REVIEW: Majestic Theater, “Once”

Majestic Theater, West Springfield, MA  

www.majestictheater.com

through
October 19, 2025

by Simon Brighenti

The two-decade plus run of successful theatre experiences at the Majestic continues unabated with the 2025-2026 season opener “Once”.

 

A vibrant mélange of guitars, piano, violins, and fiddles; a mandolin and a cello; with an accordion and a couple of Cajon drums thrown in for good measure sets the scene for a thoroughly enjoyable performance.

 

Photo by Kate Rankins

The story is set in Dublin and much of the music throughout is definitely geographically appropriate for the Emerald Isle. The multi-talented Nick Anastasia and Kate Theis exude a flirtatious chemistry as the two principal characters:“Guy” and “Girl.” Guy is at a point in his musical journey where he is about to abandon his passion and return full time to his Da’s shop to fix vacuums (or “Hoovers” as the cast refers to them in several humorous passages). Girl materializes – in person as a Czech beauty temporarily residing in Ireland or perhaps as the embodiment of his muse – and together they help him rediscover and reignite his passion. Her persistent optimism and deadpan but hilarious wit are infectious and watching his confidence grow in her sunlight is entirely enjoyable.

Helping Guy (and the audience) mull over the ramifications of an artist following his passion(s) is a fully likeable gang of supporting characters. Director James Warwick’s technique of having this dozen or so masters of a range of instruments and vocal techniques remain quietly onstage until their turn to shine rolls around works exceedingly well. It is difficult to keep track of who plays what as they each seem to bring magical sounds from every instrument hanging on the wall or set on the floor of the spare but evocative set.

 

Each performer is a dual threat musician/actor (and at times adds solo or background vocals to their repertoire). Kevin Tracy portrays Billy, a gruff but tenderhearted Dubliner through and through. Patryck Mathieu and Omar Sandakly provide some riotous relief as two Czech roommates who evidently become multilingual via binging an Irish soap opera. Accomplished cellist Hillary Ekwall also shines as a kindred Corkonian spirit whose button-down job belies a passion and talent for playing, singing, and songwriting.

The rest of the cast, including Majestic frequent flyer Michael Devito, collude with the featured performers to bring the story to a musical life worth every accolade and award “Once” has received. “Once” seen is not enough.

Review: Shakespeare & Company, "Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions"

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA

www.shakespeare.org

through October 5, 2025

by Jarice Hanson

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Paula Vogel, is a national treasure. “Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions,” her most recent work, is having its New England Premiere at Shakespeare & Company. The semi-autobiographical work is layered with meaning and goes beyond most memory plays to effectively chronicle 40-years of American history and culture as experienced by an American family. 

 

Tamara Hickey plays Phyllis, a single mother. She smokes and drinks to cope with her depression. She has a low-wage job and can only afford for rent of a caretaker’s basement quarters in an apartment building. Carl, played by Eddie Shields, is 16 and bright. He looks forward to a full scholarship in college, while daughter Martha, played by Zoya Martin, is instructed to study typing in high school so she’ll “always be able to support herself.” 

 

This is a family experiencing the dissolution of the nuclear family. Within the opening minutes of the 95-minute play, the audience is left to wonder if the children will ever succeed, or if they will repeat their mother’s “mistakes".

 

Photo by Nile Scott Studios

The subtitle of the play, “A Play in Five Evictions” is an important hint that signals the trio's development as each, in their own way, strives to become self-realized. Like every family, there are fun times, but there are painful times. The brother and sister form a tight bond, in part to support mother, but also to survive her. 

 

A challenge for the three actors in the play is for each of them to age four decades from the play’s beginning in 1962 to shortly after the beginning of the 21st century.

 

Beautifully communicated physically and emotionally by the actors with the aid of clever costumes by Arthur Wilson, delightful choreography by Susan Dibble, and a timeless set by Omid Akbari, the family shows that they may not be able to address honesty collectively, but that honesty, loneliness, and self-determination are values that one must negotiate to become a “whole person.” 

 

Director Ariel Bock keeps the story driving forward until the inevitable conclusion that is both heartbreaking and very real. 

 

This play is multi-layered with something to touch the hearts of every audience member. While there is undeniable sadness and survival portrayed, the trio become representative of changing times, social and economic unrest, and most of all, changing social norms. The audience can't help but feel sad, seeing this mother and her children try to support each other while destined to disappoint, but there is hope in realizing that even dysfunctional families can come to terms with fate. 

 

The ending of the show can be hard for some. While giving the talented actors a well deserved standing ovation, sobs could be heard in the audience. This is a tough emotional show, but well worth the effort to understand, and forgive family transgressions. 

REVIEW: Boston Pops Orchestra, "Keith Lockhart 30th Anniversary Celebration"

Tanglewood, Lenox, MA 

www.bso.org/tanglewood

August 22, 2025 

by Michael J. Moran 

Keith Lockhart, photo by Hilary Scott

Perfect Berkshire weather graced the opening evening of Tanglewood 2025’s closing weekend. Friday’s “Prelude” program featured internationally acclaimed pianist and Smith College music professor Jiayan Sun and four Boston Symphony Orchestra members in forceful accounts of Carl Reinecke’s romantic 1905 “Trio for clarinet, horn, and piano” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s sprightly 1797 “Quintet in E-flat for piano and winds.”  

The evening’s main event was a celebration of Keith Lockhart’s 30th anniversary as conductor of the Boston Pops. The program’s variety show for at showcased the broad repertoire of a typical Pops concert in guest appearances by artists from many musical genres. The Pops opened with lively takes on the overture to Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” from Styne and Sondheim’s “Gypsy.” Next, jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli played and sang a soulful “The Nearness of You,” by Carmichael and Washington, and a virtuosic “I Got Rhythm,” by the Gershwins. 

Other performers included genre-bending string trio Time for Three, with a showy excerpt from a concerto by jazz composer Chris Brubeck. Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez sang a tender “Home,” from “The Wiz,” by Smalls. The ageless Bernadette Peters (who promised to return for Lockhart’s 60thanniversary) sang a rousing “Before the Parade Passes By,” from Jerry Herman’s “Hello, Dolly!” Broadway leading man Brian Stokes Mitchell sang a fervent “Impossible Dream,” from “Man of La Mancha,” by Leigh and Darion. Elegant Pops arrangements and lush support by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, prepared by their conductor, James Burton, enhanced many numbers. 

Two of the video sequences shown were particularly effective: excerpts from the documentary film “From Sea to Shining Sea,” about Massachusetts author Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote “America the Beautiful,” stirringly narrated by Boston actress Paula Plum; and a witty adaptation by David Chase of “I’m (He’s) Still Here,” from Sondheim’s “Follies,” with Lockhart-specific lyrics, and cameos by 30+ friends of the Maestro, from Leslie Odom, Jr. to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, toasting Lockhart's longevity. Seamless direction by Broadway veteran Jason Danieley moved everyone smoothly around the stage. 

Reflecting on the Tanglewood 2025 season, this frequent visitor (4 Shed concerts, 11 in Ozawa Hall) was impressed with the high levels of attendance by patrons of all ages, despite heat waves and rainy days, and with the continuing balance of traditions (like “Talks and Walks” by artists and “Tanglewood on Parade”) with new offerings (Linde Hall lectures, etc.). 

REVIEW: Berkshire Opera Festival, “La Traviata”

Berkshire Opera Festival, Great Barrington, MA

www.berkshireoperafestival.org

August 26 & 29, 2025

by Michael J. Moran

To celebrate its tenth season, the Berkshire Opera Festival presents its third Verdi opera (after “Rigoletto” in 2018 and “Falstaff” in 2021): a winning production of what BOF Artistic Director and Co-Founder Brian Garman calls in a program note the composer’s “most intimate opera:” “La Traviata.” After its 1853 premiere, Verdi never returned to this small-scale style, focusing instead on grand opera.

Photo by Ken Howard

In the libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the 1852 play The Lady of the Camellias, by Alexandre Dumas, Violetta, a Parisian escort, falls in love with Alfredo, a young nobleman. When his father, Giorgio, asks Violetta to give up Alfredo to protect his family’s reputation, she agrees. After Alfredo misunderstands her sacrifice and Giorgio realizes the depth of Violetta’s love for Alfredo, they reconcile with her just before she dies of tuberculosis.  

Soprano Vanessa Becerra is a sensational Violetta, singing and acting with passion and beauty of tone, portraying Violetta’s joy in finding love and her despair in losing it with total commitment. Tenor Joshua Blue is a volatile Alfredo, moving from brash defiance to tender affection with equal intensity. Baritone Weston Hurt plays Giorgio with dignity and command. Mezzo-soprano Erin Reppenhagen as Violetta’s friend Flora, baritone Yazid Gray as Baron Douphol, and mezzo-soprano Kalia Kellogg as Violetta’s maid Annina all make strong impressions in supporting roles.

Vocal highlights include: Blue’s hearty Act I toast to Becerra, “Let’s Drink from the Joyful Cup;” their ardent Act I love duet “One Day, Happy;” Becerra’s exuberant Act I aria “Always Free;” Hurt’s poignant Act II aria “The Sea and Soil of Provence;” and Becerra’s anguished Act III aria, “Farewell, Happy Dreams of the Past,” as she fears Alfredo won’t return before she dies.

Imaginative direction by BOF Co-Founder Jonathon Loy brings out the best in a uniformly excellent cast. Resourceful choreography by Sara Erde features a stunning flamenco solo by Glenda Sol Koeraus. Flexible scenic design by Hannah Postlethwaite, elegant costume design by Brooke Stanton, and subtle lighting design by Alex Jainchill and Alejandro Fajardo add vital support. Vibrant performances under Garman by the BOF orchestra and chorus (prepared by Chorus Master Luca Antonucci) bring Verdi’s powerful score to evocative life.

This marvelous “Traviata” shouldn’t be missed by lovers of Italian opera.

REVIEW: Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, "3 Season End Concerts"

Tanglewood, Lenox, MA

www.bso.org/tanglewood

August 4, 11, & 18, 2025

by Michael J. Moran

The last three TMCO concerts gave the two 2025 TMC conducting fellows two more chances to share the podium with Boston Symphony Orchestra guest conductors and a unique opportunity to co-conduct a one-act opera.

Leonard Weiss, photo by Hilary Scott

That was a magical semi-staged TMC production of Maurice Ravel’s 1925 “The Child and the Spells," of which Leonard Weiss led the first half and Yiran Zhao, the second. In a pre-concert talk, renowned soprano Dawn Upshaw, the lead TMC faculty organizer of the event, called the opera “a series of life lessons.” A seven-year-old boy rebels against doing his homework by harming objects and animals around him, who realize, when he bandages a baby squirrel he’s wounded, that, in Colette’s libretto, “he is a good child after all.” TMC vocal fellows and instrumentalists responded with equal sensitivity and charm to Weiss’ suave, elegant leadership and to Zhao’s more overtly emotional conducting style.

Ravel, photo by Hilary Scott

A week later, Zhao opened the program with a soulful reading of BSO composer Carlos Simon’s BSO commission, “Four Black American Dances,” sharply differentiating the “Ring Shout,” “Waltz,” “Tap!,” and “Holy Dance.” Weiss followed with a lively account of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Classical” symphony, featuring a spacious “Allegro,” a warm “Larghetto,” a stately “Gavotte,” and a brisk “Finale.” Colombian-born conductor Andres Orozco-Estrada closed the concert with a colorful take on Ravel’s orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky’s piano suite “Pictures at an Exhibition.” Standout numbers included: a haunting “Old Castle;” a playful “Ballet of Chicks in Their Shells; and a majestic “Great Gate at Kiev.”

Weiss opened the August 18 concert with a carefully shaped “Chairman Dances: Foxtrot for Orchestra,” an “out-take” from John Adams’ 1987 opera “Nixon in China.” Zhao next led an exuberant rendition of Bartok’s Hungarian-flavored 1923 “Dance Suite.” Finnish conductor Dima Slobodeniouk closed the program with an electrifying performance of Tchaikovsky’s dramatic fourth symphony. The orchestra played an anguished “Andante-Moderato,” a melancholy “Andantino,” a sprightly “Scherzo,” and a whirlwind “Finale” with passion and poise.  

At the end of every 2025 TMCO concert with three conductors, the guest conductor has brought out the TMC conducting fellows for a group bow (and hug), a respectful gesture that literally embraces them as peers in the making.

REVIEW: Tanglewood, "AMOC/Brooklyn Rider/The Sixteen"

Tanglewood, Lenox, MA

www.bso.org/tanglewood

August 7, 13 & 14, 2025

by Michael J. Moran

The last three concerts in Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall series broadened the range and repertoire offered in several earlier concerts during the 2025 season.

AMOC, photo by Hilary Scott

On August 7, the American Modern Opera Company, under composer/conductor Matthew Aucoin, presented Aucoin’s 2025 one-act opera “Music for New Bodies.” Set to poems by Jorie Graham and imaginatively staged by renowned director Peter Sellars, its five scenes reflect poignantly on surviving a cancer diagnosis and planetary destruction. The adventurous score makes protean demands on five singers, 18 instrumentalists, and electronics. High soprano Song Hee Lee, soprano Meryl Dominguez, mezzo-soprano Megan Moore, tenor Paul Appleby, and bass-baritone Evan Hughes met the challenge, though often singing in motion and sometimes lying prone on platforms across the stage. The stunning performance made a powerful impact.

Six days later, string quartet Brooklyn Rider celebrated their 20th anniversary in a concert that highlighted their eclectic programming taste. The group opened with ensemble violinist Colin Jacobson’s touching tribute to ethnomusicologist Ruth Crawford Seeger, “A Short While To Be Here…,” based on the American folk song “Little Birdie.” Next came Reena Esmail’s haunting “Zeher” (“Poison”), followed by Philip Glass’s hypnotic third string quartet. With special guest Yo-Yo Ma on second cello, they closed with a rhapsodic account of Schubert’s sublime last work, the 1828 String Quintet in C. Their heartfelt encore, an arrangement for quintet (with a juicy solo for Ma) of Osvaldo Golijov’s song “Lua Descolorida” (“Colorless Moon”) delighted the capacity audience, including the composer.

Sixteen, photo by Hilary Scott

The next evening, pioneering British choristers, the Sixteen, and the conductor who founded them in, Harry Christophers, offered a stimulating program of 12 choral works by 12th century Abbess Hildegard of Bingen, Tudor era English composers William Byrd and Thomas Tallis, and contemporary Estonian composer Arvo Part. In shifting combinations, the soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices of the ensemble blended with perfect intonation, seamless balance, and ravishing warmth. Standout selections included: Hildegard’s stark “Ave, Generosa” (“Hail, high-born lady”); Part’s sonorous “Da pacem, Domine” (“Give Peace, Lord”); and Byrd’s resonant “Tribue, Domine” (“Grant, Lord”).

A gorgeous encore, Byrd’s motet “Diliges Dominum” (“You Shall Love the Lord”), in which two halves of the chorus sing the same music exactly in reverse, brought another varied Ozawa Hall season to a virtuosic close.

REVIEW: Chester Theatre Company, “Mr. Joy”

Town Hall Theater, Chester, MA

www.chestertheatre.org

through August 17, 2025

by C. L. Blacke

When Mr. Joy, a Chinese immigrant, fails to open his shoe repair shop one day, a stream of loyal customers reveals the tragic event that led to his sudden disappearance and how the saintly, elderly man touched each of their lives.

Written by Daniel Koa Beaty, “Mr. Joy” is a commentary on the struggles of a Harlem community with Mr. Joy providing the nexus. The play grapples with systemic racism, gang culture, homelessness, AIDS, and Black Lives Matter. That’s a lot to pack into one play while also offering levity and inspiration. What “Mr. Joy” does not do, however, is tackle the real issues of personal responsibility and social justice or offer any solutions. 

Despite the story’s flaws, Godfrey Simmons’ performance is powerful and riveting. In this one-actor play, nine characters are revealed through therapy sessions, group meetings, and direct engagement with the audience. With just small changes in gait and posture, vocal inflection, and the way he utilizes a messenger bag and black apron, Simmons effortlessly embodies each distinct character (a gangsta granny, an 11-year old girl with AIDS, a rich Black republican businessman, Mr. Joy’s Chinese-American son, a 15-year old revolutionary poet, and a nerdy teen opera singer).

Director Vernice Miller harnesses Simmons’ dynamic power and expansive acting skills and unleashes them in the most uncompromising way—with a presence that fills the theatre and demands attention.

The energy is palpable, but so is the discomfort.

It isn’t just because of stereotypical caricatures (blonde, white women with Kim Kardashian butts and transsexuals who act like drag queens), or that the house lights remain on through a good portion of the 100-minute play (better to see Simmons moving around the theatre by), or even that the shop windows and door of Mr. Joy’s store are mirrored to reflect the audience’s faces (Jeremy Winchester’s subtle insinuation that we, as a society, are to blame?). It’s because audience members are singled out by James, the intimidating homeless painter. Are they supposed to provide spare change or offer up their snacks when asked? And how are they supposed to feel when told to “F--- off” in front of everyone? Perhaps the predominantly white senior citizen audience is not the best fit for this dramatic technique.

Whatever inconsistencies “Mr. Joy” presents, Simmons, under Miller’s direction, closes out Chester Theatre Company’s 36th season with yet another powerhouse performance worthy of every standing ovation.

REVIEW: Barrington Stage Company “Joan”

Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, MA

www.barringtonstageco.org

July 31 – August 17, 2025

by Simon Brighenti

 

“How far is too far?” That is a theme that permeates “Joan” presented at the Barrington Stage Company. The titular character is, of course, the pioneering female comic Joan Rivers. 

 

Photo by Scott Smeltzer

This critique includes the word “female” often, for reasons explained shortly. In an effective technique, playwright Daniel Goldstein has the cast of a quartet of actors playing several roles. 

Tessa Auberjonois nails the roles of “older Joan” as well as Joan’s mother Mrs. Molinsky; Elinor Gunn portrays both “younger Joan” and Joan’s daughter Melisa. (Melissa Rivers is Executive Producer). Andrew Borba shines as the mercurial Edgar Rosenberg, Joan’s second husband and the tragic figure most famously associated with the comedian. He also embodies a variety of other parts, including Joan’s father, and Johnny Carson. Rounding out the cast is a versatile Zachary Prince, convincingly portraying several characters vital to the story, ranging from a bellhop to Jimmy Fallon. 

Auberjonois has the nasal intonation and vocal cadences down cold. Gunn presents a calming presence as daughter Melissa as well as a confidently striving young Joan. 

As a female – yes, again that matters as she was one of the first of her gender-comedian growing up in the 1950’s and ‘60’s, Joan had no map to follow, no real mentor from whom to seek guidance. 

Standup comedy was a man’s world at that time and television, still in relative infancy, was also total testosterone territory. She knew she was funny and could write jokes with the best of them -- many of which brought hearty laughter from the nearly full house. But how to get an audience to realize that fact was something she had to figure out as she went along.

As her early years are highlighted on stage, we see Joan’s parents expressing their determination to get Joan married off. The persona that elevated her to being one of the most famous women in the country at one time was one of self-deprecation; her most famous punchlines relate to her purported unattractiveness.

The play effectively exposes at least two levels of the question presented at the outset. How much do you give up in terms of family, relationships, money, and self-respect to get to where you want to be? And, to a lesser extent, how crude can a woman be, how many taboos can she break and not have it backfire. There ARE stretches of vulgarity that could make some more sensitive observers blush; exposing Joan’s raw material. 

There are scenes where Joan and Edgar acknowledge that the people who know “Joan” do not know Joan. The comedianne's story shows her oftentimes as a meal ticket to her so-called friends. Some scenes presented a poignant and revealing side to Joan.

The set is essentially a few tables and chairs, and some neon signs effectively suggest where the business is taking place. The costuming is time and persona appropriate.  

The overall impact of this performance is an enjoyable tour through a life of laughter and persistence, of calculation and compromise, exposing the times of a true comic legend; a life in full. 

REVIEW: Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, "4 Concerts"

Tanglewood, Lenox, MA

www.bso.org/tanglewood

July 7, 14, 24 & 28, 2025

by Michael J. Moran

Yiran Zhao, Photo: Hilary Scott

Each summer over 100 young musicians starting their careers, from across and beyond the US, gather for eight weeks at Tanglewood, where, tutored by Boston Symphony Orchestra members and visiting artists, they soon begin to sound as if they’ve been playing together for years. Four recent concerts by 2025’s TMCO confirmed the power of this training model.    

TMC conducting fellows Australian Leonard Weiss and American Yiran Zhao shared leadership duties at these concerts with BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons (July 7) and BSO guest conductor Thomas Ades (July 14).

Weiss opened the first concert with an alternately stirring and reflective account of “The High Castle,” the first of six tone poems in Czech composer Bedrich Smetana’s 1874-79 cycle “My Country.” Zhao followed with a colorful and dramatic reading of “The Moldau,” also from “My Country.” Nelsons closed the program with a buoyant rendition of Johannes Brahms’ 1877 second symphony, including a mercurial “Allegro non troppo,” serene “Adagio non troppo,” charming “Allegretto grazioso,” and exuberant “Allegro con spirito” finale.

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As part of Tanglewood’s celebration of French composer Maurice Ravel’s 150th birth anniversary this year, Weiss began the second concert with a sensitive take on the Suite from Ravel’s fanciful 1911 ballet, “Mother Goose.” Zhao led a sweeping second suite from Ravel’s more opulent score of the same year for his ballet “Daphnis and Chloe.” Ades drew laser-focused playing from the TMCO that made Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s 1913 ballet “The Rite of Spring” sound strikingly modern.

The focus of the 2025 Festival of Contemporary Music was on Mexican music, and FCM Director Gabriela Ortiz included many pieces by her teachers, herself, and her students on its five programs. Highlights of the July 24 opening concert were: Ortiz’s eerily evocative “Rio Bravo,” featuring TMC fellows Danielle Romano, mezzo-soprano, and three percussionists “playing” six tuned wine glasses; and her student Diana Syrse’s pop-inflected “My Song,” with Syrse declaiming her own text and 13 assorted instrumentalists led with verve by Zhao.

On July 28, Zhao and Weiss led the TMCO in mesmerizing works by Gabriella Smith and Ellen Reid. BSO conductor Thomas Wilkins closed the FCM with two powerful works by Ortiz, her “Altar of the Wind” (with sensational solos by Mexican flutist Alejandro Escuer) and “Hominum: Concerto for Orchestra.” These young musicians sounded completely at home playing this often technically demanding and wildly imaginative music.

TMCO concerts continue through August 18.

Review: Great Barrington Public Theater, "The Best Medicine"

Great Barrington Public Theater, Great Barrington, MA

www.GreatBarringtonPublicTheater.org

through August 17, 2025

by Suzanne Wells

The Great Barrington Public Theater closes its summer season with the world premiere of “The Best Medicine,” a thought-provoking one-woman play exploring the emotional labyrinth of caregiving amid a loved one’s terminal diagnosis. Written by Robin Gerber and directed by Matthew Penn, the 80-minute production ambitiously navigates themes of denial, acceptance, self-doubt, frustration, self-care, love, and joy.

Caroline Aaron

Caroline Aaron, best known for her role in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” plays Rachel, an independent woman thrust into the role of caretaker. In an effort to process her overwhelming circumstances, Rachel enrolls in a stand-up comedy class. While the concept is full of potential, Aaron’s performance was uneven and, at times, difficult to engage with. Her slow shuffle across the stage may have been intended to reflect Rachel’s age, but it often disrupted the tempo. A wardrobe issue—a distracting gap between shirt buttons—further pulled attention from the dialogue. Moments intended to land with humor were occasionally buried or underplayed. Emotionally, the portrayal leaned toward flat, which made the more dramatic peaks feel abrupt and disconnected.  That said, Aaron conveyed Rachel’s personal flaws and inner conflicts with striking honesty.

Deeply dependent upon Monk Schane-Lydon’s soundscape and the audience’s imagination,  Juliana von Haubrich’s minimalist set design, a handful of props—a few chairs, two suitcases, a microphone, and a rolling whiteboard, effectively transformed the stage into a doctor’s office, an airplane, a classroom, a living room, a taxi, and even a circus.

“The Best Medicine” offers a raw, sincere look at the realities of caregiving resonating with those who have lived that experience, as well as those anticipating their futures. Still, this production demands a high level of imaginative engagement from the audience and lacks emotional depth.  It raises the question: is the theater the ideal medium for this story’s full impact?

REVIEW: BSO Chamber Players/Cho

Tanglewood, Lenox, MA

www.bso.org/tanglewood

July 10 & 16, 2025

by Michael J. Moran

Each summer Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall hosts world-class artists in many genres from across the globe. Two recent concerts showcased the variety of attractions in this intimate venue.

BSO Chamber Players

The July 10 all-American program by the BSO Chamber Players (mostly members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra) opened with four short pieces by living composers Jessie Montgomery and BSO Composer Chair Carlos Simon. Lorna McGhee was agile in Simon’s “move it,” for solo flute, and Blaise Dejardin, vibrant in Simon’s “between worlds,” for solo cello. Three Shaker Songs, gorgeously sung by Tanglewood Music Center vocal fellows Eden Bartholomew, soprano; and Danielle Romano, mezzo-soprano; preceded the Suite from Aaron Copland’s ballet “Appalachian Spring,” which famously quotes another Shaker song, “Simple Gifts,” in its original 13-instrument version. BSO Assistant Conductor Anna Handler led.     

Seeing-Jin Cho

Six days later, rising Korean-born pianist Seong-Jin Cho accomplished the rare feat of performing the complete solo piano music by Maurice Ravel, whose 150th birth anniversary Tanglewood is celebrating this summer. The evening was a marathon not only for Cho but for the audience, as the program ran for three hours, with two intermissions. Three days earlier, Cho played both of Ravel’s piano concertos in the same concert with the BSO, a similar rare tre
at.

Hearing the solo pieces in chronological sequence gave listeners a clear sense both of Ravel’s development as a composer over a quarter century and of the startlingly different sounds he could draw from the piano. The ideal player of this music needs a delicate touch, infinite flexibility, and almost superhuman stamina, all qualities which Cho demonstrated in abundance. Numerous highlights included: a graceful “Pavane for a Dead Princess”; a sparkling “Water Games”; a kaleidoscopic five-part “Mirrors”; a haunting three-movement “Treasurer of the Night”; an exuberant set of “Noble and Sentimental Waltzes”; and a poignant tribute to World War I victims, “Couperin’s Tomb”.      

When the appreciative audience, most of whom stayed until the end, appeared to want an encore, Cho, whose energy never seemed to flag, politely closed the piano lid after several bows, as if to give Ravel the last word. “Recital Series” continues through August 14.

Preview: Norman Rockwell Museum, "I SPY! Walter Wick’s Hidden Wonders"

Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA

www.nrm.org

through October 26, 2025

Shera Cohen

Marionettes-from-Hidden-Wonders

Walter Wick, an artist with a euphonious name from Hartford, CT is someone who many museumgoers should have heard of. Perhaps, those who frequent toy, books & hobby stores will recognize the name. After all, Wick has been an extremely successful artist for 50 years.

Norman Rockwell Museum’s annual summer/fall exhibit usually outdoes the prior year’s display. Cliché, but true. Wick’s name and work were new to me. I was glad that I corrected this unknown missing piece in my knowledge of art.

Filling 5 or 6 connecting rooms in the museum, visitors couldn’t help but smile…a lot. On display were gigantic photographs usually alongside equally large 3D storybook settings, creating entire villages all in miniature.  

I’m not sure who enjoyed the exhibit more – kids or adults. Actually, I must “vote” with the older visitors seeing images of 1950’s and 60’s life in small vignettes. Heard were so many saying, “I remember that.”

The exhibition is organized by themes, including Miniature Worlds; Floor Games; Craft-Built Worlds; Optical Illusions; I SPY Games; Puzzle Challenges, Wonders of Science; Connecticut Woods; and Curiosity Shop. A picture book of each category is sold in the gift shop.

The whimsical world of Walter Wick has fascinated people of all ages since 1991, when his first children’s book series I SPY found its way onto the bookshelves of millions of homes. The success of Wick’s books has established him as one of the most celebrated photographic illustrators of all time.

Wick began his career as a landscape photographer before becoming enamored with the technical aspects of studio photography. Wick found his niche in studying perception of space and time especially with the use of mirrors.

Wick’s I SPY: A Book of Picture Riddles resulted in the publication of more than 26 children’s books. His Can You See What I See series resembles an intricate, imaginative, and innovative version of Where’s Waldo; yet this is real art, not just a game.

My two favorite artworks were “Curiosity Shop” and “Pirate Doubloons”. Greeting visitors in the first hallway are hundreds of tiny toys from many generations, stuffed into what ‘ol-timers knew as the Curiosity Shop. The pirate boardwalk, while a bit more modern, was a step into a “Pirates of the Caribbean” gift shop/café – but again, every element was so small that it must have been torture and/or great fun for the artist to assemble and place each piece exactly where intended.

It was easy to spend at least a half-hour looking at each, even though dozens more story villages were around nearly every corner of the museum’s first floor. 

Yes, I had to purchase one of the colorful coffee-table books; a gift for my nearly 3-year-old nephew. But I’m not sure if I will only share it with Allen.  

Personal Thoughts: Tanglewood, Top Dozen Reminders & Rules

My Top Dozen Reminders & Rules

by Shera Cohen

(N) = nighttime rules only

1. Parking: Arrive early, always follow the traffic guides in their green vests, do what they tell you to do, you’ll be fine. Remember where you park. Each lot has a name,; i.e. Birchwood, Maple.

2. Rain: Bound to happen at some point. Those seated in the shed will be fine. If seated on the lawn, be prepared with an umbrella, tarp for your belongings, hoodie raincoat. The concert will NOT stop except for power outages and/or danger.

3. Smells: Perfume, cologne, hairspray, or scented soaps are mosquito magnets. However, each year Tanglewood seems to have more and more means to get rid these pests. (N)

4. Clothing, part 1: Wear light-colored clothing. Again, colors like red, purple, deep yellow make mosquitoes happy. (N)

5. Clothing, part 2: Bugs again! Wear long pants. Do not wear capris or bell-bottoms. The plan is to pull your socks up over the bottom of your pants, barring invitations to all bugs and a possible wet lawn. (N)

6.  Restrooms: There are two, either end of the Shed, lots of stalls. However, the problem may be finding your way back to your lawn seats especially after nightfall. Shed seats are fine because there are many volunteer ushers to help. (N)

7. Darkness: Bring flashlights or put your cell phone on shine. For a concert that starts at 8pm, it’s of course dark by 10pm. (N)

8. Golfcarts: Yes, there are some, but only for those with special needs. On occasion, when the audience is exiting, there may be some helpful young drivers who are eager to please walkers carrying lots of stuff.

9. Wheelchairs: You should bring your own, although Tanglewood has some. CALL AHEAD for rules, costs, and scheduling. Again, more helpful teens/20somethings appear for direct door to shed and return service. 

 
10. Food: 4 options. BYOFood, purchase at the nice and huge cafeteria, a combination, or neither. Because the cafeteria is not open for rehearsals, most people bring picnic lunches or return home. Concerts usually end around 12noon – 1pm; perfect time for lunch. No eating in the shed except water and maybe a crunchy bar. There are many picnic tables, benches, beer garden tables, and the pristine lawn to serve as a table.

11. Kids: For me, it is one of my favorite things on the planet to see little kids at Tanglewood. Somehow, even when they aren’t listening to the exceptional musicians and composers’ pieces, I think that by osmosis, the kids seep up the notes. Then there’s the flip side, at least for me. I have an unnatural fear of frisbees. Kids play on the lawn, mostly away from others. 

12. Personal Phone Calls: Oftentimes, novice concertgoers think that since the venue is a large tent-like bandshell, that this is somewhat like being outside and okay to use cell phones. Lawn seating, as well, is NOT an invitation to call anyone.

Personal thoughts: Tanglewood’s Open Rehearsals

Tanglewood, Lenox, MA

www.bso.org

Summer, 2025

by Shera Cohen

Rehearsal v. Concert

Regular Tanglewood visitors are aware that programs are scheduled every Saturday morning; these are orchestra rehearsals for the next day’s concert. Take out your calendars, write these dates down, and try to get to Tanglewood just once this summer. I ask no more.

The scheduled conductor and guest soloists take the stage along with the full Boston Symphony Orchestra. There’s only one noticeable change between the two days’ concerts; it’s casual Saturday as everyone wears summer pastels and shorts, and dress-up Sunday when the musicians wear the traditional classical music “uniforms”. As for the audience, whatever fits and is cool.

Is the rehearsal the exact program at the next day’s “real concert”? Sometimes, but not often. Some can be 2+ hours of start, stop, over, and over, as the conductor talks to various sections of the orchestra, making suggestions on how to perform with perfection. I fully trust the conductor’s decisions. Anything the BSO does is perfect in my book.

Most times, the rehearsal plays straight through until the end of each piece. Only then are segments extrapolated and rehearsed again. To have such a keen ear, I am amazed by the talents of conductors. 

For me, rehearsals are learning experiences in one of the most beautiful settings in this country. Prior to attending, I usually don’t pay attention to who’s performing, which composer, etc. Melding the sounds of classical music with the sights, smells, and touch of Tanglewood as a backdrop, just can’t get better on any Saturday morning.

Tanglewood: Rehearsal: Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2

Camille Saint-Saens

The rehearsal program on July 26 included “La Calaca,” a contemporary work by Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz; one of Beethoven’s well-known compositions, Pastoral Symphony No. 6; and Camille Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, highlighting Lang Lang. Resident artistic director and conductor Andris Nelsons held the baton.

In the span of time it takes to perform only one composition, pianist Lang Lang (whose name I had only heard of) jumped to the Top Ten of My Favorite Musicians of All Time List”. 

I often enjoy sitting on the Tanglewood lawn in order to hear a somewhat different sound than when seated in the Shed. This was not the time!

Large monitors at stage left and right as well as outside the building project the soloist at his or her instrument. Up close, the audience can see the sticks against the drumhead, the bow along the violin strings, and fingers on the piano.

In Lang’s case, his skills exuded from his ten fingers, fists, arms, and entire torso. This man has to be seen, not just heard. It’s no surprise that numerous articles call Lang “superstar” and “rock-like musician”.

Learning piano at age 2 in China, and playing “The Nutcracker” publicly at age 5, Lang remembered that his first years of studying were like playing with a toy in his hands. Yet, the piano wasn’t as easy as his violinist father expected it to be. When Lang turned 9, his piano teacher fired him as a student. Mr. Lang was also sharp to criticize his son. “That was very, very difficult for me. I thought my piano career is over,” said Lang.

Jump ahead 8-years, Lang had a solid plan; to play with the biggest orchestra in America. “But in reality, I always play as a sub, waiting for somebody to get sick. You have to be ready all the time, because the opportunity comes in very fast. And if you catch it in the right way, you are in a game,” remembered Lang.

Andris Nelsons

His opening came with the Chicago Symphony at Ravinia Festival, subbing for pianist Andre Watts.

Lang is comfortable on all stages throughout the world; from small groups of children to his largest audience of millions at the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

This is a musician who plays fast with energy on full-power, exaggeration, and arms flailing. It seems he might bounce off the bench. He loves the piano, it’s obvious. Those of us listening at this particular rehearsal, love him.

Note: Quotes paraphrased from Lang’s interview on NPR

Review: Shakespeare & Company, "The Piano Lesson"

Shakespeare &  Company, Lenox, MA

www.shakespeare.org

through August 24, 2025

by Shera Cohen

Shakespeare & Company and numerous other theatres in the region seem to have made one of their missions to produce the plays of August Wilson. Christopher V. Edwards, director of “The Piano Lesson,” states in the program that at the core of Wilson’s works are: “…plays that reflect the evolving realities and challenges of Black communities in 20th-century America… Wilson examines the profound impact of historical and cultural forces on everyday life.”

Cast and crew of “The Piano Lesson” bring Wilson’s words and setting into a real world for the audience to see and experience. We are invited to sit in the living room of a cluttered, over-populated, old home in the 1930’s, whether we want to or not. The advice of creative writing teachers of decades ago, and probably today, is to “show, don’t tell” and “tell what you know”. Wilson does exactly that.

Only on two occasions does anyone actually play the piano. The instrument depicts an old, heavy, wooden, scratched, upright piano nearly centered and slightly to the rear on the stage. The piano is ever-present, steadfast, in spite of various efforts to remove it. In many ways, the piano becomes a character, if not the central character.

Adult sister Berniece and brother Boy Willie (portrayed by Jade Guerra and Omar Robinson, respectively) exude diametrically opposing personalities. Guerra and Robinson are evenly matched in their strong stance toward each other. This is the theme carried throughout the story. The piano’s lessons are memories, history, and heritage of one family. 

Robinson is a fast-talking powerhouse, full of bravado, dreams, and himself. He is surrounded by brothers, uncles, and neighbors; telling them stories and seeking their approval in this battle of the siblings.

Music becomes an important element of the play, as it represents the community of African-Americans as well as this specific gathering. One man begins to sing, others accompany; each character knows the words by heart. Nothing holds people together like memories. Setting memories to music makes each other more powerful.

On the flip side, the director, lighting designer Jjames McNamara and sound designer James Cannon provide extreme special effects at various moments, creating a mystical timbre accompanying the background tale of Berniece and Boy Willie’s family. Wilson’s play calls for eeriness, although it seems to take what is otherwise a straightforward, dramatic story to an uneasy realm. 

All actors are strong: the cadre includes last season’s award-winning “ranney;” Berniece’s daughter portrayed by a sweet Ariel Phillips; and Anthony T. Goss, equally sweet in his own way as the none-too-bright accomplice to Boy Willie’s con jobs. Goss’ comedic timing is spot-on, providing most of the humor. 

The one-room set by Jon Savage is small for the eight actors who often take the stage at the same time. The audience knows that Berniece is living on the edge, doing her best. Guerra depicts her character as a strong woman of conviction, unrelenting in her actions and purpose to hold onto family memories – the piano! In contrast, Robinson’s Boy Willie is, as his name implies, very much a boy, repeatedly spouting reasons why he must prevail against his sister, and against centuries of memories.

“The Piano Lesson” represents family memories. Should they be set aside or buried, proudly displayed taking up space, or a mix of both?

Casting Call: HENRY & LUCY KNOX 1774 MINI-PLAYS

HENRY & LUCY KNOX 1774 MINI-PROMO PLAYS (LIVE)

The personal history of a young couple; two of the founders of the United States.

Project #1

September 13, 2025

Live reading in small black box theatre at Springfield Armory, Springfield, MA

• 1 white male, age 20, in 1770’s costume
• 1 white female, age 20 in 1770’s costume
• Short rehearsal time
• Live, 5-minute performances, same script repeated 4x during day
• MUST be available on September 13, 2025
• Scripts provides, to semi-memorize, but w/ script in hand (letters)
• Actors will look at each other as if reading actual letters
• Require, CLEAR, EXCELLENT speaking voices (no singing)

Project #2

Mid-November 2025 – January, 2026

Approx. 15-20 minute videotaped reading of Henry & Lucy Knox (as Project #1)

• 1 white male, age 20
• 1 white female, age 20
• Require, CLEAR, EXCELLENT speaking voices (no singing)
• Primarily reading actual letters
• Actors/reader may or may not be seen, if seen on videotape; in 1770's costume
• Plan is for actors to be voice-over as John & Lucy Knox
• Rehearsal time and taping in November, 2025 (requires venue)

Videos to appear: colleges, high schools, libraries, historic agencies, MA250 literature, MA250 website, Visitors Bureau website, Armory website, others

Notes:

• Need to hire: IMMEDIATELY
• Audition: Send recording and/or in person
• Producer: In the Spotlight, Shera Cohen  
• Video: Running Shoe Productions
• Actors: Ideally, same male & female actors hired for both Project 1 and 2
• Compensation: TBD, actors will be paid same amount. Less compensation if actors only do Project #1
• Credit: Actors to be given written & verbal credit where appropriate

Springfield, WMA, or MA residents preferred, in that order

Questions: spotlightinc@verizon.net. DO NOT CALL

REVIEW: Boston Pops Orchestra, "One Night Only: Sutton Foster & Kelli O’Hara"

Tanglewood, Lenox, MA

www.bso.org/tanglewood

July 18, 2025

by Michael J. Moran

At first glance the two concerts at Tanglewood tonight couldn’t have looked more different: one, a Russian liturgical masterpiece for unaccompanied chorus; the other, two Broadway stars celebrating their careers. But heard back-to-back, they offered contrasting ways to find joy.

In the “Prelude” concert, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s hour-long 1915 “All-Night Vigil,” sung by the 130+ men and women of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, resounded glowingly through the reverberant acoustic of Seiji Ozawa Hall. Inspired by Russian Orthodox chants and sung in Church Slavonic, an old form of Russian, its 15 numbers alternate reflective and exultant passages to tell the joyful story of Christ’s resurrection. TFC conductor James Burton led a deeply moving account, while alto Dagny von Mering and tenor Jesse Liu delivered touching solos in two selections.    

For the night’s main event, conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops were joined by Broadway royalty Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara in a program “inspired by the 1962 CBS special Julie [Andrews] and Carol [Burnett] at Carnegie Hall.” Foster and O’Hara toasted their professional friendship with a mix of banter, solo and duet performances, and costume changes. They were accompanied in most numbers by their respective musical directors, pianists Michael Rafter (Foster) and Dan Lipton (O’Hara), and in several, by an ensemble quartet of Boston Conservatory students: Bailey Greemon, Liesie Kelli, Luke Rands, and Eric Sciotto.

The Pops opened with a witty overture, arranged by Lipton, of themes from Broadway shows starring Foster or O’Hara. Solo highlights included: Foster’s kinetic title song from Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” and her soulful take on Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You;” O’Hara’s rapturous “If I Loved You” from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Carousel” and her hilarious “They Don’t Let You in the Opera,” a spoof (co-authored by Lipton) of her dual roots in popular and classical music.  

Among the duet standouts were: a tender “Answer Me” from David Yazbek’s “The Band’s Visit;” a rousing “Big D” from Frank Loesser’s “The Most Happy Fella,” with lively ensemble choreography by Sciotto; a dreamy version of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love;” and a wistful “Here’s to Life,” by Artie Butler and Phyllis Molinary. Students Greemon and Kelli teamed up for a stirring “I Will Never Leave You” from Krieger & Russell’s “Side Show.”

One classy (and audience-pleasing) touch was the recorded voices of Andrews and Burnett giving their proteges a mini-pep talk as they fretted about launching into a frenetic “90s Mega Medley.” Another was including the theme song (“I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together”) from Burnett’s beloved TV show in their closing “Goodnight Medley.” Imaginative lighting design by Pam Smith. a heartfelt duet encore of “Till There Was You” from Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man,” and luxurious backing throughout from Lockhart and the Pops added finishing touches to this enchanted evening. 

REVIEW: Tanglewood "John Williams, Concerto w/ Emanuel Ax, Mahler, Symphony No. 1 in D"

Tanglewood, Lenox MA

www.bso.org/tanglewood

by Frank Aronson

 

Two composers known for their dramatic compositions provided a diverse evening of music.

 

The first piece by John Williams was begun in 2022 and had its world premiere on this night by the BSO and the incomparable Emanuel Ax. The second piece, Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony, was originally composed between 1884-1888, though the version conducted by Andris Nelsons premiered in Hamburg in 1893. 

 

Just as Mahler stood on the shoulders of Beethoven and Bruckner before him, Williams has drawn inspiration throughout his career from late Romantic composers like Mahler. What the two works had in common was a reliance upon the density of a full orchestra paired with the use of smaller ensembles within.

 

Andris Nelson, Photo: Lisa-Marie-Mazzucco

Williams’ concerto is a piece devised in three movements, each section being an homage to jazz piano greats: Art Tatum, Bill Evans, and Oscar Peterson. The dissonant chord clusters and Rachmaninoff-like virtuosity of Tatum; the lyrical, dream-like qualities of Evans; and the frenetic muscularity of Peterson were readily apparent in this work. Williams uses the orchestra in its fullest form, even including a celesta in his orchestration, sometimes doubling Ax’s artistry.

 

Upon the conclusion of first portion of the evening, the audience was treated to the thrill of an appearance by Mr. Williams himself, who acknowledged the thunderous applause of appreciation. A perennial favorite and former conductor of the Boston Pops, Williams seemed overjoyed by the response.

 

The concert continued after the intermission with a somewhat enlarged orchestra, which is always the case with a Mahler symphony. This music often draws upon themes developed in the composer's song cycle “Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen” (“Songs of the Wayfarer”) and is bathed in the sounds of nature.

 

The concert sections flow from the slow awakening of morning in the first movement, complete with the sounds of cuckoos and other fauna in the orchestration, to the “sturm und drang” of the 4th movement, which also manages to restore the themes and sound explored earlier in the work. Mahler uses the orchestra in all its fullness to great effect but is also capable of paring it down to small ensembles and solo passages that give the piece an enormously complex dynamic range.

 

Andris Nelsons has proven himself to be a gifted interpreter of Mahler, continuing in the practice of a long line of Boston Symphony Orchestra conductors. It’s a delight to see this happen.

Review: Berkshire Theatre Group, "The Mousetrap"

Berkshire Theatre Group, Pittsfield, MA

www.berkshiretheatregroup.org

July 24 through August 17, 2025 

by Shera Cohen

It's been a long time since any theatre venues in the Berkshires has mounted “The Mousetrap,” which is all the more reason to become an audience member. Statistics state that “The Mousetrap” is the longest-running play in theatre history. There must be reasons for that huge success.

Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” is the epitome of foremost classics in the murder/mystery drama genre. The esteemed author penned a total 66 “whodunits” over the course of seven decades. The author accentuates suspense among a motley group of characters assembled on stage and their audience. The more the script is populated, the more possibilities as to who murders who, and the more work to try to figure out.

Photo by Caelan Carlough

Usually, Christie’s mysteries take place on one set, depicting a large living room in a posh home, remote from all other life, on a dark and rainy/snowy/foggy/whatever/etc. night. In other words; bleak weather conditions force a  group of characters, most unknown to the others, to assemble in one setting. The premise works exceedingly well, which is likely why the author duplicated it often. 

Scenic Designer Bryce Culter literally sets the stage a plush red and gold taking every inch of length and width; at the center, raised, is the constant image of the evening’s weather foreboding atmosphere. A young married couple run this bed ‘n breakfast-like home. Christie’s formula is to introduce an increasing number of characters into the settling, none of whom know each other. Yet, one of characters is bumped off.

While the plot might have been new in the 1950’s when Christie wrote “The Mousetrap,” the theme has become familiar in today’s TV shows and movies. The story encourages the audience to continuously guess who the culprit is.

Director Gerry McIntyre could have, and should have, saved his production from workmanlike characters, movement, and pace with puns and pratfalls to make “Mousetrap” flat out funny. Yes, there are some moments in Act II when the audience laughs, but these are few. Each actor might have depicted a level of humor or quirkiness. Greg Cuellar, the only actor given this opportunity, scene-steals but only in a good way, if that’s possible.

The director seems to hold back numerous production elements that may well have lifted the play off the printed page and into the mouths of the characters; not to make them real, but more importantly, to make them funny caricatures. 

Seeing “The Mousetrap” on the third day of the production is, of course, the time to see flaws. Two suggestions would be 1) to speed up the conversations, and 2) to let several of the actors ham up their characters. 

REVIEW: Tanglewood, “A Tanglewood Weekend”

Tanglewood, Lenox MA

www.bso.org/tanglewood

July 18-21, 2025

by Shera Cohen

Three different orchestras in one weekend! Where? Where else but Tanglewood.

Boston University Music Center Orchestra

Andris Nelson

World-renowned conductor, and Tanglewood’s resident music director, Andris Nelsons led this full orchestra of 20-somethings; all exceptional students about to take their Tanglewood diplomas and resumes to orchestras throughout the world. This is what they have trained for. At first, I hadn’t realized that the musicians looked younger than I had expected. Actually, this was the first rehearsal that I’ve attended when the BSO was not onstage. How encouraging to see so many young musicians!

A constant at Tanglewood at 10:30am are rehearsals of the following Sunday’s afternoon concert. On this Saturday were works by two composers, who in my opinion, are not the easiest to perform: Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique,” and Sergei Prokofiev’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor”. The latter piece featured pianist Yuja Wang.

For the most part, Nelsons directed the orchestra straight through; later going back to improve on selected sections, in particular the rousing ending. As for me, I never heard a single note that needed fixing yet can appreciate what the young musicians must learn from the prominent man at center stage with the baton.

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Of the three performances, it was the BSO that hosted the concert dedicated to kids and their families. This annual event in July fills the Tanglewood Shed with countless little boys and girls. I mean little – not the teens who hopefully have already had a taste of Classical music – but toddlers standing approximately 30” or are carried. 

Conductor Thomas Wilkins runs the show. The man is charming, speaking directly to the kids, leaving out highbrow language and musical jargon. This is a participatory program; one which the adults in the audience can enjoy especially when watching their kid’s enjoyment. Wilkins throws in anecdotes about composers, music, BSO, and himself. Everyone laughs.

The program was eclectic, featuring music by Gould, Dvorak, Faure, Britten, and Beethoven; just the right length to hold a child’s attention; and varied. Some pieces, while familiar to many adults, are likely unfamiliar to anyone under age 12 and/or under 30”. Isn’t it amazing to watch children (some seated, some walking or running around) listen to professional artists, particularly those of the BSO, in a huge tent-like building as birds fly and chirp?

I had been introduced to Tanglewood at a young age; although not as young as these little ones. Yet, no one is ever too young or too old to experience symphonic music in a group setting.

Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI)

BUTI photo by bu.edu

This unbelievably talented group are high school age whose homes are as near as MA and NY, and as far as Mexico and Taiwan. They are the proverbial “cream of the crop” of young Classical music talent, sincere in their future careers as musicians. At the concert’s start, the introduction from BUTI’s Executive Director Nicole Wendl, were words to hold onto; the relationship between the selection of talent onstage, coupled with the audience seated in Ozawa Hall make the music extraordinary, providing an energy to be acknowledged and appreciated. 

For me, Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” was the selling point to attend. A jazz version of RIB highlighting  the Marcus Roberts Trio, backed by the young artists, was a nice change to an old standard. Conductor Alexander Jimenez was very engaging throughout. It was obvious that the orchestra’s presentation of the melodic “Negro Folk Symphony” in three parts was as enjoyable to those onstage as in the audience. It was when the musicians brought out the fully equipped percussion section for Zhou Long’s “The Rhyme of Taigu” that the audience couldn’t stop their collective bodies from swaying and stopping their feet. The heavy use of drums and brass, almost sounding like stampeding elephants, was electrifying!

There’s still over a month left of a Tanglewood Summer!