The Classical Beat: Tanglewood, Sevenars Festivals Begin; Taconic Blossoms

By Stephen DanknerGuest Column
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Tanglewood commences its classical concert season this week with BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons at center stage in the Shed for three spectacular orchestral programs: the brilliant pianist Daniil Trifonov is featured in Prokofiev's monumental Third Piano Concerto on July 7, and violinist Hilary Hahn will perform Brahms' supremely lyrical Violin
Concerto with the BSO on Sunday afternoon, July 9. Maestro Nelsons will also conduct the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in its first concert the next evening in a program of masterworks by Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky.
 
Be sure to also consider attending the remarkable Taconic Music Festival in Manchester, VT. for brilliantly performed chamber music. 
 
There is also the welcoming atmosphere and musical artistry of Sevenars Concerts in Worthington, MA. This season marks their 55 th anniversary, as they present a festival season of seven weekly Sunday afternoon concerts.
 
Tanglewood Shed Concerts
  • Friday, July 7, 8:00 p.m.: Opening Night at Tanglewood with BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons leading the first Boston Symphony concert of the Tanglewood 2023 season, featuring Wynton Marsalis' "Herald, Holler, and Hallelujah," Prokofiev's scintillating Third Piano Concerto with the electrifying Daniil Trifonov as soloist, and Tchaikovsky's ultra-passionate Symphony No. 4. 
  • Saturday, July 8, 8:00 p.m.: Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra will reprise their highly acclaimed presentation of "Ragtime: The Symphonic Concert," prepared by original creators Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens, and Stephen Flaherty for the Pops.
  • Sunday, July 9, 2:30 p.m.: Andris Nelsons and the BSO, joined by classical singer Julia Bullock and the superb violinist Hilary Hahn, present a program including the world premiere of Iman Habibi's "Zhiân," Jessie Montgomery's "Freedom Songs," and Brahms' magisterial Violin Concerto. 
  • Monday, July 10, 8:00 p.m.: Maestro Nelsons conducts the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra (TMCO) in a program of Debussy ("La Mer"), Ravel ("Alborado del grazioso" and "Mother Goose Suite") and Stravinsky ("Jeu de cartes").

Tanglewood Ozawa Hall Concerts

  • Saturday, July 8, 6:00 p.m.: Prelude Concert, Tanglewood Music Center chamber music; works by Schumann/arr. Debussy, David Roche, and Stravinsky. The program features the world premiere of "Thousandth Hymnal," a TMC-commissioned composition by David Roche, TMC '22. 
  • Sunday, July 9, 10:00 a.m.: Tanglewood Music Center chamber music; works by Grieg, Ligeti, Osvaldo Golijov, and Mozart. The program features the world premiere of "Breathing Chords," a TMC- commissioned composition by Peter Shin, TMC '22.
  • Sunday, July 9, 6:00 p.m.: Tanglewood Music Center vocal music: works by Lili Boulanger, Osvaldo Golijov, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Henri Dutilleux, Oliver Knussen, Charles Ives, and Charles Fussell.
Tanglewood Music Center and Tanglewood Learning Institute
Activities in Studio E of the Linde Center
 
  • Wednesday, July 5, 1:30 p.m.: Open Piano Workshop with Marc-André Hamelin and TMC Fellows (joint presentation by TLI and TMC) 
  • Thursday, July 6, 1:00 p.m.: TLI In Conversation with Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart. 
  • Friday, July 7, 5:30 p.m.:TLI Immersion: Themes from "Ragtime" with Angela M. Farr Schiller, Ph.D. 
  • Saturday, July 8, 2:30 p.m.:TLI Immersion: Themes from "Ragtime" with Nicholas Phan, tenor, and TMC Fellows. 
  • Sunday, July 9, 8:00 p.m.: TLI Pamela Z, composer/media artist.

Taconic Music Festival

  • Monday, July 10, 7:00 p.m.: Young Artists Concert II at the Riley Center for the Arts at Burr and Burton Academy, 57 Seminary Avenue, Manchester, VT. The program will feature the following works and performers:

Sergey Prokofiev: String Quartet in F Major, No. 2, op. 92 ("Kabardinian"). Performers: Christina Shari and Paula Lastra-Cancela, violins; Samantha Rehorst, viola; Robert Feifan Hurley, cello.

Florence Price: Piano Quintet in A Minor. Performers: Olena Kaspersky and Nathaniel Parker, violins. Samantha Rehorst, viola; Benjamin Adams, cello; Rosa Burke, piano.

Caroline Shaw: "Blueprint." Performers: Paula Lastra-Cancela and Olena Kaspersky, violins; Rachel O'Connor, viola; Benjamin Adams, cello.

Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 80. Performers: Nathaniel Parker and Christina Shari, violins; Rachel O'Connor, viola; Robert Feifan Hurley, cello.
 
This concert is free, though reservations are recommended. Free-will offering at the door. Suggested: Adults $15, Students/Kids Free.
 
This concert will also be livestreamed; the virtual concert hall opens at 6:45 p.m.
 
For specific repertoire listings during the season and other information, including tickets, and Taconic Music's year-round programs, call (802) 362-7162 or visit online at taconicmusic.org.
 
Sevenars Music Festival
Founded in 1968, Sevenars Concerts is showcasing its 55th anniversary season of six summer concerts, held at the Academy in the historic village of South Worthington, Mass, located at 15 Ireland Street, just off MA Route
112. Phone: (413) 238-5854 (Leave return call phone number). Web: www.sevenars.com . Admission by donation (suggested $20.) Free refreshments will be available.
 
  • Sunday, July 9, 4:00 p.m.: Opening Concert of Sevenars MusicFestival 55th anniversary season - piano, cello, duos, solos, including twoUS premieres. Schrade and James family musicians play piano and cello solos and duos by Debussy, Lalo, Milhaud, Rachmaninoff, Rorem, Sibelius, and selections from "Amazing Africa" by Sören Sieg.
 
 
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

The Classical Beat: The Classical 'High Season' Bursts Upon The Scene

By Stephen DanknerSpecial to iBerkshires

It's well-known that the Berkshires and environs are a cultural epicenter for music lovers. With the tourist high season – from mid-June through Labor Day – concert activity increases exponentially, offering listeners a cornucopia of musical delights to please every taste. 

This week, two magnificent presenter "T"s share the spotlight, offering fabulous musical pleasures: Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass. and Taconic Music in Manchester, VT. Soon, though, a third outstanding venue – very different but also intimate and historic – Sevenars, will open its doors in rural South Worthington, Mass.

For two months of fantastic music, here's a heads-up on all three presenters:

Tanglewood Music Festival

For music lovers, Tanglewood in Lenox virtually defines music in the Berkshires. It is the largest summer concert presenter, with the most comprehensive schedule of performances across the full spectrum of musical styles and genres. Before getting into imminent opening events, bookmark the Boston Symphony's website, tanglewood.org for the full summer concert schedule, season highlights, tickets and general information.

Why go? It's all about the magnitude and the phenomenal diversity of programming. Whether you enjoy the pristine lawns for bring-your-own picnics, or prefer the proximity to gifted musicians in the Shed, the architecturally magnificent Linde Center for Music and Learning or in Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood, in all its incarnations is an informal, yet breathtaking place to relax and enjoy music in the most bucolic setting imaginable. 

Look for "Classical Beat" previews weekly, published online at iBerkshires.com for recommended concerts and related events programming at Tanglewood throughout July and August.

Here are this week's extraordinary concerts you'll want to plan to attend – the best in folk/rock. theatrical and symphonic music.  

  • Thursday, July 2, 8:00 p.m. in the Shed: Conductor Leonard Slatkin leads the Boston Pops in "American Titans," a program of the music of  Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. Young performers pay tribute to these two phenomenal forces in 20th century musical theatre.
  • Friday, and Saturday July 3 and 4, 8:00 p.m. in the Shed: James Taylor and his All-Star Band.
  • Sunday, July 5, 2:30 p.m. in the Shed: The Boston Symphony, led by conductor Karen Kamensek and featuring baritone Zachary James, present an Abraham Lincoln-themed program featuring the world premiere of Philip Glass' Symphony No. 15 (‘Lincoln'). Other works on the program are Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" and John Williams' "Suite" from the film Lincoln.
  • Monday, July 6, 8:00 p.m. in Ozawa Hall: The first Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra (TMCO) concert, led by Tanglewood Music Center conducting Fellows, presents a program of Charles Ives ("Variations on ‘America',") Ralph Vaughan Williams ("Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis") and Beethoven (Symphony No. 8.) 

For tickets for all Tanglewood/BSO concerts (lawn and Shed seating) and for special events call (617) 266-1200 or (413) 637-5180; online: tanglewood.org or customerservice@bso.org. In Lenox, visit the Tanglewood box office at the Main Gate located at 297 West Street.

Taconic Music Festival

The month-long Taconic Music Festival, celebrating its 10th year, offers year-round concerts and educational initiatives built upon the rich traditions of classical music. The Festival started June 15 and continues until July 13. With just two more weeks of great programs, be sure to include Taconic Music on your "not-to-be-missed" concert agenda.

Why go? Based in Manchester, Vermont, co-founders Ariel Rudiakov and Joana Genova showcase their outstanding festival-resident mentor/performers and gifted student artists.

  • Saturday, July 4, 7:30 p.m.:  Maestro Ariel Rudiakov conducts the Taconic Pops Orchestra in a program focusing on music for stage and screen, featuring guest vocalist Maxine Linehan.

The concert will be held at the Arkell Pavilion, Southern Vermont Arts Center, 860 SVAC Drive, Manchester, VT. Reserved seating $20.-$85. 

For specific repertoire listings and other information, including tickets, and Taconic Music's year-round programs, call (802) 362-7162 or visit online at taconicmusic.org.

Sevenars Music Festival – Six Sunday Concerts – July 12-August 16

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