Wow. For me, that's all I need to hear. I grew up as a young musician in Boston, first hearing the weekly radio broadcasts of the orchestra led by Erich Leinsdorf under the covers with my little radio late at night when my parents thought I had long been asleep.
Then as a music student at New England Conservatory I was first in line on Friday afternoons for student rush tickets. Berlioz, Mahler, Ravel, Debussy, Sibelius, all under the baton of Seiji Ozawa and Sir Colin Davis. This orchestra has as distinct and unique style of playing and sound as any orchestra in the world. Tho many of the older generation have long retired or passed or gone on to other things--Gino Cioffi, Harold Wright, Ralph Gomberg, Sherman Walt, Armando Ghitala, Doriot Dwyer, Joseph Silverstein--I still cherish this orchestra's sound perhaps more than any other.
It is for me the issue of "that first sound in your ear" is what one favors. When you first get to know a piece of music for example, by a particular performer, it's hard to listen to a recording by any other. I've heard many of the world's great orchestras, but this is the one that I got to know best and earliest in my musical formation.
Levine, Robertson, it doesn't matter to me, the BSO is the BSO. It's a shame Levine has been injured, but Robertson is as sharp as as any other conductor out there right now. Story is, he got the scores on Friday afternoon of last week and had his frist rehearsal for the tour on Saturday morning. Another Boulez in the making perhaps????
I can only assume you'll be there on Friday night? You can't tell me you're going to miss Beethoven 7, Strauss Til and Carter & Lieberson??????