Four Centuries of Great Music August 18, 2024 Music Heard at Tanglewood in July, 2024 Episode 2

FCGM-08-18-24 - Heard at Tanglewood July, 2024 Part 2

I spent three weeks up in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts this July attending several music festivals.  Among them were two festivals at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox/Stockbridge.  Last week I featured the Concertos that were at the center of this year’s experience at Tanglewood for me.  But there was much more than just concertos.  So this week I will explore some of the other works heard at Tanglewood this year.

On the afternoon of July 14th the Boston Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons, conductor and Augustin Hadelich, violin performed Sergei  Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto #2 in G minor which I played last week.  On that same program was Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7.  It is in 4 movements: I. Allegro maestoso; II. Poco adagio; III. Scherzo: Vivace; IV. Finale: Allegro

Here is a performance of Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7  by
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta from the album Echoes of Eastern Europe   Beau Fleuve Records

On the July 26th concert at 8pm that featured Andris Nelsons conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the concert opened with Steven Mackey’s Urban Ocean.  About Urban Ocean  written on a commission by the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach CA, Mackey writes that “Urban Ocean . . . casts the sea as mysterious, deep, vast, powerful and teaming with life of which we can usually only perceive the tip of the iceberg  so to speak.  The land is bright and bustling with bittersweet humanity. [This piece] strikes a delicate balance between both.”

Here is a performance of Steven Mackey’s “Urban Ocean” by Gil Rose conducting the Boston Modern Orchestra Project from the album “Steven Mackey: Time Release”. BMOP/Sounds

Let’s open this second hour of Four Centuries of Great Music featuring music I enjoyed at Tanglewood this Summer with Peter Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74,”Pathétique”.  This was one of Tchaikovsky’s last works and was premiered with Tchaikovsky conducting was in the Hall of Nobles in St. Petersburg on October 29th just nine days before his death.  I was given it’s name by Tchaikovsky’s brother from the Greek meaning of emotional or passionate.   This was performed as part of the same concert that included the performance of Aram Khachaturian: Piano Concerto in D-flat major, Op. 38 on July 27th by piano soloist soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.  This work was performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andris Nelsons as was the Khachaturian Concerto which we featured on last week’s Four Centuries of Great Music.

It is in 4 movements:
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74   I. Adagio - Allegro non troppo
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74   II. Allegro con grazia
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74   III. Allegro molto vivace
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74   IV. Finale. Adagio lamentoso - Andante

This is a live performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 by Jaap van Zweden conducting the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra from the album Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 & Symphony No. 6.  Decca Classics

Also part of the concert on the July 26th concert at Tanglewood at 8pm that featured Steven Mackey’s Urban Ocean with the the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andris Nelsons was Jan Sibelius’”The Origin of Fire” for baritone, male chorus and orchestra.  This performance included Will Liverman, baritone and the men of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus.  This work is from the series of works Sibelius wrote about the stories of the Finnish national legend “Kalevala”.  Since this work includes more personnel demands than other works from this series such as the Swan of Tuonela, it is played much less often.  It is an exciting piece of music beginning in a somber mood as the god Ukko see the dark heavens, and has brightening orchestral colors as Ukko creates fire by striking his finger nail against his sword.  And as the fire escapes and streaks across the sky, powerful choral writing brings the work to an end.

Here is a performance of Jan Sibelius’ ”The Origin of Fire” for baritone, male chorus and orchestra by Tommi Hakala baritone, the YL Male Voice Choir and Sinfonia Lahti conducted by Osmo Vanska from the album The Sibelius Edition Volume 3 Voice and Orchestra BIS

I am going to close today’s program on music heard at this year’s Tanglewood Music Festivals with part of a work heard at the Chamber concert in Seiji Ozawa Hall on August 4th at 10 am - our last concert at Tanglewood this year
Jan Bach: Rounds and Dances - Sarabande
Here it is performed by the Mardi Brass from their album
Something New . . . Contemporary Works for Brass Quintet
London Independent Records