JAMES LEVINE - AMERICA'S MAESTRO

An intimate portrait of one of opera’s artistic giants

Entering his fifth decade at the Metropolitan Opera, James Levine has developed a relationship with the company that is unparalleled in its history and unique in the musical world today. Under his leadership, the Metropolitan Opera entered a golden age. He has developed the orchestra and chorus to an outstanding level of achievement, excellence and public recognition, punctuated by the regular concert series for the orchestra and chamber ensembles he began at Carnegie Hall. James Levine is also very committed to supporting young talent: in addition to his responsabilities as a conductor, he is an active and avid teacher at the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program in cooperation with The Julliard School.

This enlightening documentary looks back on James Levine’s first steps in the musical world as pianist and conductor and accompanies his career up to his becoming the Met’s Music Director and one of America’s major maestros. One will be taken behind the scenes as Levine shares his many artistic triumphs and the challenges he has faced over the years, and provides a generous glimpse into the backstage workings of the world’s busiest opera company.

“James Levine: America’s Maestro” celebrates his unparalleled artistic achievements through commentary by the maestro himself, as well as anecdotes and tributes from many of the great artists who have performed with him. Important personalities from the musical world such as Plácido Domingo and Peter Gelb, as well as various orchestral musicians relive first encounters with the Maestro, look back on their musical partnerships and provide fascinating, entertaining and surprising insights into the everyday life of a great conductor.