The Classical Beat: Visit Tanglewood, Sevenars For Great Music

By Stephen DanknerGuest Column
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Ron Gorevic will perform Bach at Sevenars Music Festival Sunday, 4 PM

Tanglewood enters its second week of both pops and classical programming with thrilling concerts in the Shed, Ozawa Hall and at the Tanglewood-Linde Center, a constituent part of the new and innovative Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI). As always, diversity in programming combined with outstanding performances is assured.

Sevenars Concerts in South Worthington, Mass., founded in 1968, offers a wonderfully intimate and musically enthralling series of seven concerts. This summer, Sevenars is celebrating its 55th anniversary season. Read below for a description of this week's uniquely exceptional recital.

Why go? Simply stated, what you'll see and hear this week in these two venues is a sampling of the very best performances within the richness and diversity of classical music programming in our region.

     Tanglewood: Boston Symphony and the Pops in the Shed

•   Friday, July 14, 8:00 p.m.: The Boston Pops and conductor Keith Lockhart present "Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More?" - a program celebrating George Gershwin and his world, with vocalist/pianist Michael Feinstein and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

•   Saturday, July 15, 8:00 p.m.: Maestro Andris Nelsons leads a BSO concert performance of Mozart's opera "Così fan tutte," directed by James Darrah in his BSO debut, and featuring soprano Nicole Cabell, mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey, tenor Amitai Pati, and baritone Elliot Madore as the capricious couples, soprano Meigui Zhang, in her Tanglewood debut, and bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi, plus the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, James Burton, conductor. 

•   Sunday, July 16, 2:30 p.m.: Maestro Nelsons and the BSO open the program with Beethoven's "Leonore" Overture No. 3, followed without intermission by Orff's vibrant secular cantata "Carmina burana," with soprano Erin Morley, countertenor Reginald Mobley, in his Tanglewood debut, and baritone Will Liverman, as well as the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and the Boston Children's Chorus (sung in Latin with English supertitles). 

•  Monday, July 17, 8:00 p.m.: Andris Nelsons and Conducting Fellows Agata  Zajac and Armand Singh Birk share the podium, leading the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in music of Bacewicz, Kodály, and Mahler. 

SPECIAL EVENT: FREE TICKETS TO BERKSHIRE RESIDENTS             

Berkshire Day tickets will be available at the Main Gate Box office on Monday, July 17 at 12:00 pm.  

Free Shed tickets for the BSO concert on Sunday, July 23, at 2:30 p.m. will be offered in pairs to residents and property owners of Berkshire County. If Shed seats sell out, then lawn tickets will be offered. Please bring identification to establish Berkshire County residency or property ownership (a driver's license, rental lease, utility bill, or tax bill). Other special ticket opportunities include free lawn tickets for visitors under 18, $25 "under 40" tickets, lawn passes for Berkshire residents, and discounts for students, military personnel, and members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

Tanglewood: Ozawa Hall concerts

•   Thursday, July 13, 8:00 p.m.: Classical singer Julia Bullock, who made her Tanglewood debut with the BSO on July 9, is joined by pianist John Arida, in his Tanglewood debut, performing songs by Schubert, Wolf, Weill, Billie Holiday, and Nina Simone. 

•   Friday, July 14, 6:00 p.m.: Prelude Concert featuring music by Schumann and Mozart performed by members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  

•  Tanglewood: TMC and TLI Linde Center/Studio E events

•   Wednesday, July 12, 1:30 p.m.: TLI Open Vocal Workshop with soprano Erin Morley, who is also a soloist in "Carmina burana" (7/16), and TMC Fellows (joint presentation of TLI and TMC).

•   Thursday, July 13, 1:00 p.m.: A TLI In Conversation with Will Liverman, baritone soloist in "Carmina burana" (7/16).

•   Saturday, July 15, 6:00 p.m.: Tanglewood Music Center Chamber Music, Prelude Concert, featuring music of Respighi, Michelle Ross, and G. Williams.

•  Sunday, July 16, 8:00 p.m.: Tanglewood Music Center Vocal Music, featuring works by Rachmaninoff, Durey, Butterworth, and Guy Ropartz.  

For tickets for all Tanglewood/BSO concerts (lawn and Shed seating) and for special events call (617) 266-1200. TDD/TTY: (617) 638-9289. Online: tanglewood.org. 

Sevenars Concerts

• Sunday, July 16, 4:00 p.m.: Sevenars Concerts will present the outstanding violist Ronald Gorevic in a performance of the Bach Cello Suites I-IV played on the viola. Mr. Gorevic has recently recorded all six of the Bach Suites for Centaur Records, and this is an exceptional opportunity to experience these profound masterpieces live in a hall that has been likened acoustically to the inside of a Stradivarius stringed instrument.

Mr. Gorevic has been called "a musician first and foremost" by N. Y. Times critic Allen Hughes, and his performance of these Bach masterpieces promises to be a uniquely memorable musical event. 

The Sevenars Academy is located at 15 Ireland Street, just off Rt. 112 in South Worthington, Ma. Admission is by donation (suggested $20) and is held at the Academy in the historic village of South Worthington, MA, 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.

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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