When the Levy breaks

Dawn Fatale, at Parterre, pans the memoirs of Reynold Levy, the former president of Lincoln Center. One might add that the book is riddled with errors: Kurt Masur does not spell his last name with a "z," and I did not win the Pulitzer Prize. I receive glancing criticism in the book, alongside my colleague Tony Tommasini, for having promoted the idea that City Opera should leave Lincoln Center and adopt a more independent profile. I agree with Tony's response: "Arts institutions have been granted nonprofit status to encourage them to take on noncommercial projects. Critics should demand that major opera companies and orchestras earn their select status by taking chances with challenging work."