Tanglewood — 2022/07/16-17

 Friday, Jujy 15, 2022.

It seems that the Friday evrning concert at Tanglewood this week is not being given by the BSO themselves. I'm guessing it's Boston Pops. Anyway, whatever it is, WCRB won't be roadcasting it. Nay, rather will they repeat a concert from last summer, which they describe as follows:

Friday, July 15, 2022
8:00 PM

Tonight at 8pm, in an encore broadcast from Tanglewood, the Latvian violinist is the soloist in Sibelius’s majestic Violin Concerto, and Andris Nelsons leads the BSO in Dvorák’s Symphony No. 6.

Recorded on July 11, 2021, at the Koussevitzky Music Shed at Tanglewood

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Baiba Skride, violin

Carlos SIMON Fate Now Conquers
Jean SIBELIUS Violin Concerto
Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 6

I posted about it back then. Unfortunately the llink ro last summer's performance detail page no longer works, so that preview is unavailable.

The Sibelius and Dvorák are pretty mainstream and should be enjoyable for most of you.

Saturday, July 16, 2021.  It's opera night at Tanglewood. WCRB tells us:

Saturday, July 16, 2022
8:00 PM

Saturday night at 8pm, soprano Nicole Cabell and baritone Ryan McKinny star in Mozart’s timeless opera, joined by the Boston Symphony, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and a stellar cast of soloists, all led by Andris Nelsons.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Nicole Cabell, soprano (Donna Elvira)
Michelle Bradley, soprano (Donna Anna)
Janai Brugger, soprano (Zerlina)
Amitai Pati, tenor (Don Ottavio)
Ryan McKinny, baritone (Don Giovanni)
Will Liverman, baritone (Leporello)
Cody Quattlebaum, bass-baritone (Masetto)
Ryan Speedo-Green, bass (Commendatore)

Tanglewood Festival Chorus, James Burton, conductor 

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART Don Giovanni

See the Boston Symphony's synopsis and program notes for Don Giovanni.

See a libretto and translation of Don Giovanni.

For more information on Tanglewood concerts, visit the BSO box office.

The BSO performance detail page has the usual links, but not one for the full libretto. (For that, go to the WCRB page and try their link.) Mozart is good, and there's lots of good music in this opera. On the other hand, it may seem much of a muchness if they don't cut anything out. Listening without benefit of any action and without surtitles could seem a bit overpowering. My suggestion, if you're not an opera buff, is to relax and let it fill your ears as you go about your business, maybe stopping to listen more intently when something captures your attention. Of course following along word for word with the libretto is fine too — maybe worth a try. 

Sunday, July 17, 2021.   Again we get a bit from WCRB:

Sunday, July 17, 2022
7:00 PM (delayed broadcast of 2:30 PM concert)

Sunday evening at 7pm, pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen take center stage in the American premiere of Fazil Say’s “Phoenix,” and Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and soloists in Brahms’s “A German Requiem.”

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Lucas and Arthur Jussen, piano
Ying Fang, soprano
Shenyang, bass-baritone
Tanglewood Festival Chorus, James Burton, conductor

Fazil SAY Phoenix (Anka Kuşu), for piano four-hands and orchestra (American premiere; BSO co- commission)
Johannes BRAHMS A German Requiem 

The BSO performance detail page has more information, including links to the program notes. I haven't checked out the notes for the piano piece, so I have no idea what it will be like, but I'm interested to hear it. The Brahms is massive, and Brahms isn't my favorite cup of metaphorical tea, but there's a reason it stays in the repertoire, so if you're unfamiliar with it, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Of course, there are no reviews of the concerts which haven't yet been performed, and at this point I want to finish posting, so I'm not going to search for reviews from a year ago. You'll just have to enjoy tonight without them (or do some research on your own).