Lenox — The evening performance of Tanglewood on Parade is always exciting enough. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture performed by two orchestras simultaneously provides sufficient musical thrills for almost anyone, especially when they get to the part with live cannons. But on the evening of August 6, the excitement went up a notch when James Taylor, carrying his guitar, unexpectedly walked onto the Shed stage with his wife Kim. The crowd went nuts, because they hoped against hope that Taylor would sing the song most appropriate to the occasion, “You Can Close Your Eyes.” He did. And it hit everyone in the place like a freight train.
In July, Taylor received the Tanglewood Medal, an honor he shares with Ozawa. Kim worked closely with Ozawa during most of his tenure as a member of—and ultimately as director of—the BSO’s public relations and press office. She also collaborated with another longtime friend of the BSO, filmmaker Susan Dangel, on the video portrait shown earlier in the program.
Seiji Ozawa, the orchestra’s music director from 1973 to 2002 (29 years), died in February at age 88, and the day-long event had long been planned as a tribute to him. And Tanglewood was the proper venue, because Ozawa was involved with the summer festival for nearly half a century after coming to U.S. in 1960 as a conducting fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center (TMC).
The evening concert featured performances by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, joined by guest artists soprano Christine Goerke and the Marcus Roberts Trio. Alan Gilbert, Keith Lockhart, Ken-David Masur, and Anna Rakitina conducted.
BSO President and CEO Chad Smith and TMC Director Ed Gazouleas made a joint statement in the event’s program book:
Like his predecessors Serge Koussevitzky, Aaron Copland, Gunther Schuller, and Leonard Bernstein, Seiji embodied the spirit of Tanglewood not least by wearing his passion for this art form and for Tanglewood itself on his sleeve.
Beyond the music-making, he participated with staff, BSO musicians, and Fellows in extracurriculars such as softball games and impromptu lunch gatherings.
For Seiji, Tanglewood was home and family—his own children partly grew up here and he adored the beauty of the campus itself.
BSO bassist Larry Wolfe, who joined the BSO in 1970, said: “Seiji was here. He is here and his influence will outlive us all.”
And BSO cellist Owen Young wrote: “My earliest memories of Tanglewood are of Seiji. It was a gift to play with him as a student and later as a member of the BSO. It is fitting to honor him here. He was dear friend and a remarkable maestro whose spirit will always be part of Tanglewood.”
An online tribute to Seiji Ozawa with a chronology of his BSO history, repertoire, recordings, and tours and a photo gallery is available on the BSO’s website.
The 2024 Tanglewood season continues through August 31. Program details and tickets are available at tanglewood.org.
