By Dave Read, July 5, 2026 performance – Symphony No. 15, Lincoln, composed by Philip Glass was given its world premiere by the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, heading a program that continued with John Williams‘ suite from the film Lincoln, and concluded with Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait. Mr. Glass was given a rousing welcome by the large audience when he was brought on stage by conductor Karen Kamensek.
The program was harmonious and cumulative with its discrete components combining in one grand conclusion, rather than a trio of finales. Such is the result when great musicians devote their genius to the same beloved national martyr, as if their personal muses had united (across the decades). Mr. Glass aptly wove text and music in his composition, and baritone Zachary James added a rich resonance to the score.
Mr. Glass tells us in the notes for today’s program that this is his fourth composition centered on Abraham Lincoln, dating to the early 1980s. With a commission from the Hearthland Foundation, Symphony No. 15 was composed between 2021 and 2023, because Lincoln is “…an appropriate subject to consider on this, our country’s 250th birthday.”
“Opera is a species of theatre, not a place for a history lesson. When writing a symphony, we are talking about a relationship made even more abstract.”
The sensuous flow of music and lyric are interrupted by the digital crawl projected on the big device suspended over the orchestra. It awakens the text-centric intellect, which people hope to escape during a concert. Lose the crawl and let the music do the talking!