Tanglewood — 2019/08/02-04

Most of this week's music from Tanglewood is squarely within the standard repertory of the 19th and early 20th Centuries some of it familiar, some not so much so. It seems that Maestro Nelsons has completed his work there for the summer, and the orchestra will have guest conductors for the remainder of the season. Now for the particulars.


Friday, August 2, 2019. Says the orchestra's program detail page: 

Violinist Joshua Bell marks his 30th anniversary performing at Tanglewood (having first performed with the BSO at Tanglewood on July 22, 1989, returning to perform at Tanglewood every summer since), joining BSO Associate Conductor Ken-David Masur and the orchestra for Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, on a program with Martinů’sMemorial to Lidice and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8. At this UnderScore Friday performance, patrons will hear comments about the program from BSO violinist Sheila Fiekowsky.

(Some emphasis added.)

The Martinů piece is one of the two non-standard items this weekend, and unfortunately the program detail page, as of this writing, has no link to the program note for it, so I'll be as surprised as you. According to wiki, Lidice was destroyed by the Nazis in 1942 as a retaliation for the killing of Reinhard Heydrich, and Martinů composed his Memorial in 1943. The composer's style is described as neoclassical.

The BSO performed the Dvořák symphony last January in Symphony Hall. My post at the time has links to favorable reviews.


Saturday, August 3, 2019. The performance detail page tells us:

Conductor Asher Fisch returns to Tanglewood, and is joined by violinist Pinchas Zukerman and cellist Amanda Forsyth for the American premiere Avner Dorman’s BSO-commissioned Double Concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra, written in celebration of Mr. Zukerman’s 70th birthday; the program also includes the overture to Schumann’s Genoveva, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3, Scottish, and Beethoven’s Romance No. 1 in G for violin and orchestra, featuring Mr. Zukerman.

(Some emphasis added.)

Again, no links to the program notes for the new music, only the piece we're most likely to know: the Mendelssohn symphony. I always enjoy the Beethoven Romance, and the Schumann should be good.


Sunday, August 4, 2019. The performance detail page is the epitome of concision: 

Pianist Yefim Bronfman joins Russian conductor Dima Slobodeniouk and the BSO for Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 on a program with Sibelius’s Symphony No. 1.

(Emphasis added.)

These are works from 1909 and 1899. The BSO gave the Rach 3 on April 25-30 with Nelsons conducting and Daniil Trifonov as soloist.


Broadcasts/ webstreams on WCRB are, as usual, at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 7:00 on Sunday. Enjoy!