Lenox — The Boston Symphony’s annual Tanglewood on Parade starts at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, August 6, and features [Keith Lockhart, Alan Gilbert, Ken-David Masur, and Anna Rakitina leading the BSO, Pops, and TMC orchestra in an evening program that will include the bluesiest rendition of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” you will ever hear in your life from the Marcus Roberts Trio, a piece John Williams wrote for Ozawa, and, ending the program, Tchaikovsky’s ever-spectacular “1812 Overture,” replete with cannon fire and fireworks. The day’s complete program listing is here.
In 2016, I wrote: “Every summer, to conclude Tanglewood on Parade, two entire orchestras perform the preposterous feat of packing themselves onto the Shed stage and—without bumping elbows—playing Tchaikovsky’s ‘1812 Overture.’ Watching all members of the Boston Symphony and Tanglewood Music Center Orchestras shoehorn themselves into their positions onstage is akin to seeing Joey Chestnut consume 66 hot dogs.” Every music lover should witness this at least once in their life.
The conductors on Tuesday should be familiar to you: Keith Lockhart has been music director of the Boston Pops since 1995. He is also the Chief Guest Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra, and the Artistic Director of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina.
In these parts, the Grammy-winning conductor Alan Gilbert is probably best known as the first native New Yorker to have served as music director of the New York Philharmonic. Elsewhere, he’s known as chief conductor of Hamburg’s NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, music director of the Royal Swedish Opera, principal guest conductor of Japan’s Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony and conductor laureate of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic.
You’ll remember conductor Ken-David Masur from the Film Night performances of August 2 and 3. During his five seasons as associate conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he led numerous concerts at Symphony Hall and at Tanglewood.
Anna Rakitina was born in Moscow to a Ukrainian father and a Russian mother. She studied conducting at the Moscow Conservatory and soon after, in 2019, began serving the BSO as assistant conductor. But because of a public health emergency, Anna had to wait until August of 2021 to make her Tanglewood debut. During her tenure as assistant conductor, Anna established herself as a favorite of the BSO players.
The BSO began their celebration of Seiji Ozawa in February of this year. (See the BSO tribute to Seiji Ozawa on YouTube.) “Without question,” BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons said in a statement on February 6, “Seiji Ozawa was one of the world’s greatest conductors, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra was privileged to have had such a long and productive relationship with him as music director…I will always be grateful to Seiji for the kindness and warmth he showed me.”
John Williams was originally scheduled to appear on the evening of the 6th, but due to a recent health concern, he will be unable to participate in this concert. He is expected to make a full recovery.
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Hear the BSO, TMC, and Pops under the direction of Keith Lockhart, Alan Gilbert, Ken-David Masur, and Anna Rakitina at Tanglewood on Parade, starting at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, August 6. Tickets are available here.
