Note: all pictures are thumbnails; click on them to see a larger image. (Also, some of the qualities are poor, mostly due to lighting-either too much, too little, or in the wrong place.)

Yesterday (um... in other words, Aug. 4, 1999) I went up to Tanglewood to see Tanglewood on Parade. There were probably 50,000 people or so there, and for those of you who have not been there, I'll try to explain the layout. There are two performance centers: Seiji Ozawa Hall and Koussevitky Music Shed. The Hall probably holds about 2,500 people, and the Shed holds 5,000-7,500. However, in both places, (although it is better at the Shed) there are vast expanses of grass that more people can sit/lay/stand on, and although 99% of them can't see the concert, they can hear it. The inside of the shed is divided into 20 sections. I was fortunate enough to get a seat inside the Shed. (Section 14, Row O, Seat 1, if you care. It is an isle seat about 10 seats in front of the rear of the shed.)


From left to right: Entrance, exterior of the Shed, interior of the shed, another shot of the interior of the shed, exterior of the Hall, interior of the Hall.

Before the start of the concert there were several other musical attractions. (If you see "Festivities begin at xx:xx" or "Activities start at xx:xx" this is what they are talking about.) The final one (besides the actual concert) was a brass ensemble. They played three songs (I think...): "Summon the Heroes" by John Williams, written for the Centennial (1996) Olympics, something that I didn't recgonize, but someone else suggests is the "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Aaron Copland (I'm not so sure-I think I would have reconized it, but, you never know...), and the "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" from the 1984 Olympics, also by John Williams. "Summon the Heroes" was wonderful, complete with wonderfully loud and long cymbal crashes in the introduction. "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" was not anywhere close to as good, but I don t know if this is just because there were no strings, or if they just didn't play it as well.



The program to the main portion of the program was as follows:

Overture to Tannhaüser
Montagues and Capulets
Romeo at Juliet's Tomb
Romeo Alone - Festivites at the Capulets
Selections from South Pacific
Mood Indigo
It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
Music from Star Wars-The Phantom Menace
1812, Ceremonial Overture

I will now give reviews (and more info) on each of the pieces.

Overture to Tannhaüser: by Richard Wagner, performed by the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, with Claudio Abbado conducting. This piece is the overture from the opera that several pieces that you might recognize come from. A couple years back, in an orchestra made up of middle school/junior high students from three counties (hence the name Tri-County Orchestra) in central Pennsylvania played two pieces from. I was in this, and so it gave me a special pleasure to hear it live from an orchestra that didn t botch every other note. A near flawless presentation.

"Montagues and Capulets" and "Romeo at Juliets Tomb" from the ballet Romeo and Juliet: by Sorget Prokofiev (I can't swear to the spelling of his first name-only last names are listed in the program) performed by the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra under the baton of Seiji Ozawa. One thing to say: buy/borrow the recording of this one! The opening of "Montagues and Capulets" is especially cool. And the orchestra performed wonderfully, even for a orchestra made up of adults, but this is comprised of young musicians, who look to typically be in their late teens/early-mid 20s. (If anyone can give me a more accurate figure, feel free to.)

"Romeo Alone - Festivities at the Capulets" from Roméo et Juliette: by Berlioz performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa. This was performed wonderfully, but is was a bit slow, and unexciting-I usually prefer pieces that are faster, louder and more energetic.

There was then a relatively brief intermission.

Selections from South Pacific (I'm going to wash that man right out of my hair-Bali H'ai-Happy Talk-Some enchanted evening-I'm in love with a wonderful guy): by Rogers, arranged by Leroy Anderson. This is a collection of tunes from the Broadway musical South Pacific that Premiered 50 years ago-April 7, 1949) This collection was the start of a series of "lighter" pieces. A good performance, I think. I can't say much more about this one.

Mood Indigo and then It Don't Mean a Thing...:both by Duke Ellington. Both these and South Pacific were performed by The Boston Pops under Keith Lockhart. I am not a jazz fan, and so I can not say a whole lot about these, but they sounded as if they were played well.

Ah, finally: Music from The Phantom Menace. (Do I need to say who it's by? :-) John Williams conducts the Boston Pops.

Here is the picture I took of the flag parade. Wonderful. Just great. I want to die. :-) (yes, even this has an enlargment)

The Flag Parade: the different version that was mentioned by the people who saw the May concerts. Different, unusual maybe if you're used to the CD version, but even better: it's longer :-) and more involved and energetic. Wonderfully played.

Anakin's Theme: sounded just like the CD-but it was live :-) Very well played, very tender.

Main Theme from Star Wars: Williams then took a break from TPM to go the Episode IV and play the main theme. This is what you hear in any of the SW: ANH albums before the special edition: the Main Title from the movie that then seges (goes directly into without a break) into the End Title, to "give it the feeling of an overture." (The SE does not seuge into the End Title.) It was great to hear Star Wars performed by a "real" orchestra. I had heard it played by the Altoona Symphony, and while it was OK, they fobbed a couple notes, and it was a very small orchestra, and a very small sound. I also heard our local Nittany Valley symphony play it but that was a arrangement, and as such, did not capture the full glory of the original. I also played it the fore-mentioned Tri-County orchestra (only a year later then), but that wasn't just an arrangement, that was a really, really, really crummy arrangement that failed to capture even the glory of the one the NVS played.

Anyway, back to Tanglewood. It was really something to see John Williams actually there, in person, conducting the orchestra in front of you. And to hear 50,000 people applaud in the middle of the Main Title, during the fanfare. And if no one has said this, Williams seems to really, really enjoy what he does. He came on and left with a wider smile than anyone else. Major disappointment: no Duel of the Fates. No choir in any pieces, period. I was really hoping to hear DOTF live, and almost took it for granted that they would play it, but no. This was obviously the highlight of the concert in more than my eyes: about 30 or 40 people from the Shed, including the one next to me, go up and left after this. But they missed hearing the master speak.

Happy Anniversary to You: performed by other young people. Surprise: unscheduled performance! John Williams and someone else (once again, couldn't see) came out on stage, and Williams began to commemorate Seiji Ozawa for conducting for 25 years, and being music director for 28 of Tanglewood's 65 years. He said that a bunch of students from Europe came and that they we were going to play/sing Happy Anniversary to You. "...unrehearsed-it'll come together somehow." :-) (Something like that-I was staring at Williams through my binoculars and not listening to what he was saying.) The students came out and started to play Happy Birthday, and there was a very quiet singing, but nothing amazing. Meanwhile, Williams beckons Ozawa to come out on stage, but he eventually has to be pushed out by a stagehand. :-) They then played it again, Williams and the other kid left, and when they were done, the students did to. Ozawa just stood there with his head bent down, and remained that way for about 20-30 seconds, until he started...

The 1812 Overture: by Tchaikovsky, perfromed by the BSO and the TMC Orchestra, under the baton of Seiji Ozawa. Wonderful. Just wonderful. My CD will never do justice to this piece again. Such a rich sound... live orchestra... live cannons... (this... surprised... the audience, to say the least... :-) everyone turned in the direction of the blasts-they were outside and well behind the Shed-and a quiet murmur from talking rose up for a while) The most amazing thing was the applause at the end-it started before the end, long enough before that when the orchestra finally cut off, it was already as loud as it would get. This, I might add, is the only time that the orchestra got a standing ovation-unless, of course, you count the 50 people who stood up after Star Wars to snap a picture or two.

The cannons that gave the audience a heart attack :-)

Here are my awards:

Loudest applause:

Winner: "Happy Anniversary to You"

Runner-up: "1812 Overture"

Honorable Mention: "Main Theme from Star Wars"

Longest applause:

Winner: "Main Theme from Star Wars"

Runner-up: "1812"

Honorable Mention: "Happy Anniversary"

Smallest volume change when conductor went off stage and came back on:

Winner: "Main theme from Star Wars"

Runner-up: "1812"

Honorable Mention: "Romeo and Juliet" (Gustav Mahler Y.O.)

Most camera flashes:

Winner: "Main Theme from Star Wars" (It looked like a lightning storm-times 50 :-)

Runner-up: "The Flag Parade"

Honrable Mention: "1812"