James Levine Will Focus His Energies on Tannhäuser This Fall; New Production of Lulu Will Now Be Conducted By Lothar Koenigs

Faced with the demands of rehearsing and performing two large-scale operas simultaneously this fall, Met Music Director James Levine has decided to lighten his workload by removing the new production of Berg's Lulu from his schedule so that he may focus his energies completely on Wagner's epic drama Tannhäuser. Levine has long been identified with Tannhäuser at the Met, having conducted 62 performances of the opera with the company since 1977. Lothar Koenigs, who made his Met debut in 2008 conducting Mozart's Don Giovanni, will now lead the first 5 performances of Berg's Lulu, a work he recently conducted at Welsh National Opera. The conductor of the final three performances will be announced at a later date.

"Conducting evening performances of Tannhäuser while rehearsing Lulu in the daytime would be an ambitious undertaking for any maestro, let alone for someone who only recently returned to full-time conducting," said Met General Manager Peter Gelb. "I'm pleased that Jim will now be able to concentrate his energy on Tannhäuser and that Lulu will be in the capable hands of Mr. Koenigs."

Tannhäuser opens October 8 and plays seven performances through October 31, which will be a worldwide transmission as part of the Met's Live in HD series. The cast features Johan Botha in the title role, Eva-Maria Westbroek as Elisabeth, Michelle DeYoung as Venus, Peter Mattei as Wolfram, and Günther Groissböck as the Landgraf.

The new production of Lulu, directed by William Kentridge, opens November 5 and plays eight performances through December 3, including a worldwide Live in HD transmission on November 21. The cast features Marlis Petersen in the title role, Susan Graham as Countess Geschwitz, Daniel Brenna in his Met debut as Alwa, Paul Groves as Painter and African Prince, Johan Reuter as Dr. Schön and Jack the Ripper, and Franz Grundheber as Schigolch.

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