BSO — 2025/03/22

 This evening's concert is unusual. I'm guessing it's intended as part of an outreach to a wider community than those who regularly come to symphony concerts, and I have no doubt it will attract the intended audience. I wonder, though, if those who come for this will return for Beethoven or Shostakovich. Maybe a few will and there will be a gradual growth in awareness of the BSO as a worthwhile place to go for enjoyable music. But I doubt there will be a dramatic influx right after this. Anywat, WCRB tells us what's on offer:

Saturday, March 22, 2025
8:00 PM

Considered one of the most preeminent jazz artists of all time, and one of the most influential musical artists of any genre, John Coltrane has truly played a part in shaping the music of today. Coltrane: Legacy for Orchestra is a new live concert experience re-framing some of John Coltrane’s most popular and influential works with lush orchestrations, accompanied by exclusive and recently exhibited personal photographs of John Coltrane.

Edwin Outwater, conductor
Terence Blanchard, trumpet

John COLTRANE Legacy for Orchestra
Curated by Carlos Simon

John COLTRANE, orch. Erik Jekabson – Blue Train
COLTRANE, orch. Andy Milne – Naima
Thelonius MONK, orch. Andy Milne – Crepuscule with Nellie
COLTRANE, orch. Steven Feifke – Giant Steps
Guy WOOD, orch. Ben Morris – My One and Only Love
Miles DAVIS, orch. Tim Davies – So What
DAVIS, orch. Cassie Kinoshi – Blue in Green
COLTRANE, orch. Andy Milne – A Love Supreme, Part I: Acknowledgement
Duke ELLINGTON, orch. Carlos Simon – In a Sentimental Mood
COLTRANE, orch. Ben Morris – Crescent
COLTRANE, orch. Tim Davies – Central Park West
COLTRANE, orch. Carlos Simon – Alabama
COLTRANE, orch. Ben Morris – Impressions
Richard RODGERS, orch. Jonathan Bingham – My Favorite Things

To hear a preview of the program with BSO Composer Chair Carlos Simon, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Carlos Simon, the Composer Chair for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the curator of Coltrane: Legacy, this great program.

The BSO's performance detail page has a link to an extensive program note which gives a good biography and appreciation of Coltrane, followed by an informative note on each work in the program. There are, as usual, links to performer bios for the conductor and the soloist at the performance detail page.

The Globe has a nice preview article, but no review. We get a review in the Intelligencer.

I don't really know what to expect, since I rarely hear jazz, but I'll have my radio on.

BSO — 2024/11/09

 Now for something (not completely) different, The BSO is giving us a Duke Ellington Anniversary Celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the composer's  death. WCRB gives us the particulars, along with an interview that explains it all:

Saturday, November 9, 2024
8:00 PM

The BSO and Thomas Wilkins mark the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death with four of this American musical genius’s symphonically ambitious works, beginning with the orchestral Three Black Kings and Night Creature. Then, pianist Gerald Clayton is the soloist in the optimistic New World A-Coming. And Renese King leads a cast of incredible vocalists in selections from Ellington’s Sacred Concerts, conceived as a parallel to traditional European church music, featuring styles at the core of jazz, including gospel, the blues, and spirituals in a multi-dimensional, oratorio-like presentation.

Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Gerald Clayton, piano
Renese King, vocalist
The Duke Ellington Tribute Singers: Christina DeVaughn, Amy Onyonyi, Carolyn Saxon, Renese King, Karen Tobin-Guild, Laura Vecchione, Michael Bradley, Daon Drisdom, Philip Lima, Davron Monroe, Samuel Moscoso, Donnell Patterson

Duke Ellington Anniversary Celebration

ALL-ELLINGTON PROGRAM

Three Black Kings
Night Creature
New World A-Coming, for piano and orchestra
Selections from the Sacred Concerts

In a preview of this program, conductor Thomas Wilkins describes the way each piece reflects particular aspects of Duke Ellington's musical expression and perspectives on life, spirituality, and art. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Thomas Wilkins, who's back here with the Boston Symphony for a really, really special concert. Thom, thanks so much for your time today. And thanks for talking about Duke Ellington, a fantastic program this week.

Thomas Wilkins Duke Ellington is a great guy to have to talk about, I got to tell you.

Brian McCreath Absolutely. So, let's talk about Duke Ellington in the context of these pieces that you have programmed for this, a kind of specific look at Duke Ellington as the concert composer. You know, we think of Cotton Club and "Mood Indigo," these fantastic parts of the Duke Ellington story. But this is a little different: major pieces that were conceived of as concert pieces, and even with full orchestra in a couple of cases and arranged for full orchestra in every case for the concert.

Until I read the transcript of Brian McCreaths interview with Thomas Wilkins, I thought that Duke Ellington's music was more appropriate for a Boston Pops concert. Clearly, when it comes to this program I was wrong.

In the BSO's performance detail page we find useful links to the program notes for each piece as well as the following brief overall description:

Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Gerald Clayton, piano
Renese King, vocalist
The Duke Ellington Tribute Singers
Christina DeVaughn, Amy Onyonyi, Carolyn Saxon, Renese King, Karen Tobin-Guild, Laura Vecchione, Michael Bradley, Daon Drisdom, Philip Lima, Davron Monroe, Samuel Moscoso, Donnell Patterson

ALL-ELLINGTON PROGRAM
Three Black Kings
Night Creature
New World A-Coming, for piano and orchestra
-Intermission-
Selection from the Sacred Concerts

The BSO and Thomas Wilkins mark the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death with three of this American musical genius’ symphonically ambitious “Tone Parallels” — his personal take on the tone poem; Gerald Clayton is soloist in the optimistic New World A-Coming. Ellington’s three Sacred Concerts of 1965, 1968, and 1973, conceived as a parallel to traditional European church music, feature styles at the core of jazz, including gospel, the blues, and spirituals in a multidimensional, oratorio-like presentation.

The Globe reviewer had no complaints, and the Intelligencer is highly favorable.

I wasn't there to hear it on Thursday or Friday, so I'm definitely looking forward to listening to this evening's performance.

Tanglewood — 2024/07/13-14

 I didn't get a chance to include last evening's concert in this post. Here's what we have to look forward to today and tomorrow.

Here's WCRB's synopsis of tonight's concert:

    Saturday, July 13, 2024

8:00 PM

Andris Nelsons conducts a Boston Symphony program that includes Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, with soloist Yuja Wang, as well as two pieces by Duke Ellington and Carlos Simon’s “Warmth from Other Suns.”

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Yuja Wang, piano

Carlos SIMON Warmth from Other Suns, for string orchestra
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4
Duke ELLINGTON Three Black Kings

    ELLINGTON A Tone Parallel to Harlem 

 

If you want to read up on the music, here's a link to the BSO's performance detai page, which has links to the program notes for the various pieces: https://www.bso.org/events/bso-simon-beethoven-featuring-yuja-wang?performance=2024-07-13-20:00

For Sunday, here's the program, per WCRB:

Sunday, July 14, 2024
7:00 PM

Augustin Hadelich is the soloist in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in a Boston Symphony concert led by Andris Nelsons that also features Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 and Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Forward Into Light, a meditation on “perseverance, bravery, and alliance.”

Sunday, July 14, 2024
7:00 PM

Augustin Hadelich is the soloist in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in a Boston Symphony concert led by Andris Nelsons that also features Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 and Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Forward Into Light, a meditation on “perseverance, bravery, and alliance.”

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin

Sarah KIRKLAND SNIDER Forward into Light 
Sergei PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2
Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 7

Here's the linkf or the performance detail page forr Sunday: https://www.bso.org/events/snider-prokofiev-dvorak?performance=2024-07-14-14:30

Note the earlier start time on Sunday.

Some of this is familiar and should be very good. Some of it is new and unfamiliar, so your guess is as good as mine. Enjoy what you can.

Tanglewood — 2023/07/23

 WCRB tells us https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2023-06-08/midkiff-and-wilkins-with-the-bso-at-tanglewood about this evening's Tanglewood broadcast of the afternoon concert:

Sunday, July 23rd, 2023
7:00 PM

Jeff Midkiff is the soloist in his own Mandolin Concerto From the Blue Ridge. Thomas Wilkins leads the BSO at Tanglewood in Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade and Ellington’s Suite from The River.

Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Jeff Midkiff, mandolin

Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Ballade in A minor
Jeff MIDKIFF Mandolin Concerto, From the Blue Ridge
Duke ELLINGTON Suite from The River

There's not much more at the BSO site. https://www.bso.org/events/bso-wilkins-ellington

This could be enjoyable.

Note that the Sunday show begins at 7:00.

BSO/Classical New England — 2022/05/28

 This evening, while we wait for the BSO's Tanglewood season to begin, WCRB rebroadcasts the concert of October 30. Here's the outline from their page:

Saturday, May 28, 2022
8:00 PM

Tonight at 8, the celebrated electric bassist is the soloist in his own concerto, La Lección Tres, and the BSO's Thomas Wilkins conducts music from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Hiawatha and Duke Ellington’s The River.

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Victor Wooten, electric bass

Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Suite from the ballet Hiawatha
Victor WOOTEN La Lección Tres, for electric bass and orchestra
Duke ELLINGTON Suite from The River

This concert is no longer available on demand.

Hear conductor Thomas Wilkins describe his longtime friendship with Victor Wooten, why Coleridge-Taylor's ballet music for Hiawatha is a relatively new discovery, and Ellington is a natural fit for the BSO with the audio player above (transcript below).

In a conversation with WCRB's Brian McCreath, Victor Wooten describes the artistic opportunities of bringing his musical voice to the symphony orchestra, and why he's perfectly comfortable being out of his comfort zone

It seems that I didn't post about it back then, nor do I recall hearing it. I just remembered: that was the weekend I was in the hospital being pumped full of antibiotics to cure my cellulitis. Let's see if I can find reviews.

The Intelligencer urges us not to miss the Wooten piece and is pleased with the whole concert. The Globe reviewer is equally enthusiastic.

So I guess this is worth hearing. 8:00 p.m., Boston Time, this evening.

BSO — 2019/03/23

This week the BSO gives a concert of music by Black and Puerto Rican composers. Here's the description from their performance detail page:

Thomas Wilkins, the BSO's Germeshausen Youth and Family Concerts Conductor, makes his subscription series debut with this concert, which features music of three African-American composers along with the Puerto Rico-born Robert Sierra. Sierra wrote his Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra for eminent jazz saxophonist James Carter, including opportunities for improvisation within his dynamic and soulful score. Also in the jazz spectrum is Duke Ellington's lush, impressionistic tone poem A Tone Parallel to Harlem. Florence Price graduated from Boston's New England Conservatory in 1906 as a pianist and organist; she also studied composition there. She wrote her Third Symphony in 1940 on a commission from the WPA; Thomas Wilkins has arranged sections of the four-movement work into a tone poem he calls "Symphonic Reflections." The brash, optimistic concert-opener An American Port of Call was written in 1985 for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra by Adolphus Hailstork, inspired by his bustling home city of Norfolk, VA, where he is a professor at Old Dominion University.

(Some emphasis added.)

This is the only performance of the program, so there are no reviews, but the Boston Globe has an informative interview with the conductor.

None of this is music I'm familiar with, and I'd like to hear it. I'll be listening to WCRB on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and again on Monday, April 1, for he rebroadcast, also at 8:00. The March 25 rebroadcast is last Saturday's all-Strauss concert. Don't forget to check out the website for information about other programming.

Tanglewood — 2015/07/03-04

The Boston Symphony returns to Tanglewood this weekend. Opening night is Friday, with the concert and broadcast/webstream over WCRB beginning at 8:30, Boston Time. The BSO program detail page describes the program as follows:

For its first concert of the 2015 Tanglewood season, the Boston Symphony Orchestra celebrates our country's heritage during Independence Day weekend with an all American program of music by John Harbison, George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, and Duke Ellington. The dynamic Jacques Lacombe conducts, with the exciting pianist Kirill Gerstein, equally renowned in jazz and classical repertoire, featured in Gershwin's Concerto in F. John Douglas Thompson will be the speaker in Copland's Lincoln Portrait. 

(Some emphasis added.)

The WCRB BSO page identifies the Harbison and Gershwin works as well.

Kirill Gerstein is the soloist in Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F, and John Douglas Thompson is the narrator of Copland's Lincoln Portrait in an All-American Tanglewood Opening Night that also includes Harbison's Remembering Gatsby and Ellington's Harlem, all with conductor Jacque Lacombe.

That page also has various links, including one to an interview with the pianist, and the remaining Tanglewood broadcast/stream schedule.

In the Saturday BSO time slot, WCRB returns to Boston to give us
The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular!

Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops - along with hundreds of  thousands of fans - celebrate the Fourth of July at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade, with special guest vocalists Melinda Doolittle, Michael Cavanaugh, and Michelle Brooks-Thompson, vocal ensemble Sons of Serendip, the Boston Crusaders drum and bugle corps, and the USO Show Troupe, all hosted by Ron Della Chiesa and Laura Carlo.

There is a link to more info on the WCRB page.

Enjoy both evenings. Apparently Sunday afternoon broadcasts from Tanglewood begin on July 12.