James Levine Essentials

Over the course of his four-plus decades conducting the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Levine hasn't merely shaped that ensemble's fine sound—he's helped to expand the repertoire in America. It's because of Levine that Schoenberg's Moses und Aron has been programmed in New York; his interpretations of Berg's two operas are among the lushest, most Romantic ones you'll ever hear. Levine's version of Otello, with Plácido Domingo in the title role, is one of the great Verdi recordings. And outside the opera house, he's also led the Boston and Chicago symphonies in daring contemporary repertoire.