Paul MacKay asks:

>By the way, did James Levine finally got hired as music director of the
>MPO? And if so, what do people in Munich (and you personnaly) think of his
>job yet?

Levine got hired (for an insanely large sum of money=more than $1million
a year) but hasn't yet settled into his job.  He hasn't performed at all
so far this year.  In the past he always got a friendly hearing here.  But
the public's been sensitized by the big-bucks image that's overtaken him.
We'll have to wait and see how that works out.  I'll say this, though:  the
orchestra he'll be taking over is currently in top form.  Which transitions
me smoothly to a new item, namely a word about a perfromance earlier in the
evening at the Philharmonie.  Playing were the orchestra of the Bavarian
Radio, conducted by Lorin Maazel.  Program:  Bruckner's First and Mozart's
Klavierkonzert in C Dur,KV467, Murray Perahia, soloist.  The Brucker, alas,
was a bust.  To be sure, in parts, especially the first movement,it's a
difficult piece to articulate.  The difficulty was not overcome.  One the
other hand, Perahia shone tonight.  Best performance the piece I've ever
experienced.  Great feeling, great fidelity, great artistry, great
confidence--excellent Zusammenspiel with Maazel/orchstra.  The next
Bruckner-Mozart mano-a-mano on the 27th!!!  Wish you were here.

Denis Fodor                     Internet:[log in to unmask]