The Shed at Tanglewood; photo by John Ferrilo.

By Lesley Ann Beck

Every summer Saturday, an enthusiastic audience gathers at Tanglewood at 9:30 in the morning, ready to learn about the program for the Sunday afternoon concert. On Saturday, July 16, they were rewarded with a wealth of interesting information about the connections between George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, two magnificent works set to be performed by pianist Yuja Wang the next day. Robert Kirzinger, BSO Assistant Director of Program Publications, gave the talk at 9:30, followed at 10:30 by the rehearsal of the Sunday program with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) under the direction of conductor Gustavo Gimeno.

Pianist Yuja Wang; photo by Norbert Kniat.

Gimeno led the BSO through the complete program for the Sunday, July 17 concert, beginning with the two pieces that featured Yuja Wang at the piano — the Ravel and the Gershwin — followed by Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D and Igor Stravinsky’s Suite from “The Firebird.” It’s fascinating to observe the musicians in rehearsal, especially when the conductor stops and returns to certain passages to refine the performance.

The weekly Saturday morning line-up at Tanglewood, with the pre-rehearsal talk at 9:30 a.m. and the open rehearsal at 10:30 a.m., offers an exceptional opportunity to enjoy the music and the orchestra in a more casual setting; expand one’s knowledge of classical music; and to prepare for the next day’s concert – this writer found that having background information and a deeper understanding of the composers and their work made the Sunday concert much more enjoyable and more meaningful.

Robert Kirzinger shared some of his ideas about making classical music accessible in an email interview this week. “Developing a context for culture — it doesn’t have to be classical music or even what’s considered ‘high’ culture, just anything unfamiliar — is the foundation for allowing an audience ‘in.’ A lot of people aren’t exposed much to classical music as a matter of course,” Kirzinger says. “I hope I’m alerting them to the idea that an immediate, visceral response to what they hear is enough for a first step, rather than their coming in with anxiety or trepidation about not understanding stuff that might block such a response. That’s a fallacy, that idea of having to ‘get it’ on some concrete level, that I’d like to help dispel,” Kirzinger continues. “Even so, a little context goes a long way. It helps pave the way for a passing encounter to become a lifelong interest, even passion. These aren’t lectures — they’re basically us chatting about what we think is cool about a piece or a composer.”

Kirzinger admits that preparing for the talks enriches his own concert experiences. “While a lot of the music in these concerts is very familiar to me, any opportunity to spend time thinking about how a piece works, what moves me about it, its historical context and influence, and how it rubs up against other pieces in the program usually yields some idea or insight that I hadn’t considered before,” he says. “In the July 16 talk, thinking about the likelihood of Ravel being influenced by Gershwin and the successful and subtle blending of jazz/blues with classical music was a direct result of the pairing of the ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ with the Ravel G major concerto.” Kirzinger plays carefully selected passages from recordings to illustrate his talks. “I made a point of using a 1920s recording of Gershwin himself playing the ‘Rhapsody,’ and thought about the freedom and energy with which he, and subsequent pianists, approached the solo parts; this in turn led me to listen closely to how Yuja Wang played the piece. Same with the Ravel: the recording I used was a Martha Argerich performance with the BSO that was extremely flexible rhythmically in the second movement. It’s fascinating how different performances can be equally valid while varying a lot in their approach. Yuja Wang’s performances were scintillating, but very different from Gershwin’s and Argerich’s. Pieces that allow such disparate, evolving approaches while retaining their essential style are really lovely to contemplate, and that’s one measure, I think, of greatness.”

The Shed at Tanglewood; photo by Marco Borggreve.

Upcoming Saturday morning talks will cover an exciting range of topics. Gerard McBurney, recently of the Chicago Symphony, will be the guest speaker on July 30, discussing that evening’s program of Corigliano, Sibelius, and Beethoven. “I doubt many people have encountered American composer (and Pulitzer Prize winner) John Corigliano’s ‘Fantasia on an Ostinato,’” says Kirzinger, “so hearing Gerard talk about that work’s relationship to Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony will likely be revelatory and generate further curiosity about this recent piece of orchestral music.”

Marc Mandel, BSO Director of Program Publications, delivers many of the Saturday morning talks. He will be covering Mahler on August 6, and the following week will be speaking about the Schumann Fourth Symphony; Kirzinger calls Mandel a Schumann aficionado.

“On Saturday, August 21, we’ll be rehearsing George Tsontakis’s ‘Sonnets,’ Tone Poems for English horn and Orchestra, a piece the BSO and principal English horn Robert Sheena premiered at Symphony Hall this past February,” says Kirzinger. He hopes to have George Tsontakis, who he describes as an enormously personable and very musical guy, onstage for that talk. “All our talks are unique,” Kirzinger says, “but these are really special for me, since I get to ask the composer directly about the things I find most interesting in the music.”

Finally, Kirzinger will be talking about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on August 27. “This is something I’ve done at least ten times at the close of Tanglewood, and every time I come up with some neat detail about the piece that reveals how many layers of intricacy and genius are involved in any Beethoven work. Such things are, after all, the reason we can return to a piece like this again and again and still get immense satisfaction from hearing it, especially live, with the kind of attention that a concert experience engenders.”

Saturday morning rehearsals of the BSO are open to the public, with reserved-seat Shed tickets available for $33 (front and boxes) and $23 (rear), and $13 (lawn). Rehearsals begin at 10:30 a.m.

The half-hour pre-rehearsal talk is offered free to all rehearsal ticket holders beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the Shed. Marc Mandel, BSO Director of Program Publications, will speak August 6, and August 13. Robert Kirzinger, BSO Assistant Director of Program Publications, will speak August 20 and August 27. Composer/educator Gerard McBurney will be the guest speaker July 30.

For more information, visit tanglewood.org.

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Sunday afternoon, August 18, 2013

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

Christoph von Dohnanyi, Emanuel Ax, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. Photo by Hilary Scott, courtesy Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Mozart and Mahler were performed with panache and passion last Sunday when the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, led by Christoph von Dohnanyi, took the stage in the Koussevitsky Music Shed and delivered magnificent performances of these major works in its final performance of the summer season. And while it is quite possible to write about a concert at Tanglewood without mentioning the weather, Sunday was a most perfect day, sunny but not too warm, making the afternoon concert especially delightful.

Acclaimed pianist Emanuel Ax joined the TMC Orchestra in performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat. The concerto is a magnificent piece that is very Mozart-like; it is immediately recognizable, most pleasantly so. Ax’s meticulous, beautifully dynamic playing was supported by the orchestra offering rich and lustrous amplification of the motifs played on the piano.

After the intermission, von Dohnanyi led the orchestra in a vibrant, expressive, and moving performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D. The orchestra played magnificently, with lively energy, well-defined dynamics, and a sense of excitement. The symphony is one of Mahler’s most accessible works, with magical bird calls woven into the piece, a mystical cuckoo appearing in the first movement, and hunting horns, pastoral passages, fragments of marches and folk music, even a passage that sounds like a minor-key klezmer tune, in the other sections. The music feeds the listener’s imagination, with so much texture, color, and the strong narrative quality — it’s easy to imagine a story unfolding and ending with a blast of triumph.

For anyone who may not know, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra is made up of extremely talented musicians who are completing their formal training and are participants in the fellowship program at the Music Center. The list of prominent alumni from this distinguished program is long and impressive; it includes such Tanglewood luminaries as Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, and the concert’s conductor, Christoph von Dohnanyi.

It was a glorious concert – from the idyllic setting and ideal weather to the deeply satisfying orchestral performance, the afternoon could not have been lovelier. All the more reason to venture to Tanglewood before the summer season ends with Beethoven’s Ninth on August 25.

For information or tickets, visit www.tanglewood.org.

Kristine Opolais, soprano, performed at Tanglewood July 27, 2013.

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

Requiem Mass by Guiseppe Verdi

Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood Festival Chorus conducted by Carlo Montanaro with soloists Kristine Opolais, Lioba Braun, Dmytro Popov, and Eric Owens

Koussevitzky Music Shed, Saturday, July 27

[Lenox, MA] – The Tanglewood magic was very much in evidence on Saturday night, when the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus performed Verdi’s grand, eloquent Requiem Mass with four accomplished soloists. It was disappointing that Andris Nelsons, the BSO’s new music director, could not be there to conduct, but Carlo Montanaro, with an impressive list of accomplishments in the world of opera, did a fine job leading the evening’s program. 

Conductor Carlo Montanaro led the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood July 27, 2013.

Verdi’s tremendous strength as a composer of opera is on display during the Requiem, which conforms to the formal structure of the mass, but provides the emotional breadth of an operatic work. The Requiem is majestic, with grand gestures and musical theatrics that create an effective and engaging experience for the audience.

A full complement of orchestra members was joined on the stage by the ranks of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, conducted by John Oliver. The chorus members gave an excellent performance, as always, from poignant, quiet passages to moments of explosive passion. This Requiem offers one brilliant passage after another, whether for the chorus, orchestra, or the soloists – it is an immersion in glorious music, especially for the voice.

Dmytro Popov, tenor, performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood July 27, 2013.

The four soloists are tasked with complex singing parts as well as the opportunity to act, and all four acquitted themselves beautifully. Soprano Kristine Opolais is a commanding beauty on stage, gifted with a lush, strong voice and the emotional range to perform this emotional piece with authenticity. Bass-baritone Eric Owens appeared instead of Ferruccio Furlanetto, who was ill, but Owens performed with mastery, power, and nuance. Mezzo-soprano Lioba Braun has a rich, luxurious voice and she delivered some memorable moments. Tenor Dmytro Popov has a magnificent voice, and is a compelling actor as well.

Eric Owens, bass-baritone, performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood on July 27, 2013. Photo by Dario Acosta.

Verdi has been the focus of several recent films. In Quartet, directed by Dustin Hoffman, one of the characters, a retired opera singer, declares Verdi to be the best composer of music for the voice. In another film, the documentary Defiant Requiem, we learn that during World War II, 150 prisoners at the Terezin Concentration Camp gave 16 performances of the very challenging Requiem, learning it by rote under the most appalling conditions, because the concentration on the music gave them the will to survive.

Lioba Braun, mezzo-soprano, performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood on July 27, 2013.

Verdi’s Requiem is a monumental work, stirring, passionate, pensive, and powerful. This writer believes that in developing an appreciation for classical music, it’s important to be familiar with landmark compositions such as this one, and the opportunity to hear it performed live, and by such illustrious musicians, was not to be missed. It was truly a marvelous evening.

For information on the rest of the Tanglewood season or to order tickets, visit www.tanglewood.org.

Ariel Bock as Madame von Meck. Photo by Enrico Spada.

None But The Lonely Heart: The Strange Story of Tchaikovsky and Madame von Meck

Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, Shakespeare & Company, through August 3, 2013

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

[Lenox, MA] — In None but the Lonely Heart, a successful hybrid of chamber concert and theater, the unusual epistolary relationship between Tchaikovsky and his wealthy patroness is illuminated and amplified through the great composer’s own music and words. Shakespeare & Company is presenting this production of New York’s Ensemble

Jonathan Epstein as Tchaikovsky. Photo by Enrico Spada.

for the Romantic Century, which features two accomplished actors, Jonathan Epstein and Ariel Bock, joined on stage by three superb musicians as well as a tenor and a ballet dancer, which makes for an exceptionally rich and satisfying evening of music and drama.

Eve Wolf, the founder and executive artistic director of the Ensemble for the Romantic Century, is the playwright and the pianist for None but the Lonely Heart. Her spirited, engaging performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A Minor, the central musical work of the evening, is one of the compelling elements of this production. Joined by violinist Susie Park and cellist Adrian

Susie Park, violin; Eve Wolf, piano; Adrian Daurov, cello; and Ariel Bock as Madame von Meck. Photo by Enrico Spada.

Daurov, the trio also performs Nocturne for cello and piano and Scherzo for violin and piano. The evening also includes tenor Edwin Vega singing some of Tchaikovsky’s moving songs. The musicians are excellent, and hearing Tchaikovsky’s passionate compositions in this very intimate theater is a special opportunity indeed.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) and Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck (1831-1894), a rich widow, developed and maintained a complex relationship over the course of 13 years – by the exchange of frequent, sometimes daily, letters. They went to great lengths to avoid meeting in person, and indeed, they never did meet or speak to each other. She was his devoted

Edwin Vega, tenor; and Jonathan Epstein as Tchaikovsky. Photo by Enrico Spada.

patron, supporting him financially for many years, and he was duly grateful. But the relationship was deeper than that, as they shared intimate thoughts and feelings as well as details of their lives in their frequent letters.

This fascinating relationship is explored in None but the Lonely Heartby Jonathan Epstein and Ariel Bock, who deliver dialogue culled, for the most part, from the notes and letters of the two correspondents. Epstein is controlled, subtle, and charismatic as the somewhat reclusive composer, conflicted about his work and the homosexual tendencies he strove to conceal; Bock is warm and understanding as his confidante. They balance each other beautifully, embodying the two complex characters. These excellent performances are well worth seeing, especially when they are paired with the marvelous chamber music that is a part of this innovative production.

Susie Park, violin; Eve Wolf, piano; Alec Donaldson; and Adrian Daurov, cello. Photo by Enrico Spada.

Director Daniel T. Sanders has done a masterful job of weaving all the elements of this unusual production together into a well-balanced, well-paced, and compelling evening. Even the inclusion of ballet dancer Daniel Mattei, whose elegant presence and beautifully realized choreography add much to the experience, is accomplished seamlessly. The sophisticated simplicity of the set and the sumptuous costumes by Vanessa James, and the fine lighting by Beverly Emmons, add visual depth to the overall excellence of the production.

For tickets, please call the box office at (413) 637-3353 or visit www.Shakespeare.org.

Joshua Bell, violin, and Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, conductor, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Hilary Scott.

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

There was a marvelous display of musical pyrotechnics on stage at Tanglewood on Friday evening, July 5, when Joshua Bell and the Boston Symphony Orchestra performed an opening night all-Tchaikovsky program in the Koussevitzky Music Shed. Bell offered a dazzling performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D with Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos on the podium, who then led the orchestra in a powerful Symphony No. 5.

It was a hot evening with an uncomfortably high dew point, but the Shed and lawn were packed with enthusiastic patrons; the orchestra was in shirtsleeves and Bell, performing at Tanglewood for the 25^th consecutive season, performed in his signature black shirt and vest.

Joshua Bell, violin, performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Hilary Scott.

Joshua Bell’s performance was focused and compelling. He created lovely contrasts between delicate, melodic passages and the whirling-dervish-like passages of cascading notes, all with tremendous passion and energy.

The concerto is an emotional piece, varied and lively. A notably difficult piece to play, Bell more than rose to the challenge, delivering a nuanced, beautifully calibrated performance, arcing from quiet, delicate moments to bold, commanding passages with the mastery of a mature performer.

The music begins plaintively, but Tchaikovsky penned a rich, lush, Russian-inflected concerto, covering vast emotional ground. Bell was magnificent, dazzling the audience with confidence. He plays boldly and with power. The recurring motifs are achingly beautiful, however difficult the composer’s life was when he wrote this music. According to the program notes (always illuminating), Tchaikovsky was fleeing a disastrous marriage and grappling with depression and confusion in his private life when he composed the violin concerto, and he did not consider it a success. Artists and audiences think differently, and the piece is often performed.

Tchaikovsky’s music is accessible, vastly entertaining, with a strong narrative sense. The second piece on the program, Tchaikovsky’s magnificent Symphony No. 5, doesn’t disappoint, and Fruhbeck de Burgos delivered a powerful performance – the orchestra was in fine form despite the sticky weather. The conductor led the orchestra with passion, often leaping to his feet. All in all, the BSO’s opening performance of the 2013 Tanglewood season was superb and bodes well for the rest of the summer.

For tickets and complete information about the Tanglewood season, visit www.tanglewood.org.

Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by Keith Lockhart, Leonard Slatkin, and Shi-Yeon Sung

Tanglewood

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

The folks at Tanglewood really know how to celebrate. Saturday night’s concert marking John Williams’s 80^th birthday was a marvelous occasion, from top notch performances and special guests, both in person and via video, to the perfect weather that enticed a near-capacity audience to fill the Shed and Lawn.

With an honoree as accomplished and prolific as John Williams, of course, the challenge is to select music that represents the arc of his long and successful career as a composer. Saturday’s concert included some of his most iconic film scores and a number of other commissions and concert works, all beautifully performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra. Williams was the conductor of the Pops for fourteen seasons and is artist-in-residence at Tanglewood, where his Film Nights are among the most popular concerts every summer.

Saturday’s concert began splendidly with the Olympic Fanfare and Theme, the musicians of the U.S Army Herald Trumpets ranged at the front of the stage, flanking Keith Lockhart on the podium conducting the Boston Pops. The Army contingent, in full dress uniforms with embellished banners hanging from their instruments, lent a ceremonial and rather magnificent importance to the familiar and very timely composition.

Selections from a number of Williams’s film scores as well as concert pieces were interspersed by birthday wishes from a number of guests throughout the evening. Brian Williams, anchor of NBC Nightly News, was the first of the well-wishers to have a video message for John Williams; others included conductor Gustavo Dudamel, and many of the Boston Red Sox players, accompanying the performance of “Fanfare for Fenway.” There were several wonderful surprises revealed one after another as the concert unfolded.

Jessye Norman, elegant in a turban and sweeping evening gown in chic black and white, sang a selection by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein, and then followed her personal birthday message to John Williams by introducing the next section of the concert. Shi-Yeon Sung led the Boston Pops Orchestra in three concert pieces: Concerto for Oboe, 3^rd Movement: Commedia, with Keisuke Wakao on oboe, was first, featuring the playful notes of the oboe over the richness of the string section. The second selection was Concerto for Horn and Orchestra, 5^th Movement; Nocturne, with James Sommerville on horn, a slower, rather majestic work with a noble and uplifting quality. The third selection was Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra, 3^rd Movement, featuring Mike Roylance on tuba, a lively, bold selection with wonderful contributions from the entire brass section.

In a big surprise moment for the enthusiastic audience, Steven Spielberg was next to take the stage and share birthday wishes. “John Williams has made the most indelible contribution,” Spielberg said, “a musical language that can be understood in every country in the world.” Spielberg credited Williams with being the single most significant contributor to his success as a filmmaker, and called Williams a national treasure. Spielberg’s remarks were followed by Leonard Slatkin conducting the Pops in Adventures on Earth from “E.T. The Extra-terrestrial.” It is always thrilling to hear this soaring, exciting score performed live.

Following the intermission and “Fanfare for Fenway,” Keith Lockhart took a moment to describe John Williams as “a tough act to follow,” and crediting Williams with being a valued mentor, advisor, and friend. He then led the Pops in playing Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, an iconic piece of music that perfectly represents the strong narrative quality of Williams’s compositions, conjuring up all the magic of the Harry Potter films.

The next special guest who appeared on video was President Barack Obama, who said, “on behalf of all Americans, I thank you for sharing your incredible talent.” The president’s message was followed by the quartet Williams created for the Inauguration: “Air and Simple Gifts.” It was performed by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Gabriela Montero, and clarinetist Anthony McGill, all of whom played the selection at the inauguration, joined Saturday evening by violinist Gil Shaham. It was like a gentle jazz improve on the beloved Shaker tune, imparting a very modern feeling by enhancing the harmonies and manipulating the tempos, while retaining the plaintive beauty of the old-time song.

Yo-Yo Ma stayed on stage with the Pops Orchestra to play a selection form the film Memoirs of a Geisha, with Leonard Slatkin conducting. The beauty of Ma’s playing was complemented by Williams’s interesting use of the harp and creative percussion. Then Gil Shaham returned to play the violin solo on Theme from Schindler’s List, a haunting and beautiful composition that features a particularly lovely passage between the solo violin and the harp.

George Lucas appeared next, via video, calling John Williams an icon in the world of music; his remarks served to introduce a wonderful, lengthy performance of the Main Title from Star Wars, accompanied by film clips from all the Star Wars films. This might be the ultimate adventure score, and always thrilling to hear played by a large orchestra.

The second very special guest who appeared unannounced was James Taylor, who thanked John Williams for introducing him to the BSO and to the love of his life, his wife, Caroline, before singing “You’ve Got a Friend,” with BSO cellist Owen Young. JT sounded wonderful and the cello was a perfect fit with the guitar.

Video messages from Bill Clinton and Seiji Ozawa were shown, and then came the grand finale, a festive performance of “Happy Birthday Variations” with the Pops augmented by brass and woodwind players from the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. The concert came to a rousing finish as everyone in the Shed rose to sing “Happy Birthday” to John Williams, who took a bow with all the special guests and performers. It was quite an evening, and a fitting tribute to one of the most beloved of American composers, as the 75^th Anniversary celebration of Tanglewood begins to wind down for the summer.

The Boston Pops will perform next on Friday, August 24 at 8:30 p.m. in the Shed at Tanglewood. The program is titled Gershwin and Friends, and features guest performers Maureen McGovern and Brian Stokes Mitchell, as well as pianist Ilya Yakushev. Along with selections from the Great American Songbook, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue will be performed.

For more information, visit tanglewood.org.

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

A sunny afternoon, the Boston Pops, and the extraordinary Bernadette Peters combined for a perfect Tanglewood afternoon. Sunday’s concert, the first Boston Pops performance of the 75th Tanglewood anniversary season, began with a varied musical salute to the city of New York, followed by a set of marvelous songs performed by the incomparable Peters (she included a generous selection of tunes by Stephen Sondheim), and finished with the Pops’ signature march, Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Together.

The Boston Pops, conducted by Keith Lockhart, opened with John Williams’s Liberty Fanfare, composed in 1986 for the 100^th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. The bold piece showcases the brass section, features a big and varied percussion presence and also includes a lovely melodic section; it was a perfect start to the afternoon’s proceedings and the Pops Orchestra was in fine form.

Keith Lockhart welcomed the audience and explained that the first half of the concert was a tribute to New York City: then he introduced the second selection, a terrific arrangement of 42^nd Street, the tune from the film of the same name, with music by Harry Warren and a marvelous arrangement by Don Sebesky. The orchestration is huge, a brash celebration of the song, with a distinct swing/jazz flavor. There is a wonderful tuba solo, very engaging percussion, big sound from the brass, and a spectacular saxophone solo. This number was just a lot of fun.

The next selection changed the mood; the orchestra played Taxi Driver: A Night-Piece for Orchestra, composed by Bernard Herrmann, well-known for his long collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock. This piece was written for the Martin Scorsese film, of course, and this iconic score reflects the seaminess and isolation portrayed in the film. The movements named in the program are Prelude, Blues, Night Prowl, Bloodbath, and Finale. The bluesy, soulful passages were played magnificently by the orchestra, and Michael Monaghan contributed a haunting, memorable saxophone solo.

The last work in the New York tribute was Harlem, written in 1950 by Duke Ellington. The composition takes the listener on a tour of Harlem, starting with the blues, moving into jazz, then a section of Latin tone and tempo, going right into a powerful big band swing moment. We heard strains of a Dixieland funeral, then a late evening at a night club, and even a fragment of gospel. Ellington included all the facets of the personality of mid-century Harlem blended into a masterful whole. There was a wonderful trombone solo, as well as excellent work in the percussion and woodwinds.

The Boston Pops, dressed in white on a warm afternoon, were superb. They play with precision as well as with great energy; the way the sound fills the Shed is just glorious.

After the intermission, Lockhart lost no time in introducing Bernadette Peters, the Tony Award-winning performer who has had great success not just on Broadway and on the concert stage but in film, on television, and most recently as the author of children’s books. Peters’s first number was “Let Me Entertain You” from the musical Gypsy, by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim. Peters was wearing a slim, spangly purple gown and she looked gorgeous. “I always dress like this in the afternoon,” she joked. She is tiny, but has tremendous stage presence, completely confident and at ease. Her second number was the haunting ballad “No One Is Alone” from Into the Woods, a Stephen Sondheim musical, and she sang it simply, effectively, beautifully.

Peters is a very accomplished singer – her voice is distinctive, recognizable, rich and warm in tone, and she is very much a storyteller. Her next selection was the humorous “There Is Nothing Like A Dame” from South Pacific, by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, which she delivered with a light-hearted sexiness.

Performing, as she said, for the first time the classic torch song, “Fever,” Peters gracefully perched on the big Steinway, where a black velvet pillow had been placed. Her interpretation of this song was alluring and sophisticated. Peters brought a trio of musicians with her: Marvin Laird on piano, Cubby O’Brien (yes, the former Mouseketeer!) on drums, and Mike Rivard on bass. She also sang with the whole Pops orchestra – the next song was also from South Pacific, a lush, gorgeous rendition of “Some Enchanted Evening,” romantic and with some interesting choices in the phrasing. Tamara Smirnova, Pops concertmaster, added a beautiful violin solo.

Peters is well-known as a superb interpreter of the songs of Stephen Sondheim, and she offered two from Follies; she recently starred in a revival of the show in New York, playing Sally Durant Plummer. On Sunday afternoon, she sang “In Buddy’s Eyes” which was lovely, and then the heartbreaking ballad, “Losing My Mind.”

Beginning with a majestic orchestral treatment, the next song was the poignant “Johanna,” from Sweeney Todd, also by Sondheim, and then the last Sondheim song of the concert was the showstopping “Being Alive” from Company. Peters is a compelling performer, completely engaging the audience. Her encore was a lullaby titled “Kramer’s Song,” named after her dog and part of a benefit for the Broadway Barks organization, a charity that helps shelter animals. Peters wrote the music and lyrics herself to go with the first of two children’s books, “Broadway Barks,” she has penned about shelter animals, and all proceeds go to the charity.

The Boston Pops ended the afternoon with a rousing performance of their signature tune, “Stars and Stripes Forever,” by John Philip Sousa, which happens to be the official march of the United States.

All in all, it was a memorable concert, with a stellar performance by Bernadette Peters paired with the wonderful Boston Pops. The summer season, the 75^th anniversary year for Tanglewood, is off to a terrific start!

For complete information on upcoming concerts programmed for the 75th anniversary Tanglewood season, visit www.tanglewood.org.

The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, an opera in three acts by George Gershwin, Dubose and Dorothy Heyward, Ira Gershwin

The Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bramwell Tovey and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus conducted by John Oliver

Alfred Walker (bass-baritone) as Porgy; Laquita Mitchell (soprano) as Bess; Nicole Cabell (soprano) as Clara; Alison Buchanan (soprano) as Lily and Strawberry Woman; Marquita Lister (soprano) as Serena; Krysty Swann (mezzo-soprano) as Annie; Gwendolyn Brown (contralto) as Maria; Calvin Lee (tenor) as Mingo, Nelson, and Crab Man; Jermaine Smith (tenor) as Sportin’ Life; Chauncey Packer (tenor) as Peter; Gregg Baker (baritone) as Crown; Patrick Blackwell (baritone) as Jim and the Undertaker; Leon Williams (baritone) as Jake; John Fulton (baritone) as Robbins; Robert Honeysucker (baritone) as Frazier; and actors Michael Aronov, Matthew Heck, Jeremiah Kissel, Ralph Petillo, and Brandon Griffin as detective, policeman, coroner, Archdale, and Scipio.

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

Last Friday night in the Shed at Tanglewood, a magnificent concert performance of Porgy and Bess started with the Boston Symphony Orchestra delivering a syncopated rendition of city life in Charleston, South Carolina, in the late 1920s—the jazz age. Then the conductor, Bramwell Tovey, jumped off the podium, sat down at an upright piano and dashed off some ragtime before getting back to the podium in time for the opening strains of the iconic “Summertime.” Nicole Cabell played the role of Clara, and her rendition of the oft-sung lullaby was thrilling, seductive, even breathtaking.

The entire cast brought wonderful voices and superb musicianship to the now-classic American opera by George Gershwin, Dubose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin. Alfred Walker was warm and genuine as Porgy, but he had a toughness, too, and his voice is rich and lustrous. Laquita Mitchell portrayed a damaged but resilient Bess, shifting her allegiance from one man to the next as the challenges of her life dictated. Mitchell’s voice is soaring and supple, well-suited to the score and very well-suited to the duets with Walker; they sounded wonderful together.

Even though the opera was minimally staged, and the singers were in evening clothes, not in costume, the singers were actors enough to portray the compelling narrative of addiction, danger, poverty, and love in a powerful way that had the audience rapt throughout the performance.

Porgy and Bess takes place in Catfish Row, a slum inhabited by the African-American laborers who work on the docks and their families, a hard-scrabble existence that turns some of the characters to the solace to be found in “happy dust,” others to gambling, and still others to drinking. The story begins with the men of Catfish Row joining in a crap game; Porgy, who is disabled, joins the game, as does Crown, a tough dockhand who is accompanied by his girlfriend, Bess. Crown is drunk, gets in a fight and kills Robbins, another of the gamblers. Crown flees, leaving Bess to fend for herself. She buys some “happy dust” from Sportin’ Life, and then finds shelter with the kind Porgy.

Some of the most memorable music in the opera is part of the wake and funeral for Robbins, who is mourned by his widow, Serena, the luminous Marquita Lister. The call-and-response pattern of black gospel music is amplified and embellished in Gershwin’s composition,

A later scene takes place at a community picnic on Kittiwah Island, the setting for Sportin’ Life’s showstopper “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” a magnificent performance by tenor Jermaine Smith, amplified by his humor and showmanship. As the opera continues, the relationship between Bess and Porgy, and the day-to-day lives of the other Catfish Row residents, become more fraught, more challenging, until the poignant conclusion.  

Every one of the soloists delivered a fine performance; Gregg Baker as Crown managed to be intimidating while singing beautifully, and Gwendolyn Brown was warm and expressive as the strong matriarch Maria. The soloists were supported by the always-excellent Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Bramwell Tovey is an animated, lively, fully engaged conductor, and a contributor to the sense of narrative storytelling that was such a rich and rewarding aspect of Friday’s performance, and of course the fine musicians of the BSO lent polish to the score, which still sounds fresh and innovative.

Friday evening was the first time the Boston Symphony Orchestra has ever performed Gershwin’s great masterpiece, the blues-and-jazz-inflected Porgy and Bess. Described by the composer as an “American folk opera,” Porgy and Bess premiered on Broadway in 1935; the version presented on Friday was the restored 1935 version.

It was disappointing to have the last weekend of the BSO at Tanglewood cut short, but Friday’s performance was extraordinary and an exceptional opportunity to hear Porgy and Bess produced on this large scale. It was truly memorable, and for this concert-goer, a fine end to a lovely summer of music at Tanglewood.

For information on the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, September 2 to 4, or the Tanglewood Wine and Food Classic, September 1 to 4, visit www.tanglewood.org.

Film Night at Tanglewood

August 20, 2011

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

[LENOX, Mass.] Tanglewood was a marvelous place to be last Saturday evening, from the very pleasant late summer weather to John William’s highly entertaining Film Night performance with the Boston Pops Orchestra. While Williams and the Pops are reason enough to venture to the Shed on an August night, Saturday’s performance also boasted two wonderful guests: actor Morgan Freeman and violinist Gil Shaham. Freeman’s narration of a William Faulkner story was pure pleasure to hear and Shaham’s beautiful playing added depth and poignancy to the score of Schindler’s List.

The concert started with a lively rendition of “Hooray for Hollywood,” arranged by John Williams, accompanied by a terrific compilation of film clips from the Golden Age of Hollywood. It was schmaltzy, of course, but quite enjoyable.

Next up was A Salute to the Hollywood Western, with Williams’ overture to the film The Cowboys, followed by John Dunbar’s Theme from Dances With Wolves, and finishing with the Theme from How the West Was Won. The music from The Cowboys included terrific effects from the percussion section, fleeting moments of old-timey folk music, big moments in the brass, and a lovely narrative quality that imparted a sense of being on the move at a nice trot across the prairie. The Dances with Wolves section sounded lovely; Film Night provides the opportunity to listen to film scores without the visual component, to really focus on the music, and to appreciate the composition in a new way. For the last selection, How the West Was Won, the screen came down and a second compilation of clips, this time of classic Westerns, accompanied the big, brash score. More schmaltz, but once again, most engaging.

But all of that was just a build-up to Suite from The Reivers, with narration by Morgan Freeman. The Reivers is a 1969 film based on stories by William Faulkner, who John Williams described as being in the pantheon of great Southern writers. Faulkner, Williams noted, won a Nobel and two Pulitzers. The Reivers tells the tale of three special days in the fondly remembered childhood of the narrator, recounted when he had become an old man. Williams introduced Freeman as “one of our greatest American actors,” mentioned that they had never worked together before, but that every character Freeman portrays is unique and memorable.

The combination of the charming Faulkner story, Freeman’s mellifluous voice, and the film score created a special mood in the Shed: the audience was rapt. The story was about one of the first automobiles in town, back at the turn of the last century, and included the sound of a real klaxon horn, with a bit of honky-tonk flavor and the gentle humor of the story expressed in the music, too.

After the intermission, another compilation of film clips was shown to accompany a compilation of film score themes,a gain from some of the most successful movies, from Psycho and Pink Panther to Exodus and Out of Africa.

The superb violinist Gil Shaham then joined Williams onstage, performing a marvelous rendition of “Por Una Cabeza,” the tango from the film Scent of a Woman. Shaham’s playing is extraordinary, and he gave this tango the passion and sultry energy it demanded. Fantastic. Shaham then performed three pieces from Williams’s score for Schindler’s List, and this time the music was poignant, wrenching, melodic, beautiful, and heartbreaking. Shaham soared in the second selection where the strains of the traditional klezmer fiddle could be discerned; the violin plays, in a minor key, with the orchestra sections joining in slowly, building bit by bit, creating the ambience of an Old World street procession. And the third selection was quietly, seriously beautiful.

And then they launched into a lengthy arrangement of songs from Fiddler on the Roof, again with Shaham taking the part of the itinerant fiddler, traveling from shtetl to shtetl. Williams and Shaham appeared to be enjoying themselves immensely, as was the audience.

Williams next introduced music from the film Sabrina with  film clips of Audrey Hepburn, and this was most enjoyable as well. Sentimental? Of course, but so well done. The final selection of the evening was the iconic score from Star Wars.

For many, the annual Film Night is a can’t miss proposition: John Williams knows how to entertain, and the Pops are just so smooth, so accomplished. The musicianship of the orchestra members is superb, the music is familiar and evocative, and when presented with guest artists of the caliber of Morgan Freeman and Gil Shaham, the evening becomes memorable, indeed.

This weekend is the final one for the Boston Symphony Orchestra at their summer home, and it’s going to be spectacular finale. Friday night’s concert is a presentation of George Gershwin’s great American masterpiece Porgy and Bess. Saturday night features Itzhak Perlman doing double duty as guest violinist and conductor for an all-Beethoven program that includes Romances 1 and 2 for violin and orchestra, Symphony No. 1, and Symphony No. 5. And on Sunday afternoon, hurricane conditions permitting, the BSO will perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 under the baton of Lorin Maazel. It promises to be an exceptional farewell weekend.

For more information, visit http://www.tanglewood.org/.

[LENOX, Mass.]—It was a glorious afternoon at Tanglewood, as the throngs of people gathered on the lawn (clustered under the spreading trees for welcome shade or soaking up the sunshine on picnic blankets) can attest. Conductor Keith Lockhart led the Boston Pops Orchestra in an entertaining and engaging program of music by American composers and songwriters with a distinct nod to Broadway, beginning with Richard Rodgers and including Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, and then, after the intermission, a vibrant salute to Cole Porter, with Broadway stars Jason Danieley and Kelli O’Hara providing spectacular vocals.

The Pops opened with the overture to the 1937 musical Babes in Arms composed by Richard Rodgers, a delightful piece that opens big and brash; includes strains of the song “Where or When,” with its haunting, tender melody; and finishes with humor (a clang of cowbell) and a sprightly passage that makes one want to tap-dance.

Introducing the second selection, Lockhart chatted about the great American tradition of the musical, and the important composers who made great contributions to the form. A selection of Irving Berlin tunes, arranged to form the “Berlin Bouquet,” included, among others, “Blue Skies,” the lovely ballad “Always,” and the always infectious toe-tapper, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” Berlin’s first published song.

The third piece was Jerome Kern’s “Pick Yourself Up,” in a zippy, appealing arrangement that Lockhart said had been in the music library for years; the simple song was embellished with sweeping strings, bold brass, and inventive percussion.

The next section was called “Gershwin in Love,” and included several of George Gershwin’s most tender melodies: “Love Walked In,” “Our Love Is Here to Stay,” “Someone to Watch Over Me,” and “The Man I Love.” The songs are gorgeous, and hearing them played by a full orchestra, especially an orchestra as fine as the Pops, is a treat. (Gershwin’s only opera, Porgy and Bess, will be performed at Tanglewood on August 26.)

The first half of the concert finished with a beautiful rendition of Rodgers’s Carousel waltz, an iconic piece of American musical theater, and as always, it is wonderful to hear this music with a complete orchestra, rather than the pit band that would be performing it during a production of the show.

After the intermission, the Pops returned with the overture to Cole Porter’s Kiss, Me Kate, before bringing out the guest vocalists, acclaimed Broadway stars Jason Danieley and Kelli O’Hara, who jumped right in with the light and amusing duet, “Friendship.” Next, O’Hara impressed with “My Heart Belongs to Daddy,” a song that showcased her soaring, silky voice, and allowed for some fun, too.

Danieley was up next with the Porter classic, “Night and Day,” and it was a powerful, moving performance; Danieley’s voice is deep, rich, and supple, and the orchestra sounded marvelous.

The arrangements of the Porter songs were wonderful, expanding and magnifying the familiar melodies, adding complexity, emotion, and expression. O’Hara and Danieley have the charm and showmanship to carry off Porter’s witty lyrics and the vocal prowess to deliver the goods.

The singers continued with a charming duet on “It’s De-lovely,” then Danieley offered “Easy to Love” (he does make it look easy), followed by O’Hara’s performance of “Always True to You In My Fashion,” from Kiss Me, Kate, which let hershow a bit of sassy attitude.

Danieley was next with another Kiss Me, Kate number, the brash “Where Is the Life That Late I Led,” O’Hara did a sexy, sultry “Let’s Do It,” and then segued into “Anything Goes,” joined by Danieley. He then assayed the ballad, “In the Still of the Night,” which was stunning, and then O’Hara delivered “So In Love,” a torchy ballad that she sang magnificently. Danieley and O’Hara finished the salute to Cole Porter with a charming duet, “You’re the Top,” including a little soft shoe. 

The encore was the Pops’ perennial audience pleaser, “Stars and Stripes Forever.” The whole program was beautifully performed and well-chosen for a sultry summer afternoon, with delightful guest vocalists, classic Broadway tunes, and a moment of old-fashioned Americana as a bang-up finish. It was terrific.

For information on upcoming concerts, visit www.tanglewood.org.