LENOX When you’re enjoying yourself, time flies.
That must be the reason why Tanglewood, the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home, is quickly approaching the end of the season.
Through the end of August, Tanglewood will host popular music events, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd on August 30 and Bonnie Raitt on August 31. On August 28, the NPR quiz show Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me will play live, with special guest Paul Giamatti.
However, if you enjoy classical music, you should not put off traveling to Tanglewood in the Berkshires. This weekend is the last chance to see the BSO and other classical artists perform this summer, including Beethoven’s Ninth, which is typically a hit on the last weekend.
Tanglewood’s classical music season began on July 5 with an all-Rachmaninoff concert that included pianist Daniil Trifonov and conductor and BSO music director Andris Nelsons.
It has continued to be an amazing weekend ever since.
And part of that can be attributed to the weather, which prevented one of the summer’s biggest stars from even taking the stage.
In a recent interview, Boston Symphony Orchestra vice president of creative planning Anthony Tony Fogg stated, “I must say that we’ve been blessed with incredible weather this summer, which always helps with everyone’s spirits and attendance.” Here, we’ve had some amazing crowds.
It’s been an amazing season, he continued, “from the all-Rachmaninoff performance that Andres led through (the opera) Tosca to the lovely chamber music event with Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax.
Fogg also commended the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, which consists of young, gifted, pre-professional players who attend one of the best music academies in the world for the summer and work and study with the BSO and other exceptional performers.
According to Fogg, the work of our colleagues in the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra has been exceptional. You could tell right away that this was a very, very unique bunch of young musicians from their very first concert, in which they performed Brahms’ Second Symphony with Andres Nelsons. They maintained that high quality throughout the summer.
The world premiere of John Williams’ Piano Concerto with Emanuel Ax was another highlight of the summer season. After a few years apart, Fogg remarked, “It was so wonderful to see John here on the stage.” In Tanglewood’s history, it was unquestionably a fantastic evening.
Fans of classical music will be treated to a number of farewell performances this coming weekend.
There are two concerts on Friday night. the BSO chamber music prelude concert at Ozawa Hall at 6 p.m., which will be followed at 8 p.m. by Keith Lockhart’s Boston Pops 30th Anniversary Celebration program.
In a specially created concert that showcases all of Keith’s outstanding accomplishments and the various musical genres he has supported with the Pops over the years, we’re celebrating his 30th birthday with a genuine galaxy of stars coming in, Fogg added.
Since 1995, Lockhart has been in charge of the Boston Pops. Many distinguished guests, such as Lynn Ahrens, Jason Danieley, Ben Folds, Mandy Gonzalez, Bernadette Peters, Guster’s Ryan Miller, John Pizzarelli, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Time for Three, will be present for the conductor’s 30th anniversary concert.
Under the supervision of conductor Kazuki Yamada, the BSO will perform Gustav Holst’s The Planets and Francis Poulenc’s Gloria at 8 p.m. on Saturday.
According to Fogg, the conductor is a highly renowned up-and-coming conductor who has worked with many of the world’s greatest orchestras, most recently the Berlin Philharmonic. He is somewhat of a protégé of Seiji Ozawa, a former director and conductor of the BSO. He is performing The Planets, one of the greatest orchestral performance compositions.
Fogg went on to say that Poulenc’s Gloria was first played in 1961 after being commissioned by the BSO. It’s a fantastic piece for soprano, orchestra, and chorus.
Lastly, under the supervision of the renowned conductor Zubin Mehta, the BSO will play Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Carlos Simon’s Words and Prayers of My Fathers in their world premiere on Sunday at 2:30 pm.
The 89-year-old conductor, who has previously served as the director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, will conduct the BSO for the first time on Sunday.
The Boston Symphony has never been conducted by him, despite the fact that he is one of the most renowned conductors of our time, according to Fogg. In 1958, he was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, and he has since returned as an orchestra conductor. Conducting Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony will undoubtedly be one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
According to Fogg, Simon, the BSO’s first Composer Chair, has composed a stunning piece for unaccompanied chorus that draws inspiration from the poetry and writings of his father and grandfather, both of whom served as church ministers. It will be amazing to hear the global premiere of this highly personal work, in my opinion.
Tanglewood may be found in Lenox at 297 West St. Tanglewood’s summer season ends on August 31. Visit the BSO’s website at www.bso.org/tanglewood for additional details on these concerts and other forthcoming performances at Tanglewood.
