Andris Nelsons conducts Lee, Copland, Thompson, and Stravinsky featuring Paul Lewis, piano
Tanglewood
Koussevitzky Music Shed, Lenox/Stockbridge, MA
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Paul Lewis, piano
Thomas Warfield, narrator
Tanglewood Festival Chorus
James Burton, conductor
James LEE III Freedom’s Genuine Dawn
COPLAND Piano Concerto
-Intermission-
THOMPSON Alleluia, for unaccompanied chorus
STRAVINSKY Symphony of Psalms
In tribute to Serge Koussevitzky’s legacy, Andris Nelsons and the BSO dedicate this concert series to the trailblazer.
This program, focusing on the wide variety and rich tapestry of 20th century music, explores themes of spirituality and liberation, blending American sounds and European traditions, much as Koussevitzky did during his life. Performing artist Thomas Warfield joins as the narrator for James Lee’s Freedom’s Genuine Dawn, a piece based on the great Fredrick Douglas text “What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?”, which makes the audience grapple with the legacy of slavery being intertwined with the founding of the country.
This afternoon’s performance by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus is supported by the Alan J. and Suzanne W. Dworsky Fund for Voice and Chorus.
Performance Details
Jul 28, 2024, 2:30pm EDT
Featuring
Program Notes & Works
Freedom’s Genuine Dawn
Lee’s BSO co-commissioned Freedom’s Genuine Dawn for narrator and orchestra takes its text from Frederick Douglass’s 1852 abolitionist oration “What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?”
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Although the major orchestras of the United States didn’t exactly ignore Copland in the first years after his return from Europe, it was Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra with whom the composer developed the closest working relationship.
Alleluia, for unaccompanied chorus
Thompson wrote Alleluia at Serge Koussevitzky’s request in 1940 for the inaugural summer of the Berkshire Music Center.
Symphony of Psalms
The Boston Symphony Orchestra and Serge Koussevitzky commissioned Symphony of Psalms for the occasion of the orchestra’s 50th anniversary season. The work is regarded by many as one of Stravinsky’s greatest.
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