The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music news: Mega-maestro James Levine backs out of more engagements with the Metropolitan Opera and Boston Symphony. The Texas opera world in shaken up by resignations. Daniel Barenboim brings Mozart to Gaza. And five U.S. orchestras are really in bad shape when it comes to cash.

By Jacob Stockinger

ITEM: Pianist Leon Fleisher (below), composer James Dillon and conductor Ivan Fischer receives awards in Britain:

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/royal-philharmonic-society-celebrates-live-music

ITEM: Mega-maestro James Levine stays with the Metropolitan Opera though he has canceled almost all performances through October. But he has withdrawn from the Boston Symphony and its Tanglewood Festival. Here’s an interview NPR’s Terri Gross did with the beleaguered, illness-plagued conductor:

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/04/135962451/james-levine-the-man-behind-the-mets-baton

Meanwhile, the Boston Symphony has made plans for a Levine-less season:

http://www.wbur.org/2011/05/06/bso-schedule

ITEM: Jewish-Israeli conductor and honorary Palestinian citizen Daniel Barenboim brings Europeans for a lunchtime concert of Mozart in Gaza. Read a review and feature about it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/arts/music/daniel-barenboim-the-israeli-conductor-in-gaza.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2&ref=music

ITEM: Texas has lost opera conductors in Austin and Dallas. Add in debt, opera is not in good shape in the Lone Star state:

http://www.austin360.com/arts/opera-director-leaving-amid-1-million-debt-1449854.html

http://frontrow.dmagazine.com/2011/05/another-arts-district-resignation-dallas-operas-graeme-jenkins/

ITEM: What are the Top Five cash-strapped symphony orchestras in the U.S.? You might be surprised at the pedigrees you’ll find: 

http://247wallst.com/2011/05/01/the-most-cash-strapped-classical-music-organizations/