NEW YORK, NY.- Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, drew sold-out crowds last year, a milestone in its recovery from the pandemic.
This summer, the orchestra hopes to build on that success with a program that blends familiar works with more contemporary offerings, the ensemble announced Wednesday.
The lineup includes works by 28 living composers, including the world premiere, in July, of a piece by Iman Habibi, led by the orchestras music director, Andris Nelsons. There are also more traditional works, including a concert performance of Mozarts Così Fan Tutte, also led by Nelsons in July, and appearances by festival regulars including pianist Emanuel Ax and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
This years programs both inspire a sense of discovery and celebrate returning guest artists whose appearances move us so deeply year after year, Nelsons said in a statement.
The new season, which starts in late June and runs through late August, comes as the Boston Symphony grapples with leadership turnover. In December, Gail Samuel, the ensembles first female president and chief executive, said she would resign her post, just 18 months into her tenure. Soon after, another senior leader, Asadour Santourian, a vice president of the orchestra who oversaw Tanglewood and the orchestras education efforts, abruptly resigned.
The Boston Symphony has declined to comment in depth on the departures. Samuel has been replaced on an interim basis by Jeffrey D. Dunn, a member of the orchestras advisory board. Ed Gazouleas, a former violist in the orchestra and a longtime faculty member at the Tanglewood Music Center, is overseeing the summer season as the orchestra searches for a permanent replacement for Santourian.
After canceling its season in 2020 because of the pandemic and hosting a shortened season in 2021, Tanglewood returned almost to full force last year. The festival drew around 290,000 patrons, compared with 312,000 in 2019, though there were fewer events in 2021.
This summer, a variety of contemporary works will be featured. Makeshift Castle by Julia Adolphe, which premiered at Tanglewood last year, will be performed again in August, paired with Dmitri Shostakovichs Cello Concerto No. 1, featuring Ma as soloist.
Later that month, the orchestra will perform Four Black American Dances by Carlos Simon, alongside Camille Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 5 and George Gershwins Concerto in F, both featuring pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Keith Lockhart will lead five programs by the Boston Pops, including a new symphonic version of the musical Ragtime.
This article originally appeared in
The New York Times.