Tanglewood, Lenox, MA
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.
