BSO/Classical New England — 2021/08/28

 WCRB says:

In a concert originally broadcast in 2019, Andrew Davis leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the Symphony No. 5 by Vaughan Williams and Harbison's Symphony No. 2, and Alessio Bax is the soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24, Saturday at 8pm.

Andrew Davis, conductor
Alessio Bax, piano

John HARBISON Symphony No. 2
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Symphony No. 5

Encore broadcast from Saturday, January 12, 2019

John Harbison previews his Second Symphony and talks about his composing career on the occasion of his 80th birthday, in the audio player above.

WCRB's Brian McCreath talks with pianist Alessio Bax about Mozart's piano concertos and much more (transcript below):

BSO/Classical New England — 2021/08/21

 As I noted last week, this year's Tanglewood season didn't end with the usual performancve of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. So WCRB has decided to use the first "gap weekend" until Symphony Hall concerts resume by rebroadcasting the closer from 2019. Here's what they tell us:

In an encore broadcast of the final concert of the 2019 Tanglewood season, Giancarlo Guerrero conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood Festival Chorus in Schoenberg's "Peace on Earth" and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the "Ode to Joy," Saturday at 8pm.

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Nicole Cabell, soprano
J’Nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Morris Robinson, bass
Tanglewood Festival Chorus
James Burton, conductor

SCHOENBERG Friede auf Erden (Peace on Earth), for unaccompanied chorus
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9

This concert was originally broadcast on August 25, 2019

In the audio player above: Giancarlo Guerrero describes his experiences at Tanglewood this summer and why this performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony carries extra significance.

TRANSCRIPT:

If you go to the web page which I have linked, you can listen to the audio of the interview or read the transcript. And here's what we find on the performance detail page:

With vocal soloists Nicole Cabell, J’Nai Bridges, Nicholas Phan, and Morris Robinson and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, returning guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero leads the BSO in the orchestra’s traditional season-ending performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on Sunday, August 25. The concert opens with Schoenberg’s Friede auf Erden (Peace on Earth) for unaccompanied chorus, also featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Schoenberg’s Friede auf Erden will be conducted by James Burton.

(Most emphasis added.)

A lengthy review of the whole weekend in the Globe finally got around to a few tepid words about the Beethoven with a bit of criticism of the tempo (too fast at one point). The Intelligencer doesn't seem to have published a review.

Well, the Beethoven Ninth isn't half bad, so why not listen this evening at 8:00?

Tanglewood — 2021/08/14-15

 It's the last weekend of the BSO's Tanglewood season. It will not close with the traditional Beethoven 9th Symphony, but with Herbert Blomstedt coming back to lead an all-Brahms program on Sunday. But first we get the Saturday concert with a mixi of the new and the familiar led by a BSO assistant conductor.

Saturday, August 14, 2021.  WCRB's capsule tells us:

Saturday night at 8pm, live from Tanglewood, the BSO Assistant Conductor leads Elgar’s Enigma Variations, Elena Langer’s Figaro Gets a Divorce, and Ravel’s jazz-infused Piano Concerto in G, with soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

Anna Rakitina, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

Elena LANGER Suite from Figaro Gets a Divorce
RAVEL Piano Concerto in G
ELGAR Enigma Variations

(Some emphasis added.)

I read the program note for the Suite from "Figaro Gets a Divorce," (accessible via the link on the BSO's performance detail page), and I still have no idea what to expect. Of course, it won't be as good as Mozart or Rossini, but I set the bar very low for new music: as long as it's tolerable, I'm content. I don't care about the Ravel concerto either. I just hope that they'll be able to give a good chunk of the Elgar before my brother calls from Tokyo.

Sunday, August 15, 2021.  As I mentioned, it's all Brahms. WCRB provides specifics:

In the closing concert of the 2021 Boston Symphony Orchestra season at Tanglewood, it’s an all-Brahms concert with Leonidas Kavakos as the soloist in the Violin Concerto and Herbert Blomstedt conducting the Symphony No. 4, Sunday evening at 7pm.

Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
Leonidas Kavakos, violin

ALL-BRAHMS PROGRAM
Violin Concerto
Symphony No. 4

(Emphasis added.)

Most people will probably like this one a lot. The performance detail page has the usual links. As you know, I don't care very much for Brahms' symphonies and concertos, but I'm definitely in the minority on that. So enjoy.

Traditions are generally a good thing, but the one of concluding the Tanglewood season with the Beethoven 9th is fairly recent. I won't be upset if they don't go back to it if there's a full season next summer.

Tanglewood — 2021/08/07-08

 This weekend we get famous string players Joshua Bell and Yo-Yo Ma in concerts featuring Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

Saturday, August 7, 2021. As usual, WCRB gives us the basics:

Saturday night at 8pm live from Tanglewood, Joshua Bell makes his return to the BSO’s summer home as the soloist in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, and Herbert Blomstedt is the guest conductor for the Symphony No. 7.

Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin

ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM
Violin Concerto
Symphony No. 7

(Emphasis added.)

Two great pieces with a top-notch soloist and a remarkable conductor (a Massachusetts-born nonagenarian Swede) should make for a not-to-be-missed evening of musical enjoyment. Further information, if desired, is available via the links at the BSO's performance detail page. I may even leave the radio on in the background when my brother calls from Tokyo.

Sunday, August 8, 2021. The concert will be played at 2:30, and WCRB will transmit it at 7:00 Boston Time. Once more, we go to WCRB for a brief summary:

The American conductor [Karina Canellakis] makes her Boston Symphony Orchestra debut in a program featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma in Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, plus a work by Missy Mazzoli, Sunday night at 7pm.

Karina Canellakis, conductor
Yo-Yo Ma, cello

Missy MAZZOLI Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
TCHAIKOVSKY Variations on a Rococo Theme, for cello and orchestra
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4

(Some emphasis added.)

In my book, Tchaikovsky is not quite at Beethoven's level, and I don't think I've heard of the conductor, but this should still be worth hearing. The program note for the Mazzoli piece, makes it sound "interesting." Using a bunch of harmonicas seems gimmicky and frivolous, We'll see if it turns out to be any good, but I have lowered expectations. You can read the program note via the link at the performance detail page.

Tanglewood — 2021/08/01

 WCRB summarizes this evening's broadcast from Tanglewood as follows:

Sunday, August 1, 2021
7:00 PM

Stefan Jackiw is the soloist in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, and Alan Gilbert leads the Boston Symphony in rarely heard works by Schumann and Stenhammar, Sunday evening at 7pm.

Alan Gilbert, conductor
Stefan Jackiw, violin

SCHUMANN The Bride of Messina Overture
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 5
STENHAMMAR Serenade

For further information, see the BSO performance detail page with its links to program notes and performer bios.

This should all be enjoyable.