Over the next six weeks, you’ll have a chance to hear some great performances by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, drawn from the amazing archive of recordings of concerts given in Symphony Hall and at the orchestra’s summer home, Tanglewood.
Van Cliburn was perhaps the best-known American pianist of all time. He first played with the BSO in October 1958, the year in which he won the Tchaikovsky competition in Russia – the event which made him a household name. There are several commercial recordings of his interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto, but this account with a frequent collaborator, Erich Leinsdorf, captured at Tanglewood on July 23, 1966, stands with the greatest of them.
During the early years of the ... view more »
Van Cliburn was perhaps the best-known American pianist of all time. He first played with the BSO in October 1958, the year in which he won the Tchaikovsky competition in Russia – the event which made him a household name. There are several commercial recordings of his interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto, but this account with a frequent collaborator, Erich Leinsdorf, captured at Tanglewood on July 23, 1966, stands with the greatest of them.
During the early years of the Tanglewood Festival, the orchestra devoted the opening week of programming to the music of J.S. Bach, performing in the old Theater-Concert Hall on the Tanglewood property. Here are two works from concerts in July 1957: Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 2 (in effect, a concerto for flute and strings) featuring the great principal flute of the BSO, Doriot Anthony Dwyer; and the concerto in C minor for two pianos, with Lukas Foss and Seymour Lipkin. Ms. Dwyer, who passed away just two weeks ago at age 98, was appointed to the principal chair of the orchestra by Charles Munch in 1952, where she remained until her retirement in 1990. It is wonderful to have this chance to remember and celebrate her artistry.
Doriot Anthony Dwyer is also one of the seven wind soloists in an intriguing concerto by the Swiss composer Frank Martin (1890-1974). Accompanied by timpani, percussion, and strings, this performance featured the legendary woodwind and brass players of the BSO, joined by timpanist Everett (Vic) Firth. Seiji Ozawa masterfully balances the distinctive sound world of this singular work.
Another unique performance this week – and perhaps one of the most important historical recordings we’re bringing you – is the world premiere performance in 1949 of Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, The Age of Anxiety. This is one of Bernstein’s most significant scores for the concert hall – a multi-movement orchestral meditation on W.H. Auden’s poem of the same name, featuring an intricate and highly virtuosic role for solo piano. Bernstein himself only played the jazz-inflected solo on a handful of occasions, and this recording captures one of only three concerts in which he collaborated with his great mentor, Serge Koussevitzky.
Completing this week’s offerings are three favorite concerti from Tanglewood, with three great soloists in the signature repertoire. There’s an astonishing performance of Brahms’ violin concerto with Isaac Stern (whose 100th birthday this year is being celebrated worldwide); Leon Fleisher partners with Pierre Monteux for an electrifying reading of Brahms’ first piano concerto; and Rudolf Serkin and Seiji Ozawa bring immense spontaneity and charm to Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
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