT HE DIRECTS TO HE HAS TO KNOW AS WELL THAT OTHER SOLUTIONS NEED TO BE FOUND.

IF HE IS NOT ABLE, OVER THE LONG TERM, TO BE THERE AS A HEALTHY AND PRESENT MUSIC DIRECTOR.

>> Rooney: IS THIS A FAIR CRITICISM, BECAUSE I DID HEAR THIS FROM SOMEONE TODAY, HE HASN'T BEEN PERSONALLY VOCAL ENOUGH OR INTEGRATED IN THE COMMUNITY.

IT IS ONE THING TO SEND OUT A STATEMENT THROUGH THE B.S.O. I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT.

BUT HE HASN'T PERSONALLY MADE CONTACT.

>> I DON'T THINK THAT IS TRUE, ACTUALLY.

IN THE SENSE I THINK HE IS FAR MORE ACCESSIBLE TODAY THAN HIS PREDECESSOR WAS.

OF COURSE YOU CAN'T PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL HIM.

YOU CAN'T PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL YOU.

>> Rooney: YES, YOU CAN.

>> IN TERMS OF PANELS, PUBLIC APPEARANCES, ANSWERING QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC IN PUBLIC FORUMS, HE SPENDS ENDLESS TIMES WITH THE YOUNG MUSICIANS AT THE TANGLEWOOD MUSIC INSTITUTION.

I THINK HE IS MORE ACCESSIBLE THAN ANYBODY BEFORE HIM.

>> ITH THE PERCEPTION ASPECTS ALSO RELEVANT.

I THINK IT IS KNOWN HE LIVES IN NEW YORK AND COMES HERE FOR DISCRETE PERIODS OF A YEAR.

WHICH MEANS IN A YEAR SUCH AS THE ONE WE'VE HAD, WHEN HE IS NOT COMING TO CONCERTS, WHERE HE IS NOT ABLE TO CONDUCT, ONE PERCEIVES THAT DISTANCE AS ALL THE GREATER.

BUT AS RICHARD SAID, HE HAS BEEN VERY INVOLVED AT TANGLEWOOD, BUT IT IS TRUE HE IS NOT A YEAR ROUND RESIDENT IN BOSTON.

>> Rooney: THAT DOES PLAY INTO IT THAT HIS PHYSICAL PRESENCE ISN'T HERE.

I THINK HE IS IN LENNOX BECAUSE I THINK HE HAS A SUMMER HOME.

>> YES I DON'T KNOW THAT HE HAS A HOME, BUT HE HAS PRESENCE THERE.

AND THE SAME THING COULD BE SAID ABOUT MR. ASAKA WHO HAD A HOME IN JAPAN.

>> Rooney: THE FACT THAT IT HAS RISEN TO THIS LEVEL OF DISCUSSION

>> BUT I DO UNDERSTAND HIS RELUCTANCE TO DISCUSS EVERY STAGE OF HIS HEALTH ISSUE IN PUBLIC.

>> Rooney: OH, NO.

>> I THINK IT IS ALSO A LITTLE BIT OF THE CLASSIC NEW YORK BOSTON RIVALRY.

THE FACT THAT HIS OTHER POSITION IS SUCH A PROMINENT ONE AND IT IS AT THE MET.

IT MAKES FOLKS EXTRA SENSITIVE.

>> Rooney: IS HE A YANKEES FAN IS WHAT THEY REALLY WANT TO KNOW.

ALL RIGHT, WELL, WE WISH HIM ALL OF THE BEST AND HOPE HE IS BACK IN THE FALL.

RICHARD DYER AND JEREMY EICHLER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.