Lenox — This very month, the Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI) is making good on its promise to provide year-round programming at the Linde Center in Lenox. And the first concert is this Sunday, October 20, at 3 p.m.
Sunday’s program consists of a single piece, Schubert’s Octet in F, D.803, and there is almost no possibility that it will not please you and everyone else in Studio E. Written in 1824, it is one of the composer’s most expansive chamber works and is scored for an uncommon ensemble of clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola, cello, and double bass.
Schubert modeled the piece after Beethoven’s Septet, Op. 20, but even major Beethoven fans are likely to tell you they like Schubert’s Octet better. Structured in six movements, the work is almost symphonic in scale. Schubert’s distinct lyrical voice and emotional depth shine through from start to finish. The piece continues to be so popular that it is frequently programmed and recorded
Additional TLI concerts will feature music for combinations of strings and piano by Copland, Mozart, and Shostakovich (November 24); Korngold and Beethoven (February 2); Dohnányi, Oleg Ponomarev, and Tchaikovsky (March 23); and Mozart and Weiner (April 13). In addition to recitals from BSO musicians, TLI has booked several guest performers who will perform in “TLI Presents” programs. The first of those concerts begins with the Arcis Saxophone Quartet on November 9. Other guest artists include jazz musician Nicole Zuraitis, the Akropolis Reed Quintet, Cuban jazz pianist Alfredo Rodriguez, pianist and composer Isaiah J. Thompson, and flutist Claire Chase.
This event is being held partly for the purpose of bringing attention to local service organizations such as South Community Food Pantry.
The lineup for Sunday is as follows:
- Christopher Elchico, clarinet
- Suzanne Nelsen, bassoon
- Jason Snider, horn
- Sophie Wang and Takumi Taguchi, violins
- Steven Laraia, viola
- Christine Lee, cello
- Carl Anderson, double bass
I asked Boston University professor and summer Tanglewood lecturer Jeremy Yudkin to comment on Schubert’s Octet:
Schubert’s Octet was clearly inspired by Beethoven’s highly popular and successful Septet, which also combined solo strings and wind instruments. But Schubert’s is more charming, more delightful, and more tuneful. Every movement is a triumph of balance, sonority, and sheer audience pleasure. This piece is not performed often enough. Life is short. Don’t miss hearing it.
The four-building Linde Center for Music and Learning, located on Tanglewood’s campus in the Berkshires, opened in the summer of 2019 and serves as the home of the Tanglewood Learning Institute.
Hear members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra perform Franz Schubert’s popular Octet in F, D.803, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 20, at Studio E of the Linde Center for Music and Learning on Hawthorne Road in Lenox. Tickets to TLI events may be purchased online or by calling the BSO box office at (888) 266-1200.