2009 Tanglewood Season
The 2009 Tanglewood season, June 22-September 6, offers weekly concerts by the Boston Symphony Orchestra led by James Levine and favorite guest conductors, a Boston Pops concert led by Keith Lockhart, Film Night led by John Williams, a special July 4 concert featuring Diana Krall, appearances by popular artists Tony Bennett and James Taylor, recital and chamber music recitals by some of the most preeminent artists of our time, and the annual Labor Day Jazz Festival, featuring Paquito d’Rivera, Regina Carter, and John Pizzarelli. Now in its 73rd season, Tanglewood is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, located in the Berkshire Hills in Lenox, Massachusetts.The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood season opens on July 3 with BSO Music Director James Levine leading the orchestra in a blockbuster all-Tchaikovsky program. Over the course of the season, Maestro Levine and the orchestra perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 (July 17) and Brahms’s A German Requiem (July 25), reprising two performances that received extraordinary acclaim at Symphony Hall last fall. Maestro Levine’s deep commitment to opera is reflected in a concert performance of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Act III (July 11), and two fully-staged performances with the Tanglewood Music Center fellows of Mozart’s Don Giovanni (July 26 & 27).
FESTIVAL GUEST ARTISTS
The 2009 season includes guest appearances by some of the classical music world’s most renowned artists, including bass-baritone James Morris (July 11), cellist Yo-Yo Ma (August 5, 6, & 9), pianists Jean-Yves Thibaudet (August 15), Garrick Ohlsson (August 16), and Leon Fleisher (July 17), and violinists Joshua Bell (July 12), Vadim Repin (July 31), and Gil Shaham (August 22). Christian Teztlaff performs the complete cycle of Beethoven Violin Sonatas (July 5, 7, & 9). Sir James Galway celebrates his 70th birthday with a special music bash (August 1) and recital (July 30). Celebrated ensembles include Jordi Savall’s period-instrument ensemble Le Concert des Nations (July 14 & 15) and the Juilliard Quartet’s all-Haydn program (June 28) marking the farewell performance of first violinist Joel Smirnoff.
The season’s stellar slate of guest conductors includes Herbert Blomstedt (June 29, July 10 & 12), Kurt Masur (August 16, 21 & 22) and Michael Tilson Thomas (August 14 & 23), who also brings his special multi-media program The Thomashevskys: Music and Memories of a Life In the Yiddish Theater (August 19 & 20.) Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (July 31, August 3 & 8) and André Previn (August 12, 15 & 16) celebrate landmark birthdays at the festival.
BOSTON POPS, FILM NIGHT, TANGLEWOOD ON PARADE, AND A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION
Popular programming at Tanglewood is led by the incomparable Boston Pops. Trumpeter extraordinaire Chris Botti, known for his sophisticated jazz interpretations of music across a range of genres, joins Keith Lockhart and the orchestra (August 7), and John Williams leads the ever-popular Film Night at Tanglewood (July 18), celebrating the extraordinary legacy of Hollywood’s Warner Brothers, including film scores by Williams himself.
Tanglewood on Parade (July 28) features a full day of activities for music lovers of all ages, culminating in a special gala concert featuring the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, and Tanglewood Music Center orchestras, led by James Levine, Keith Lockhart, John Williams, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, and Leonard Slatkin followed by fireworks over Stockbridge Bowl. Garrison Keillor and the gang from Lake Wobegon return for their annual live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion (June 27).
The summer will also feature orchestra, chamber music, and recital programs featuring fellows from the Tanglewood Music Center, the BSO’s prestigious summer music academy for young professional musicians.
EXTRA WEEKEND EXCLUSIVE – JAMES TAYLOR: CONVERSATIONS AMONG FRIENDS
America’s troubadour, James Taylor, presides over a special weekend (August 26-30) featuring a unique series of concerts, workshops, and master classes. The weekend will include an intimate and informal evening with the talented members of Taylor’s ensemble on August 27, two evenings of concerts by Taylor and his band, with special guest artists Sheryl Crow and Yo-Yo Ma on August 28 and 29, and a collaboration between Taylor and the Boston Pops with conductor John Williams on August 30. Three of the four James Taylor concerts, August 27, 28, and 29, are completely sold out, with only lawn tickets available for the August 30 program.
DIANA KRALL AND TONY BENNETT
Tanglewood swings big time this summer as two-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter/pianist Diana Krall lends her smooth contralto and sophisticated jazz/pop interpretations to Tanglewood’s special Fourth of July celebration, and the legendary Tony Bennett, hailed as an “international treasure” and consummate entertainer, makes a rare festival appearance with his band (July 21).
SEASON-ENDING JAZZ FESTIVAL
Highlighting this year’s jam-packed Tanglewood Jazz Festival (September 4-6) are Paquito d’Rivera, Regina Carter, Nnenna Freelon, Kenny Barron, Mulgrew Miller, John Pizzarelli, Dave Holland, Jon Faddis, and Harolyn Blackwell.
TANGLEWOOD WINE AND FOOD CLASSIC
Tanglewood’s seventh annual Food and Wine Classic will take place August 6-8. Festivities include a wine auction and dinner, winemaker reception, and the Grand Tasting on August 8, from 12-4 p.m. Further details about the Food and Wine Classic will be announced at a later date.
TWO FIRSTS AT TANGLEWOOD: BACKSTAGE PASS FOR “TANGLEWOOD IMMERSION WEEKENDS” AND “ONE DAY UNIVERSITY AT TANGLEWOOD”
The “Tanglewood Backstage Pass Weekends” July 24-26 and July 31-Aug 2 offer musiclovers an unprecedented backstage pass to experience life behind-the-scenes at Tanglewood. This first-time-ever immersive program affords a memorable insider experience, from private picnics and receptions with BSO musicians to classes, discussions, private and public concerts, and the opportunity to explore Tanglewood’s every nook and cranny. Top-quality accommodations to suit every budget are also included. The package includes one concert per day, four meals, and a variety of backstage and workshop activities, as well as two nights hotel and a Tanglewood parking pass. The cost for each of the “Tanglewood Immersion Weekends” ranges from $500 to $882 per person, based on double occupancy.
On Sunday, August 23, One Day University, the acclaimed adult education program, will present three lectures in Ozawa Hall by award-winning professors from Harvard and Yale. Professor Paul Bloom of Yale presents “You Call That Art? Understanding Why We Like What We Like,” Harvard University’s Shawn Achor explores “Positive Psychology and the Science of Happiness,” and Harvard Professor of Music Thomas Kelly offers “Beethoven’s Ninth – The Story of a Masterpiece.” The day concludes with the BSO’s final Tanglewood performance of the year: Ives’ Thanksgiving and Forefathers’ Day for chorus and orchestra, followed by Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas and featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. The cost for the full day’s events is $299, which includes all professor presentations, continental breakfast, lunch in the Hawthorne Tent, one section 17-20 Shed ticket, VIP parking, and a 10% discount in the Tanglewood Glass Houses for all registrants. Tickets for One Day University are available only through One Day U at 800-663-3298 or visiting www.onedayu.com/tanglewood.
TANGLEWOOD KID AND FAMILY ACTIVITIES AND PATRON AMENITIES
The Boston Symphony has expanded its free lawn ticket program now to include young people age 17 and under; in the past the age cap was 12. On Sundays at noon and during Saturday morning open rehearsals, the Kids’ Corner offers musical and craft-related projects that are supervised and supported by BSO staff. The Sunday Watch and Play program is an interactive educational program designed to engage children in the musical program featured on the program that day. The program will be offered on the following Sundays: July 12 and 26; August 9 and 23, at 1 p.m. in the Chamber Music Hall. These two programs are free to all patrons with tickets to the respective performance. Tanglewood is also pleased to offer a 50% discount on lawn tickets for all BSO Friday-evening concerts for students 18 and over.
In addition to free parking, the BSO offers bus service from Boston to Tanglewood for Friday- and Saturday-night concers for $35 round trip. Meals-to-Go may be ordered in advance online at tanglewood.org or by phone at 413-637-5240. The Tanglewood Café and Tanglewood Grille are also available for lunch and snack items featuring grilled foods and specialty sandwiches, soups, and salads. Lawn chairs are available for $4 at the Grille at the Main Gate entrance for Shed concerts and at the Bernstein Gate for Ozawa Hall concerts. An on-site ATM is located at the Tanglewood Main Gate. Guests who sit on the lawn will again enjoy the convenience of large video screens on Friday and Saturday nights. The Tanglewood Association of Volunteers offers free hour-long walking tours of the grounds and performance spaces and a series of panel discussions called “This Week at Tanglewood.”
GENERAL TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Tanglewood events and the Backstage Pass Weekends may be purchased online through the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s website at www.tanglewood.org or by calling SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200. There is a service charge for each ticket purchased online or by phone. Tickets are also available in person through the Symphony Hall box office, at 301 Massachusetts Avenue, in Boston, MA. The Tanglewood Box Office at Tanglewood’s Main Gate on West Street in Lenox, Mass., will open to the public on Friday, June 19 at 10 a.m. Tickets for One Day University are available only through One Day U at 800-663-3298 or by visiting www.onedayu.com/tanglewood.
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