Lucky breaks at the San Francisco Opera and at the Met led to James Levine's appointment at the latter as principal conductor in 1973 and music director in 1976. In his long reign, with more than 2,500 performances of 85 different works, he not only turned the orchestra into an elite force but was also responsible for establishing the house on a firm financial footing. With his signature red towel slung over one shoulder, the corpulent, curly-haired maestro was hugely popular, even revered, in New York by singers, players and audiences alike, but elsewhere regarded with some circumspection.  - Guardian, Barry Millington