Outstanding Regional Classical Music Being Offered
In the three preceding weeks, I previewed the musical offerings at six leading music venues: in Massachusetts: Tanglewood (Lenox,) Mohawk Trail Concerts (Charlemont,) and the Bang On a Can Music Festival at Mass MoCA (North Adams); in New York: Tannery Pond (New Lebanon); in Vermont, there’s the eponymously located Manchester Music Festival and Marlboro Music.
This week, I’ll turn the spotlight on three more: South Mountain Concerts in Pittsfield, Music Mountain in Falls Village, Conn., and the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, N.Y.
If, like me, you’re a devotee of the string quartet, you’ll want to attend programs at the two preeminent venues in the region that specialize in this repertoire: South Mountain Concerts and Music Mountain.
Why string quartets? The quartet medium is, to my mind, the purest and most elegant genre of classical music. It possesses a regal musical lineage that extends all the way back to Haydn, and stretches in a direct line through Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Dvorak and Brahms into the 20th century, with Schoenberg, Berg, Bartok, Carter and beyond. Indeed, your “Classical Beat” reporter has composed no less than 20 string quartets.
South Mountain Concerts
South Mountain Concerts is an historic institution, dedicated to the classicist art of intimate chamber music for strings and piano with strings.
Founded in 1918 by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, and presented in its purpose-built historic hall, South Mountain has, over the years, presented many of the world’s leading chamber music ensembles and soloists, and continues in this tradition, with performances this fall by long-time favorite ensembles: the Han, Finckel, Setzer Trio (Sept. 4); the Juilliard String Quartet (Sept. 11); the Dover String Quartet (Sept. 18); the Emerson String Quartet (Sept. 25 and the Johannes String Quartet with clarinetist Richard Stoltzman (Oct. 9). All five concerts are Sundays at 3 p.m.
Why go? The musical fare focuses on certified masterpieces (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorák, Britten and Shostakovich). Equal in quality to Marlboro Music, South Mountain presents the finest ensembles performing signature works of the classical canon and into the mid-20th century.
The South Mountain concert hall is located on Routes 7 and 20 (South Street) in Pittsfield, approximately two miles south of Park Square at the center of the downtown area. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 413-442-2106 or online at southmountainconcerts.org. Tickets purchased in advance by check will be mailed during July; purchaser must provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
Music Mountain
Music Mountain, located in Falls Village, Conn., on a backcountry road, is the setting for the acoustically superb Gordon Hall, which seats 335. Founded in 1930, Music Mountain will be celebrating its 87th anniversary season, making it one of the oldest continuous presenters in the country. Concerts are presented Sundays at 3 p.m., which began on June 5 and continues until September 11. Each concert will present a stellar ensemble. Why go? As I intimated, the string quartet is the “queen” of classical music – chamber music in its most elegant form.
Founded in 1930 as the permanent home for the Gordon String Quartet, one of the leading string quartets in its day, Music Mountain has a particular devotion to this medium, and it may well be the best place of them all to hear music composed for this combination of instruments. Tickets can be purchased at 860-824-7126 or 860-824-7626 or online at www.musicmountain.org.
The Glimmerglass Festival
Located in historic Cooperstown, N.Y. – about 1 1/2 hours from the Berkshires - the Glimmerglass Festival celebrates its 41st anniversary of innovative productions this season, which runs July 8-Aug. 27. The excursion to Cooperstown, perhaps combined with a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame and a stroll in the ancient country church graveyard to contemplate the resting place of James Fenimore Cooper, along with Glimmerglass, makes for a perfect day’s outing.
Additionally, Glimmerglass’ beautiful scenic lakeside grounds invite you to stroll, picnic and relax in an environment that’s dedicated to music and the arts. The unspoiled beauty of Central New York’s rural landscape provides what The Sunday Times of London has called “the most magical of settings.”
Why go? This summer The Glimmerglass Festival will present four new fully staged productions, including three operas and one work of American musical theater – all performed with orchestra, large cast and un-amplified sound. These four productions are supplemented by special performances, concerts, lectures and symposiums throughout the season.
The repertoire this summer features new productions of Rossini’s “The Thieving Magpie;” Puccini’s “La Bohéme;” Robert Ward’s “The Crucible” (based on the Arthur Miller play) and Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd”.
Related Glimmerglass events include lectures on “The Crucible” and on “Sweeney Todd” (with composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim and Jamie Bernstein,) master classes by Metropolitan Opera dramatic soprano Christine Goerke, and Met Opera Wagnerian tenor Jay Hunter Morris; also, a special concert: “An Afternoon of American Song with Deborah Voigt”. A unique event: Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will present an informal talk on Friday, Aug. 26, focusing on her love of opera.
All productions are staged in the magnificent Alice Busch Opera Theater. The theater’s casual elegance, beautiful surroundings and excellent acoustics provide an intimate, one-of-a-kind operatic encounter. All of the theater’s 914 seats are less than 70 feet from the stage, and every production utilizes supertitles in English projected above the stage, which is a welcome aid to the audience in understanding the sung text.
Glimmerglass tickets for single or group performances or by subscription can be purchased at the box office at the theater or at 18 Chestnut St. in center Cooperstown. For telephone orders, call the box office at 607-547-2255. For more information, visit online at www.glimmerglass.org.
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