A lot of people get impatient with the pace of change.
James Levine

And so, little by little, I gradually divested myself of pretty nearly all of the guest conducting I used to do, because I was at the same time working in the places like the Met, where I could work in this sort of depth.
James Levine

And, over the last thirty years we have seen men's participation in both housework and childcare has increased and women's have stayed at about the same.
James Levine

Art has never been a popularity contest.
James Levine

As major orchestras around the world are gripped in various kinds of crises and upheaval, we need to be sure that we are bringing up this new generation.
James Levine

At my age, you are naturally inclined towards teaching.
James Levine

But the important thing is to lie down and fall asleep. That little nap means you wake up fresh again and can continue.
James Levine

Employee fathers need to step up to the plate and put their family needs on the table.
James Levine

Everybody blames the culture without taking responsibility.
James Levine

Great cataclysmic things can go by and neither the orchestra nor the conductor are under the delusion that whether they make this or that gesture is going to be the deciding factor in how it comes out.
James Levine


I can imagine wanting to work with this ensemble and this company always.
James Levine

I grew up in an era where an orchestra was like a treasure chest.
James Levine

I have a big problem with conductors who gesture a lot.
James Levine

I think this orchestra's strengths involve drama and voice.
James Levine

I thought I'd write one book and the world would change overnight.
James Levine

I was lucky that I met the right mentors and teachers at the right moment.
James Levine

If you factor in not just who's doing what at home, but how much more time working fathers are spending on work outside the home, on average they spend two hours more per day outside the home.
James Levine

It has to be able to play at the maximum expression and communication in every style, and the only way you can do that is - like Verdi said - working with a file, every day, little by little, until the orchestra's collective qualities emerge.
James Levine

It was just that we had this phenomenal honeymoon relationship that just kept on going.
James Levine

It wasn't that I ever knew I'd be at the Met for 20 years, or 30 years, or 40 years, or anything like that.
James Levine