Tanglewood by Trike – 2011

It was a special treat to be able to enjoy a nice 400 mile motorcycle trip along with a memorable concert at Tanglewood. The ride from the lakehouse in Pennsylvania to Lenox, Massachusetts took us on interstate highways initially but then mostly on state and county backroads in the state of New York and then on numerous back roads to Massachusetts, through West Stockbridge and into Berkshire County to Lenox, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The BSO weekend concert included one of the world’s foremost concert pianists, Emanuel Ax, performing one of my favorites, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat, K.482, written in Vienna in 1785 when the young composer was writing many new concertos for performances featuring himself as soloist. I have been listening to Emanuel Ax for decades but this is the first time I had seen him in a live performance. He was amazing. Performing the “too many notes” of Mozart seemed like a joy to him as it was to us.

Lionel Bringuier, assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, who made his BSO and Tanglewood debut in this program, was also amazing. It was great to see that there are young conductors coming up through the ranks. His energy was exciting for all.

The first concert at Tanglewood was in 1936 and since then a substantial organization and support structure has grown up around the beautiful facility. The capacity is 24,000. Not sure how many were there on Sunday but thousands for sure. Although the main gate was closed to cars when we arrived the police happily motioned us in. Most big events are very courteous to motorcyclists. They save some choice parking areas that are not big enough for cars but are perfect for bikes (or trikes). There were thousands of cars, but just two trikes!

Most people bring wagons with their folded chairs and tables and dinner. Some make quite an elaborate evening out of the free seats on the lawn and embellish their wines and dinners with candles and even candelabras. Nothing that fancy, but we had a great dinner at the Dakota Steak House in Pittsfield.

On the way back we headed across the Hudson River via the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and then up route 385 to Coxackie where we met with our daughter and grandchildren at the Blue Water Bistro. After a delightful lunch, we headed down route 209 along the historic Delaware and Hudson Canal and then back to the Lake. We dodged a few thunderstorms but did not get too wet. We look forward now to another trike trip to Bethel Woods. Stay tuned.

Tags: boston pops, boston symphony orchestra, bso, dakota, delaware and hudson, hudson, hudson river, james taylor, john williams, keith lockhart, kingston, lenox, motorcycle, mozart, pittsfield, route 209, smetana, stockbridge, tanglewood, tchaikovsky, trike, woodstock, yo-yo ma

Lehigh Will Shine Tonight

The occasion was Lehigh University’s Gala2010 fund-raising event in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, home of my undergraduate alma mater. With nearly 1,000 people at the reception, it is hard not always to find friends you hope to see. I ran into John Berseth, a fellow electrical engineering student and clarinet player from the class of 1967. I also caught up with David Wu, dean of the college of engineering. It was great to have dinner with Mike Zisman, a Lehigh university trustee and former colleague at IBM. At our table was Alice Gast, the university president. Dr. Gast came to Lehigh from MIT where she was vice president for research.

The 946-seat autitorium at the Zoellner Arts Center is an impressive place for a concert. Our last visit there was four years ago when Lorin Maazel and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra gave a great concert that remains fresh in my mind (see Musical Gala — October 8, 2006). Last night’s performance was one I will remember for the rest of my life. I have always admired Yo-Yo Ma and was quite impressed with his surprise appearance and performance at Tanglewood in August (see Tanglewood by Trike — August 3, 2010). Last night, however, was more than special. Eighteen of us had the good fortune to be seated on the stage about fifteen feet to the left of Yo-Yo and the beautiful Steinway grand piano which was played by Kathryn Stott.

These two musicians are in a category of their own. Yo-Yo Ma was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris. He began to study the cello with his father at age four. As a child prodigy Yo-Yo began performing before audiences at age five. He performed at the White House for Presidents Kennedy and Eisenhower when he was seven. Kathryn Stott is a British classical pianist who began her studies at age five. She teaches at the Royal Academy of Music and performs across the globe. She has been a collaborator with Yo-Yo for more than thirty years.

The evening performance was stunning. The only one-word description I can think of would be “perfect”. I had not heard of Kathryn Stott before but everyone I spoke to was highly impressed. The pieces were complex and she was flawless. The three-movement Schubert Sonata in A Minor was my favorite. The smooth rich tones resonated across the stage from Yo-Yo’s nearly three-hundred year-old cello with great beauty. The second piece was a sonata by Shostakovich. Before intermission was Le Grand Tango by Piazzolla. The second half of the concert started with Bodas de Prata & Quatro Cantos by Carneiro and the finale was a Cezar Franck sonata. The standing ovartions persisted enough to bring on an encore. I did not recall the name of it but I am sure it was by Elgar.

At a small reception afterwards Yo-Yo was cordial and mingled among us. He bubbles with enthusiasm and energy. It was a great privilege to meet him. He spent more than a few minutes with three young girls who were thrilled to talk with him. He seemed thrilled to talk with them too. Yo-Yo is one of the great musicians of the world and at the same time a really nice person. Beyond his incredible pace of performances, Yo-Yo is making a difference in the world through his Silk Road Project. The not-for-profit organization is focused on promoting multicultural artistic exchange. It is an arts and education program that is connecting musicians, composers, artists and audiences around the world.

Other music-related stories at patrickWeb

Tags: alice gast, cello, kathryn stott, lehigh, mit, tanglewood, yo-yo ma, zoellner

Tanglewood by Trike

It was a special treat to be able to enjoy a nice 375 mile motorcycle trip along with a memorable concert at Tanglewood. The ride from the lakehouse in Pennsylvania to Lenox, Massachusetts took us on mostly state and county roads in the state of New York. We took Route 6 through Milford, PA to Port Jervis, NY and then up route 209 along the historic Delaware and Hudson Canal to Kingston, across the Hudson and then on numerous back roads to Massachusetts, through West Stockbridge and into Berkshire County to Lenox, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. After checking in at the Inn we headed for Tanglewood.

The first concert at Tanglewood was in 1936 and since then a substantial organization and support structure has grown up around the beautiful facility. The capacity is 24,000. Not sure how many were there last night but probably close to the limit. Although the main gate was closed to cars when we arrived the police happily motioned us in. Most big events are very courteous to motorcyclists. They save some choice parking areas that are not big enough for cars but perfect for bikes (or trikes). Most people bring wagons with their folded chairs and tables and dinner. Some make quite an elaborate evening out of the free seats on the lawn and embellish their wines and dinners with candles and even candelabras.

The theme of the concert was to honor the 30th anniversary at Tanglewood of composer John Williams. Williams is more famous than most of us probably realize. He has composed many of the most recognizable film scores in history, including Jaws, the Star Wars films, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Home Alone, and three Harry Potter films.

The star studded evening included the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. Keith Lockhart, Stefan Asbury, and John Williams all conducted (see stories about my own conducting experiences). The program included selections from Superman, JFK, Seven for Luck, and Harry Potter. As a bonus there was music from the film score of Memoirs of a Geisha conducted by Williams and with an incredible solo performance by Yo-Yo Ma. Ma never ceases to delight and amaze audiences. His first performance was at age five and at age seven he performed for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower. As if the program was not already over the top, nearby resident James Taylor appeared to sing and honor Williams. The evening concluded with Williams conducting Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. There was a fireworks display while the thousands of attendees filed out. For us it was a short three mile ride on the trike back to the Inn.

Today’s ride was mostly backtracking from yesterday but with a few detours to take a slow ride through the main streets of Stockbridge and Woodstock.

Tags: boston pops, boston symphony orchestra, bso, delaware and hudson, hudson, hudson river, james taylor, john williams, keith lockhart, kingston, lenox, motorcycle, route 209, stockbridge, tanglewood, trike, woodstock, yo-yo ma