Another Good Man Gone

Lorin Maazel, the great conductor, skilled in conducting all orchestral genres but particularly good with opera — died on Sunday. Fair enough; he was well into his eighties, but the world is the poorer for his passing. He was already conducting full orchestras, to professional standards, at the age of nine. He was the conductor (though we never saw him) for Joseph Losey’s magnificent film of Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’; a production that has I should think converted many who thought they didn’t like opera.