| New Injury Forces James Levine To Cancel Fall Performances |
| Tuesday, 06 September 2011 05:25 | |||
 After a fall last week that damaged one of his vertebrae, James Levine underwent emergency surgery on Thursday in New York, forcing him to withdraw from his performances at the Metropolitan Opera this fall. Levine was scheduled to begin orchestra rehearsals for the new season today. According to his doctors, he was successfully recuperating from another back surgery when the accident happened while he was on vacation in Vermont. While Levine will continue in his position as Music Director, Fabio Luisi has been named the Met's Principal Conductor, with the new appointment taking effect immediately. In April 2010, Luisi was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Met. He will replace Levine for most of the fall performances, conducting the new productions of Don Giovanni (premiering October 13) and Siegfried (premiering October 27), as well as the MET Orchestra concert at Carnegie Hall on October 16. "While Jim's latest setback is hugely disappointing for all of us, he joins me in welcoming Fabio's larger role," said Peter Gelb, the Met's General Manager. "I am very pleased that Fabio was able to rearrange his fall schedule, and I appreciate the understanding of those companies with whom he was scheduled to conduct." 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. "I am honored to have been asked to take on these additional responsibilities, but my thoughts are also with Maestro Levine," said Luisi. Luisi will conduct the first five performances of Don Giovanni on October 13, 17, 22, 25, and 29 matinee, and Siegfried on October 27 and November 5 matinee. Louis Langrée will conduct the remaining four performances of Don Giovanni on October 31, November 3, 7, and 11. Derrick Inouye will conduct Siegfried on November 1. Levine hopes to recover in time to return to the Met in January for the new production of Wagner's Götterdämmerung (premiering January 27, 2012), as well as for the full cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen in April and May. For more articles like New Injury Forces James Levine To Cancel Fall Performances, please visit the Stage Features Section of TimesSquare.com
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