Lenox, MA – Anyone who’s ever been to Tanglewood for the 4th of July knows that the weekend typically belongs to veteran singer-songwriter – and longtime Berkshires resident – James Taylor, whose annual appearances invariably fill the Koussevitzky Shed and surrounding lawn with throngs of his adoring fans who come for the music and stay for the fireworks.
This past weekend, Taylor was indeed onstage both Friday and Saturday nights, but Sunday afternoon belonged to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, returning to Tanglewood a week earlier than their official opening night this Friday (7/10). The occasion? After pulling the planned world premiere of his Symphony No. 15 from the Trump Kennedy Center in protest, composer Philip Glass accepted the BSO’s offer to have it premiered at Tanglewood, under what he must have presumed would be friendlier circumstances.
But, even the bucolic Berkshires were not immune from political rancor this weekend, as the BSO musicians continued their silent protest against the unceremonious sacking of music director Andris Nelsons in March, each wearing a red rose to express their disapproval of the board’s decision. Nelsons, who will remain in the job through next year’s Tanglewood season, arrives on the grounds this week for four weeks of performances and masterclasses, which I’m sure will bring it’s own kind of fireworks (Personally, I think the brouhaha is overdone, and would prefer to move on.)
Still, the show must go on, and Sunday’s concert was led by Karen Kamensek, a 30 year Glass associate who most recently led the Met’s new production of Akhnaten. Glass’ 15th symphony is subtitled “Lincoln”, and marks a return to one of his favored subjects: the 16th U.S. President, who also appears in his stage work The Civil Wars (1983) and the operas Appomattox (2007, rev. 2015) and The Perfect American (2013). The music had all of Glass’ familiar hallmarks: repeating arpeggios, pulsing rhythms, shifting meters. Add to those some novel elements, such as shimmering winds, swelling strings, and recurring woodblocks.
Perhaps most distinctive was Glass’ use of Lincoln’s own speeches, including the Lyceum and Farewell Addresses, as well as his Autobiography. The evocative texts, still penetrating and relevant nearly two centuries after they were written, were alternately sung and spoken by the compelling baritone Zachary James, who created the role of Lincoln in The Perfect American. (James was accompanied by an uninvited songbird in the rafters above the stage.) I found myself mesmerized throughout, putting down my notebook to bask in Lincoln’s prophetic words:
“The lawless in spirit, having regarded Government as their deadliest bane, make a jubilee of the suspension of its operation. There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law. We hope all dangers may be overcome, but some man possessed of ambition will spring up among us. Distinction will be his paramount object, and nothing left to be done in the way of building up, he would set boldly to the task of pulling down. Let a reverence for the constitution and laws; and that we remained free to the last; awaken our WASHINGTON. Let the proud fabric of freedom rest, as the rock of its basis; and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Lyceum Address, 1838)
In an interview with NPR, Kamensek compared the haunting, somber music that arrives at the end of the eight-movement symphony to “columns of sound…pillars of morals and values that our society is built on.” Was Glass contextualizing here? Did those pillars weaken with Lincoln’s assassination, or were they buttressed by his role in preserving the Union? What would Lincoln say of today’s America, with the White House currently occupied by a fellow “member” of his own Republican party? Glass leaves such vexing questions unanswered.
I wasn’t sure if Philip, now 89, would be willing to make the three-hour journey up from his East Village home, but there he was, gingerly climbing the stage stairs to take in the raucous ovation, supported on either side by James and Kamensek. Glass seemed genuinely taken aback: over the course of his long career, he’s been treated to more condescension than adulation in the concert hall, so it’s satisfying to see him finally get some late-life flowers.
After intermission, there was more music inspired by Lincoln. First, there was a suite of John Williams’ bright, folksy, majestic music from Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln“, anchored by an impressive extended solo from principal trumpet Thomas Rolfs.
Then, actor – and NYPhil radio host – Alec Baldwin made his BSO debut narrating Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait”, an obvious antecedent to Glass’ “Lincoln” symphony. Baldwin’s delivery of Lincoln’s oratory was deliberately more understated than others I’ve heard, such as the late dramatic actors James Earl Jones or Gregory Peck. As Baldwin told Berkshire Magazine:
“Here, Copland’s music is the star. The text is the star. The ensemble is the star. For me, I just want to lay back and don’t put too much mustard on it. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself.”
I get where Baldwin’s coming from, but to me his delivery felt awkward, uncomfortable, even rushed at times. It’s ok to have an understated approach, but Lincoln’s words still need to hold their own against the thrust of Coplands’s brassy music. (It also didn’t help that Baldwin seemed to rely heavily on cues from Kamensek, rather than reading the score.)
As I mentioned, the BSO kicks off it’s Tanglewood season in earnest this weekend with Andris Nelsons leading music by Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Mozart, with appearances by pianists Seong Jin-Cho, Manny Ax, and the Boston Ballet. Tickets and info available on the Tanglewood website.
Go for the music, stay for the roses. The ones in the garden, not the lapels.
More pics on Instagram.