By Dave Read, July 26, 2025 performance – Already in its tenth decade, Tanglewood (est. 1937) has amassed no mean amount of lore and highlights, even if it has yet to erect a hall of fame. Whenever it does, there’ll be ample space in it for John Williams, whose contributions to the success and popularity of Tanglewood are both various and singular.
The highlight of tonight’s program was his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, dedicated to local favorite Emanuel Ax, who performed the world premier tonight, along with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of music director Andris Nelsons. As an indication of the breadth and fluidity of the composer’s imagination, the three movements of the concerto are inspired by the careers of three jazz pianists – Art Tatum, Bill Evans, and Oscar Peterson, each markedly distinct from the other! What looks on paper like a crazy idea, turns out to be a beautiful piece of music.
Yo-yo Ma premiered his Concerto for Cello at the opening of Ozawa Hall in 1994, and for Tanglewood’s 75th anniversary, in 2012, he composed Just Down West Street – on the left.
Sharing the bill tonight was Gustav Mahler, whose Symphony No. 1 in D was given a refulgent reading by the energized orchestra. It is a might work, with room for every sort of musical sound to be plumbed and made responsive to every other one. Maestro Nelsons, already in the second decade of his Tanglewood tenure, seems to be aging in reverse. We heard that he attributes a noticeable recent weight loss to Taekwando training; but together with such a martial bearing, there were stretches of tonight’s performance where it looked like he was leading a tai chi session!