By Patrick Donges
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-967797.mp3
Pittsfield, MA – The first announcement came late in the day on Friday.
In a statement, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, or BSO, announced that James Levine, maestro of the orchestra and the New York Metropolitan Opera, or the Met, had canceled his six scheduled appearances during the BSO's summer season at Tanglewood under the advice of his doctors.
A similar statement was released the same day by the Met which said Levine is "taking the summer off to rest and recuperate from his ongoing back condition."
Levine was also absent from last year's Tanglewood lineup, and in March he announced he would step down as the BSO's music director, citing health problems.
According to a New York Times timeline published in March, Levine's health has been considered deleterious to his direction since 2004, when members of the Met orchestra said a tremor in his left arm had impeded his conducting.
Clarence Fanto, a longtime local classical music critic and staff writer for the Berkshire Eagle, called the announcements of Levine's withdrawal sad, but not shocking.
"He has looked quite frail in his recent appearances at the Metropolitan Opera. It's a shame that Tanglewood audiences won't have a chance to see him in a farewell performance. But the orchestra is resilient, and it will go on."
In their statement, the BSO said they would announce a slate of guest conductors to fill in for Levine. Fanto said it was unlikely Levine's absence would affect ticket sales for Tanglewood's summer concert series.
"It's really the orchestra and the soloists; the violinists, the pianists, the vocalists, the big names that the Boston Symphony (Orchestra) attracts to Tanglewood that produce the box office results."
"When they announce their new lineup of conductors in three or four weeks, I'm sure they'll have some recognizable names in the mix. But I think people come for the music, for the Tanglewood experience, for many reasons."
In an email to WAMC Monday, BSO spokesman Sam Brewer said ticket sales for classical performances during Tanglewood's summer season are up by 14 percent from the same time last year, and that officials do not expect Levine's absence will affect the overall financial health of the orchestra. BSO managing director Mark Volpe was unavailable to comment further on Levine's absence Monday.
Fanto said what will likely be affected by Levine's departure is the Tanglewood Music Center, of which Levine was chairman of both the conducting and opera and vocal studies faculty.
"They'll have to fill in with their guest conductors and they'll have to find some other way to deal with master classes and other things that Maestro Levine did so effectively."
The second piece of potentially troubling news for the Berkshires' arts community also came Friday afternoon, when it was reported by the Berkshire Eagle that local award winning lifestyle magazine Berkshire Living and its three affiliated magazines would cease publication.
In a blog post written Sunday, magazine founder and publisher Michal Zivyak said a deal to sell the publication to another company, identified in the Eagle as Delaware-based Today Media, had fallen through before closing.
While he did not comment on why the deal to sell the magazine had not been completed, Zivyak said Monday he was disappointed and that it was "unfortunate" there would no longer be a publication showcasing the Berkshires the way Berkshire Living had for almost seven years.
Fanto, who is also familiar with the business of print media as former managing editor of the Berkshire Eagle, said the closure of Berkshire Living could be attributed to the general financial difficulties currently faced by print media across the country, and was not indicative of an over-saturation of arts coverage in the Berkshires.
"They were a lifestyle magazine. They certainly covered the arts, but they also covered home design, food and restaurants. So I don't really see a connection there."