AS IF THE LUSH GREEN SCENERY OF THE BERKSHIRES, CATSKILLS AND HUDSON RIVER VALLEY WEREN’T SOUL SATISFYING ENOUGH, EACH LOCALE OFFERS EXTRAORDINARY MUSIC TO COMPLEMENT THE VIEWS.
SERGE KOUSSEVITZKY MUSIC SHED AT TANGLEWOOD
FRIDAY NIGHT AFTER A PICNIC ON THE LAWN AT TANGLEWOOD I listened to cabaret singer Michael Feinstein and his friends Faith Prince and Cheyenne Jackson crooning hits from the American Songbook. Backing up the singers, the Boston Pops, played movie scores from “Gone with the Wind,” “Ghost,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” and Fred Astaire favorites.
ALICE BUSCH OPERA THEATER AT GLIMMERGLASS
Proceeding from movie scores to Broadway, the next day I attended a wonderful production of “Camelot” at the Glimmerglass matinee. With opera stars Nathan Gunn, David Pittsinger and Adriana Churchman in leading roles, discreetly spangled costumes, a live orchestra playing the nostalgic tunes, the sad triangle love story of Guenevere, Lancelot and King Arthur left us all in tears for the one shining moment.
RICHARD BL FISHER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT BARD COLLEGE
Back into the car and across the Hudson, Stravinsky was the focus of an evening concert by the American Symphony Orchestra and Bard Festival Chorale at Bard College. After performing symphony and liturgical music illustrating émigré aspects of the composer’s work, conductor Leon Botstein excused audience members who preferred not to experience the sober Halocaust scenes in an Alan Renais film “Night and Fog” with subtitles and a score by Stravinsky influenced composer Hanns Eisler.
SCENE FROM GLIMMERGLASS PRODUCTION OF “CAMELOT.”
The subjects and extracurricular offerings are so rich that each venue can merit an entire weekend or season. All offer pre or post concert programs. Pops conductor Keith Lockhart and pianist Emanuel Ax chatted onstage at Tanglewood. Botstein delivered an illuminating explication of the Russian émigré experience and influences before conducting the pieces at Bard. At Glimmerglass we learned that the original title of “Camelot” was intended to be “Jenny Kissed Me” and heard the voice of lyricist Alan Learner on tape describing some of the birth pangs of the show which ran over four hours long in previews.
Picnicking is an option on the lawns outside each venue’s auditorium or concert shed. Bring your own hamper or sample the fare for sale. Healthy looking sandwiches and salads run from $6-12. At Tanglewood I opted for a puffy slice of pizza and glass of soda with carrot cake for dessert for $11. Bard’s $6 wraps looked to be the best bargain, but for $10 at Glimmerglass I selected from a list of two dozen potential ingredients for a generous personalized wrap of tuna, tomatoes, sprouts, peppers, cucumbers on wheat pita sizeable enough to feed two.
Inadvertent ties interconnected all three venues. Each concert happened to deal with show or film scores in very disparate ways. After hearing Lockhart and Ax wax eloquent about the Yankees versus Red Sox I was off to Glimmerglass where Cooperstown is also hometown to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
I would love to rent cottages and take in each venue’s entire season: all four Glimmerglass operas, Tanglewood’s myriad star performers, Bard’s concentration on single important composers. But alas the programs run concurrently. That means next summer I’m apt to be scheduling some more inter-concert dashes, but then the scenery always enhances the trip