Tanglewood August 6-8, 2010

Here's how they describe this week's program, available as always over WCRB's stream at 995allclassical.org, with pre-game show a half hour before the scheduled concert time.

"Mendelssohn, Mozart and Tchaikovsky 

Friday, August 6, 8:30PM

Christoph von Dohnányi conducts the BSO in Mendelssohn's Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, one of the composer's three overtures inspired by the ocean, as well as Tchaikovsky's anguished Symphony No. 6, Pathétique. Between those two works on the program is Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 14, featuring one of the great Mozart interpreters, Richard Goode. 

Wagner, Sibelius, Copland and Stravinsky 

Saturday, August 7, 8:30PM

For the featured work in an ambitious and highly diverse 8:30 p.m. concert in the Shed, BSO assistant conductor Shi-Yeon Sung is joined by celebrated American virtuoso Hilary Hahn for Sibelius's ever-popular Violin Concerto. Filling the program with contrasting works from various time periods and stylistic schools, Maestro Sung also leads the orchestra in Copland's incidental music Quiet City, the Prelude to Act III of Wagner's Lohengrin, and Stravinsky's scintillating Firebird Suite (1919). 

Beethoven and Dvořák 

Sunday, August 8, 2:30PM

Maestro Dohnányi returns to the Shed for the BSO's 2:30 p.m. matinee performance, which examines one masterpiece on either side of the interval. To begin the concert, the young German violinist Arabella Steinbacher is the soloist for Beethoven's beloved Violin Concerto, the towering composer's only work in the genre.Following the concerto, the orchestra plays Dvořák’s bucolic and invigorating Symphony No. 8."

BTW, I found out a few years ago the the "Calm Sea" referred to in the title of the Mendelssohn piece was not a good thing back in his day, when ships were powered by sail. Calm seas meant little or no wind, which meant little or no progress toward the destination. The worst possible thing was to be becalmed.