Purchases Today

[Spotted Horses]

Yeah, unfortunately there are some composers and performers that had (or have) objectionable views, or have done some objectionable things, that were still great musicians

There are "objectionable things" and there is sexual abuse of children. Levine is dead now, so he is past profiting from the post he used to sexually molest children. But as long as he was alive I was not willing to do anything that would put a cent of royalties in his hands.

[Mirror Image]

Just bought:



I already owned Boulez's Ring, so I definitely wanted to add his Parsifal (arguably one of the finest operas ever conceived).

Two more purchases to add:

[classicalgeek]

There are "objectionable things" and there is sexual abuse of children. Levine is dead now, so he is past profiting from the post he used to sexually molest children. But as long as he was alive I was not willing to do anything that would put a cent of royalties in his hands.

I sincerely apologize - I didn't mean to trivialize what his victims endured by labeling it merely 'objectionable'. What Levine did is far beyond objectionable.

I debated whether or not I should buy this box on moral grounds. In the end, I decided to make the purchase since A) Levine is dead, and B) I was buying it used, so his estate wouldn't profit, just the record store. Maybe I should have considered things more carefully.

[JBS]

Just bought:



I already owned Boulez's Ring, so I definitely wanted to add his Parsifal (arguably one of the finest operas ever conceived).

I hate to say it, but that's my least liked recording of Parsifal. Too speedy for me. If time becomes space, under Boulez it became a very foreshortened space.

TD
Ordered last night

[VonStupp]

I debated whether or not I should buy this box on moral grounds. In the end, I decided to make the purchase since A) Levine is dead, and B) I was buying it used, so his estate wouldn't profit, just the record store. Maybe I should have considered things more carefully.

I can see both sides, and could certainly understand if someone boycotted everything from him. As with Roman Polanski, among others, can I enjoy 'the art' separated from an individual's crimes? I think it is a personal choice, and says nothing about anyone as a person.

Levine's series of Berlioz with Berlin, Schumann symphonies, and many others are at the top of my list from before I knew of his terrible proclivities. But there are also countless other excellent versions of that music by others, so do I really need his to fulfill my musical needs?

I wouldn't begrudge you anything for enjoying recordings he led, for his musicianship was undeniable. Is listening to his recordings condoning his actions or acknowledging his talents? I think that is an individual's system of belief and tolerance.

VS

[Symphonic Addict]

I can see both sides, and could certainly understand if someone boycotted everything from him. As with Roman Polanski, among others, can I enjoy 'the art' separated from an individual's crimes? I think it is a personal choice, and says nothing about anyone as a person.

Levine's series of Berlioz with Berlin, Schumann symphonies, and many others are at the top of my list from before I knew of his terrible proclivities. But there are also countless other excellent versions of that music by others, so do I really need his to fulfill my musical needs?

I wouldn't begrudge you anything for enjoying recordings he led, for his musicianship was undeniable. Is listening to his recordings condoning his actions or acknowledging his talents? I think that is an individual's system of belief and tolerance.

VS

Very well put.

[ritter]

Just bought:



I already owned Boulez's Ring, so I definitely wanted to add his Parsifal (arguably one of the finest operas ever conceived).

I hate to say it, but that's my least liked recording of Parsifal. Too speedy for me. If time becomes space, under Boulez it became a very foreshortened space.
...

OTOH, this is my favourite recording of the work  Boulez may be fast, but it never feels rushed. Parsifal in his hands is an opera, a piece of music theatre, not a monumental oratorio... Other approaches are valid, of course, but this is a great achievement and a significant milestone in Wagnerian interpretation.

Do let JBS and me know what you think of this recording, John. 

[TheGSMoeller]

I can see both sides, and could certainly understand if someone boycotted everything from him. As with Roman Polanski, among others, can I enjoy 'the art' separated from an individual's crimes? I think it is a personal choice, and says nothing about anyone as a person.

VS

I experience this with Woody Allen, for more than half of my life I've been watching his films, and some of them I would consider among the best American films ever made. But I would never defend the man himself, I just continue to read many unsettling things about his personal life.

There are also the dozens, and sometimes hundreds of other individuals that worked on these projects. Forget about Levine and focus on the dozens of orchestra players, engineers, stage-hands, and artists that worked on the recordings. I have many records with Levine at the podium, but he conducted some of the best musicians in the world and they all play/sound brilliantly whether he had anything to do with it or not. I'll continue to listen to these records and applaud their accomplishments.

[Brahmsian]

And boycotting James Levine and "his" recordings leads to boycotting all others involved in the recording including the orchestra members and recording engineers, etc.

It's a really unfortunate dilemma.

[JBS]

OTOH, this is my favourite recording of the work  Boulez may be fast, but it never feels rushed. Parsifal in his hands is an opera, a piece of music theatre, not a monumental oratorio... Other approaches are valid, of course, but this is a great achievement and a significant milestone in Wagnerian interpretation.

Do let JBS and me know what you think of this recording, John. 

It is a different approach. But I said "least liked", not "disliked", for a reason.

[aligreto]

I must admit that I experienced this very same dilemma many years ago with Robert King. I was a great admirer of his recordings, particularly the Vivaldi Sacred Works [the irony of it!] but once his transgressions were revealed I never bought another publication of his on moral grounds.

[classicalgeek]

I can see both sides, and could certainly understand if someone boycotted everything from him. As with Roman Polanski, among others, can I enjoy 'the art' separated from an individual's crimes? I think it is a personal choice, and says nothing about anyone as a person.

Levine's series of Berlioz with Berlin, Schumann symphonies, and many others are at the top of my list from before I knew of his terrible proclivities. But there are also countless other excellent versions of that music by others, so do I really need his to fulfill my musical needs?

I wouldn't begrudge you anything for enjoying recordings he led, for his musicianship was undeniable. Is listening to his recordings condoning his actions or acknowledging his talents? I think that is an individual's system of belief and tolerance.

VS

Very well put.

I experience this with Woody Allen, for more than half of my life I've been watching his films, and some of them I would consider among the best American films ever made. But I would never defend the man himself, I just continue to read many unsettling things about his personal life.

There are also the dozens, and sometimes hundreds of other individuals that worked on these projects. Forget about Levine and focus on the dozens of orchestra players, engineers, stage-hands, and artists that worked on the recordings. I have many records with Levine at the podium, but he conducted some of the best musicians in the world and they all play/sound brilliantly whether he had anything to do with it or not. I'll continue to listen to these records and applaud their accomplishments.

And boycotting James Levine and "his" recordings leads to boycotting all others involved in the recording including the orchestra members and recording engineers, etc.

It's a really unfortunate dilemma.

I must admit that I experienced this very same dilemma many years ago with Robert King. I was a great admirer of his recordings, particularly the Vivaldi Sacred Works [the irony of it!] but once his transgressions were revealed I never bought another publication of his on moral grounds.

Thank you for all of your thoughts on this. Sadly, I suspect more stories ranging from impropriety to outright abuse will come to light, and we all will need to decide for ourselves where we draw the line. You make good points, Greg and Ray, about the supporting contributors losing out - even if they don't earn royalties, they're no doubt proud of their accomplishments. As for me, I take it on a case-by-case basis when considering a recording featuring James Levine (or Charles Dutoit, or Placido Domingo, or Robert King.) Do I need that particular recording in my collection? In the case of Levine's Brahms and Schumann cycles, the answer may well be 'yes', in which case I'll try to buy a used copy. Otherwise, I'd be more likely to choose another artist given what I know of those men's character.

My apologies for rambling! I had a stroke nearly two years ago, and my mind tends to wander more than it used to...

[VonStupp]

Thank you for all of your thoughts on this[...]My apologies for rambling!

None needed. In a world of armchair politicians who have answers for everything, I find I have solutions for nothing.

But it is the conversation that is so important; it certainly helps me learn about my (and others') world vision, and reminds me we are all different but viable and valuable thinkers. If I have a really big problem with Levine's story, it is those who looked the other way to ennoble him, rather than help others or remove him.

I won't purge my Levine recordings, but I will think twice about recommending them. I certainly appreciate others who have mentioned the many contributions besides the conductor, who generally takes a starry role in any orchestral recording.

VS

[Karl Henning]

My apologies for rambling! I had a stroke nearly two years ago, and my mind tends to wander more than it used to...

Warmest wishes for your recovery. We perhaps had our strokes in broadly the same time-frame. You're not alone.

None needed. In a world of armchair politicians who have answers for everything, I find I have solutions for nothing.

But it is the conversation that is so important; it certainly helps me learn about my (and others') world vision, and reminds me we are all different but viable and valuable thinkers. If I have a really big problem with Levine's story, it is those who looked the other way to ennoble him, rather than help others or remove him.

I won't purge my Levine recordings, but I will think twice about recommending them. I certainly appreciate others who have mentioned the many contributions besides the conductor, who generally takes a starry role in any orchestral recording.

VS

One can enjoy Levine's recordings without in any way condoning his monstrous behavior, of course.

[classicalgeek]

None needed. In a world of armchair politicians who have answers for everything, I find I have solutions for nothing.

But it is the conversation that is so important; it certainly helps me learn about my (and others') world vision, and reminds me we are all different but viable and valuable thinkers. If I have a really big problem with Levine's story, it is those who looked the other way to ennoble him, rather than help others or remove him.

I won't purge my Levine recordings, but I will think twice about recommending them. I certainly appreciate others who have mentioned the many contributions besides the conductor, who generally takes a starry role in any orchestral recording.

VS

This has been an enlightening conversation. I thank you for contributing your thoughts!

Warmest wishes for your recovery. We perhaps had our strokes in broadly the same time-frame. You're not alone.

Thank you, Karl - I had mine on November 25, 2019. I would say I'm mostly recovered, but in a sense I'm still recovering, finding new ways of doing things. It's been a real journey - one that made me re-evaluate my priorities in life!

[JBS]

None needed. In a world of armchair politicians who have answers for everything, I find I have solutions for nothing.

But it is the conversation that is so important; it certainly helps me learn about my (and others') world vision, and reminds me we are all different but viable and valuable thinkers. If I have a really big problem with Levine's story, it is those who looked the other way to ennoble him, rather than help others or remove him.

I won't purge my Levine recordings, but I will think twice about recommending them. I certainly appreciate others who have mentioned the many contributions besides the conductor, who generally takes a starry role in any orchestral recording.

VS

I had more than enough Levine recordings by the time the truth became known, so there are not many things I'm giving up by not buying them now. The only ones I'd suggest as must-have even for the Levine-avoidant are his Mahler recordings, including one that's not in the set that started off this discussion: M9 with the Munich Philharmonic on Oehms, which I think is one of the best M9s ever done. But other than that I can't think of anything for which equally good (or better) alternates exist.

My own no-go zone is recordings made under the Third Reich. Some famous Furtwangler recordings (among other things)I'll not hear because of that, but the knowledge of what was going on outside the recording venue means there's no way I could enjoy hearing them.

[Karl Henning]

I had more than enough Levine recordings by the time the truth became known, so there are not many things I'm giving up by not buying them now. The only ones I'd suggest as must-have even for the Levine-avoidant are his Mahler recordings, including one that's not in the set that started off this discussion: M9 with the Munich Philharmonic on Oehms, which I think is one of the best M9s ever done. But other than that I can't think of anything for which equally good (or better) alternates exist.

My own no-go zone is recordings made under the Third Reich. Some famous Furtwangler recordings (among other things)I'll not hear because of that, but the knowledge of what was going on outside the recording venue means there's no way I could enjoy hearing them.

I call that Münchner Philharmoniker Mahler 9 every bit as superb as you say.

[Mirror Image]

I hate to say it, but that's my least liked recording of Parsifal. Too speedy for me. If time becomes space, under Boulez it became a very foreshortened space.

I'm actually looking forward to hearing a performance that doesn't drag and that is a bit on the quicker sider. Plus, I love Boulez's conducting, so it's a win/win for me.

[Mirror Image]

OTOH, this is my favourite recording of the work  Boulez may be fast, but it never feels rushed. Parsifal in his hands is an opera, a piece of music theatre, not a monumental oratorio... Other approaches are valid, of course, but this is a great achievement and a significant milestone in Wagnerian interpretation.

Do let JBS and me know what you think of this recording, John. 

Thanks for your feedback here, Rafael. I have a feeling that this may end up being a Parsifal performance I'm going to like based on the audio samples I listened to. I like Boulez's approach in general. I need to give his Ring a listen too as I own it and it's still in its plastic wrap.

[Karl Henning]

Thank you, Karl - I had mine on November 25, 2019. I would say I'm mostly recovered, but in a sense I'm still recovering, finding new ways of doing things. It's been a real journey - one that made me re-evaluate my priorities in life!

Mine was the November before, not the way one plans to spend Thanksgiving, though in the event, I have much to be grateful for. Certainly does recalibrate the priorities!