Tanglewood: an incomparable experience for music lovers!
Written: Jan 16 '00 (Updated Jan 16 '00)
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Pros: World-class music outdoors in the Berkshire mountains.
Cons: July and August are packed with "escapees" from NYC and Boston.
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| vickie's Full Review: Massachusetts |
Tanlgewood is THE summer music festival in New England. Whether you picnic on the lawn or hear a concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in "the shed", hearing music at Tanglewood in the Berkshire mountains is a rare experience not to be missed.
Tanglewood is the summer home of the BSO. In addition to their concerts, musical events include recitals, chamber music, opera, folk and popular artists (I heard a "kick ass" concert by Bonnie Wraitt with Jackson Brown!). There is also a weekend of jazz, Boston Pops concerts and a Festival of Contemporary Music and weekend concerts featuring young, student musicians from the Tanglewood Music Center, the BSO's summer music academy. Notable alumni from the summer academy include Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa and Zubin Meta.
A big part of the magic of Tanglewood is hearing the great music performed in the great outdoors of the Berkshire mountains. It's worth a visit even if you are not attending one of the concerts. The location is a park-like setting on a former estate in the Berkshires. The concert halls and recital "cabins" are all designed and built to "fit into" the wooded surround. Walking on the trails within the property's boxwood gardens, you hear the beautiful sounds of instruments wafting out of the practice cabins! There is a gift shop that will warm the heart of any classical music junkie.
Make no mistake, Tanglewood is crowded in July and August! One of the criticisms of Tanglewood is that it is packed with "escapees" from New York City and Boston and it is expensive. These criticisms are pretty lame if you want to hear great music and if you "work" a little to keep the costs down (like buying tickets for lawn seating instead of indoors. Annual attendance is about 300,000 visitors. Regular performers include Emanual Ax, Midori, Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma. Some of the student concerts are free.
Where to sit for concerts:
There are 2 performance halls at Tanglewood: Seiji Ozawa Hall, a new and exquisitely beautiful wood concert hall whose rear wall opens to a large lawn creating an open air experience; and the Koussevitzky Shed. If you choose to sit indoors, indulge yourself with good seats (up to $60 each) and sit in the front where the sound is rich and you can see the music being made.
For a less expensive and (I think) even better experience, buy lawn tickets and sit on the grass within about 25 yards of the mounted outdoor speakers. Tanglewood's amplification system is excellent and almost any lawn position has sound quality that is absolutely tops around the speaker positions. Plan to arrive at Tanglewood at least 90 minutes early to avoid traffic and find a good "spot" …and then picnic!
Pre-concert picnics at Tanglewood are an event in themselves and you will be joining several hundred others. These are elaborate picnics (although my husband and I usually just bring salads and wine). People pull in little carts with folding tables and chairs, table linens, champagne and caviar and all sorts of fare that is straight out of Bon Appetit or Gourmet magazines! If you don't have the opportunity to pack your own picnic, there is a concession stand in another wooded building that sells gourmet salads, sandwiches, beer and wine, etc.( it's not "too pricey", but this will definitely add expense). From almost any spot on any of the lawn areas you can see the hills in three states on a clear day! A sunset picnic is not to be missed!
You can get upcoming schedules and information about Tanglewood music events at the web site for the Boston Symphony Orchestra:
http://www.bso.org
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
vickie
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Location: Waltham, MA
Reviews written: 75
Trusted by: 113 members
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