Andris Nelsons leads BSO and violinist Augustin Hadelich at Tanglewood

July 30, 2016 Tanglewood concert review by Dave Read

Lenox, MA – Tanglewood’s Koussevitzky Music Shed was full on a rainy Saturday night for the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s program of Corigliano, Sibelius, and Beethoven, conducted by music director Andris Nelsons, and featuring violinist Augustin Hadelich. Mr. Hadelich, whose recovery in his mid-teens from severe burns is as heroic as his subsequent musical accomplishments are impressive, was afforded the rare honor of an encore following his thrilling performance of the Sibelius Violin concerto.

BSO program of Corigliano, Sibelius, and Beethoven

Another rarity tonight was the appearance of John Corigliano, called to the podium after the opening performance of his composition, Fantasia on an Ostinato, which is based on the famous repetitive passage from the second movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, which concluded the performance and spread happiness throughout the departing audience.

Since the rudiments of musicianship are beyond my ken, attending a symphonic concert often means concentrating on the conductor, while the music washes over me. Tonight, Maestro Nelsons was as entertaining to me as he must’ve been elucidating to the orchestra, they played so beautifully. His immedite predecessors had great success too, but the way James Levine and Seiji Ozawa occupied the podium bears no resemblance to the way Andris Nelsons does, who’s peripatetic conducting manner makes him a candidate for a Fitbit endorsement!

About Tanglewood: box office, tickets, getting there, nearby hotels

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Getting around the Tanglewood campus

The Tanglewood campus, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center comprises several hundred acres in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge. It is the location of the Koussevitsky Music Shed and Ozawa Hall, where hundreds of thousands attend concerts and a variety of events, including picnics. We always advise new visitors to arrive early and take their daily walking exercise wandering the beautiful Tanglewood grounds.

Here is a dynamic map of the Tanglewood grounds, with photos and information for such points of interest as Aaron Copland Library, Highwood Manor House, The Glass House, and The Lion’s Gate.