Tanglewood — 2023/07/14-16

 WCRB has this to say about this evening's concert:

Friday, July 14th, 2023
8:00 PM

Great American Songbook ambassador Michael Feinstein and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet join Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops at Tanglewood in a celebration of iconic American composer George Gershwin.

Keith Lockhart, conductor
Michael Feinstein, vocalist and piano
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

ALL-GERSHWIN PROGRAM
Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More?

It's the Boston Pops and Gershwin — should be a great evening.

Tomorrow it's a night at the opera:

Saturday, July 15th, 2023
8:00 PM

Andris Nelsons conducts a concert version of Mozart’s famous Italian opera “Così fan tutte” with the BSO and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
James Darrah, director
Nicole Cabell, soprano (Fiordiligi)
Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano (Dorabella)
Meigui Zhang, soprano (Despina)
Amitai Pati, tenor (Ferrando)
Elliot Madore, baritone (Guglielmo)
Patrick Carfizzi, bass-baritone (Don Alfonso)
Tanglewood Festival Chorus,
James Burton, conductor

I've never given this opera my undivided attention, but it's Mozart, so it's perfectly pleasant and acceptable, probably very enjoyable at times.

Then on Sunday, the program takes us from the sublime to the ridiculous or maybe just the bombastic:

Sunday, July 16th, 2023
7:00 PM

Erin Morley, Reginald Mobley, Will Liverman, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus bring you Orff’s bawdy and intimate Carmina Burana.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Erin Morley, soprano
Reginald Mobley, countertenor
Will Liverman, baritone
Tanglewood Festival Chorus,
James Burton, conductor
Boston Children’s Chorus,
Emily Howe, conductor
Kenneth Griffith, music director

Ludwing Van BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3
Carl ORFF Carmina burana

When I was in college, the Latin professor was pleased to have a musical setting of these medieval poems available. Later I learned that early music people had been able to decipher the melodies indicated in the original manuscript. I much prefer the medieval music settings (e.g.,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Elgdpk65gM&t=2715s just dip in here and there if you don't want to listen all the way through) to Carl Orff's vulgar 20th century music for the poems. Of course, the Beethoven is magnificent and well worth listening to.

The BSO's calendar has links to each concert, but I don't see any program notes for background information about any of the music.

So enjoy what you can. Maybe you'll even like Orff's music for Carmina Burana.

BTW, the "i" in carmina is short, so it's CARmina, not carMEEna.