The Classical Beat: Thrilling Music and New At Tanglewood, Sevenars

By Stephen DanknerSpecial to iBerkshires
08:25AM / Wednesday, July 26, 2023Print Story | Email Story

With the arrival of August, we are at the mid-point of the classical music festival season. A Tanglewood highlight this week is the annual, overarching 5-day Festival of Contemporary Music – this week featuring new Indian, Swedish and Icelandic composers' works and much more. During the Festival – from Thursday, July 27- Monday, July 31, audiences will partake of a rich sampling of what's happening on the current international contemporary music scene. This is always a high point of a Tanglewood summer, and represents a "finger on the pulse" of where modern music is now and may be heading.

Traditional repertoire will also be included with the programming of works by Berlioz, Ravel and Prokofiev. The week's soloist highlight will be violin superstar Joshua Bell performing the Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 on Sunday, afternoon, July 30.

Devotees of solo piano music should consider attending the brilliant pianist Liana Paniyeva's solo recital, which will feature works of Franck, Ravel, Brahms and both Schumanns – Robert and Clara - on Sunday, also on July 30, at the Sevenars Academy in South Worthington, MA. Read below for the details of this Sevenars concert.

A Special Tanglewood Community Event in Pittsfield On July 29

The fifth annual "Tanglewood in the City," a free event on Pittsfield Common on July 29 features a concert video presentation of the season-opening BSO concert: watch a recorded performance of Music Director Andris Nelsons leading Wynton Marsalis' "Herald, Holler, and Hallelujah," Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 with soloist Daniil Trifonov, and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4. Pre-concert activities begin with local performers, food trucks, and vendors beginning at 5:00; concert screening begins at 7:30; the rain date is July 30. The event is a partnership of Mill Town Foundation, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the City of Pittsfield.

Tanglewood Music Center: Festival of Contemporary Music

The Tanglewood Music Center's 2023 Festival of Contemporary Music (July 27, through July 31) offers concerts dedicated to works from the current musical landscape as well as landmark 20th-century pieces, conversations with music-makers (including FCM co-curators Reena Esmail, Tebogo Monnakgotla, and Anna Thorvaldsdottir,) and performance opportunities for the Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center.

Tanglewood: Concerts in the Shed

• Friday, July 28, 8 p.m.: Giancarlo Guerrero leads the BSO in a program pairing Julia Wolfe's "Her Story," a BSO co-commission—featuring the Lorelei Ensemble (Beth Willer, artistic director) and stagecraft provided by Anne Kauffman, Jeff Sugg, Andrew Cotton, Márion Talán de la Rosa, Asher Lloyd Ehrenberg, and Kenny Savelson—with Mahler's Symphony No. 1. performed at Symphony Hall last spring, "Her Story" vividly depicts the ongoing struggle for equal rights, representation, and access to democracy for women in America.

• Saturday, July 29, 8 p.m.: Dima Slobodeniouk leads the BSO in Messiaen's "Les Offrandes oubliées." Berlioz's song cycle "Les Nuits d'été," with mezzo-soprano soloist Isabel Leonard, "In the Shade of an Unshed Tear" by Polish composer/singer Agata Zubel, and Ravel's orchestral showpiece "Daphnis et Chloé," Suite No. 2.

• Sunday, July 30, 2:30 p.m.: Anna Rakitina's farewell appearance as BSO Assistant Conductor features an encore performance of Ellen Reid's "When the World as You've Known It Doesn't Exist" (with vocalists Eliza Bagg, Martha Cluver in her Tanglewood debut, and Sonja DuToit Tengblad), as well as the suite from Sergei Prokofiev's ballet "Romeo and Juliet" and Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 with Joshua Bell as soloist.

Tanglewood: Concerts in Ozawa Hall

• Wednesday, July 26, 8 p.m.: The acclaimed Boston Symphony Chamber Players (made up of BSO principal players) perform music of Yehudi Wyner ("Into the evening air"), Sofia Gubaidulina (Sonata for double bass and piano, with guest pianist Randall Hodgkinson), Shulamit Ran ("Lyre of Orpheus"), and Schumann (Piano Quintet in E-flat, Op. 44, with guest pianist Andreas Haefliger).

• Thursday, July 27, 8 p.m.: As part of the Festival of Contemporary Music, musicians from the Tanglewood Music Center perform three works by California-born Gabriela Lena Frank ("Sonata Serrana No. 1," "Las Sombras de los Apus," and "Milagros,") and Bartók's "Contrasts."

• Friday, July 28, 2:30 p.m.: Continuing the Festival of Contemporary Music, TMC musicians perform a program of works by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir ("Reminiscence," "Spectra," "Hrim," "Aequilibria," and "Ró") and György Kurtág ("12 Microludes" and "Six Moments Musicaux").

• Friday, July 28, 6 p.m.: Prelude concert featuring music by Boccherini and Aigerim Seilova performed by members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

• Saturday, July 29, 6 p.m.: A Prelude Concert by TMC musicians (part of the Festival of Contemporary Music) featuring works by Sally Beamish ("Caprington Doubles,") Kaija Saariaho ("New Gates,") and Errollyn Wallen ("NNENNA."), plus the world premiere of "small tenderness," a commissioned work by Ania Vu (an 2022 alumna of the TMC).

• Sunday, July 30, 10 a.m.: The Festival of Contemporary Music continues with TMC musicians performing multiple works by Swedish composer Tebogo Monnakgotla—"It is the Lark that Sings," Five Pieces for String Trio, "Le Dormeur du val," "Toys" (or "The Wonderful World of Clara,") and "Companion"—and Malin Bång's "Arching," Andile Khumalo's "Schaufe[r]nster II," and Bent Sørensen's "The Lady of Shalott."

• Monday, July 31, 8 p.m.: To close the 2023 Festival of Contemporary Music, Stefan Asbury and TMC Conducting Fellows lead the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in works by the four FCM co-curators—Reena Esmail's "RE/Member," Anna Thorvaldsdottir's "METACOSMOS," Tebogo Monnakgotla's "Un Clin d'oeil," and Gabriela Lena Frank's "Walkabout: Concerto for Orchestra."

Tanglewood Music Center and Tanglewood Learning Institute: Studio E of the Linde Center

• Wednesday, July 26, 1:30 p.m.: TLI Open Harp Workshop with BSO principal Jessica Zhou and TMC Fellows (joint presentation of TLI and TMC)

• Thursday, July 27, 1 p.m.: A TLI In Conversation with curators of the Festival of Contemporary Music and Michael Gandolfi, who heads the composition program at the TMC, interviews composers Reena Esmail, Tebogo Monnakgotla, and Anna Thorvaldsdottir about how they curated this year's festival (free admission; a joint presentation of TLI and TMC).

• Saturday, July 29, 4 p.m.: The program for this TLI Presents: A Curated Concert by Reena Esmail, consists of multiple works by the Indian-American composer and features Indian classical vocalist Saili Oak, in her Tanglewood debut, and TMC Fellows (joint presentation of TLI and TMC).

• Sunday, July 30, 8 p.m.: Silent Film Music by TMC Composition Fellows showcases original music by up-and-coming composers alongside a screening of a silent film (joint presentation of TLI and TMC).

For tickets for all Tanglewood/BSO concerts (lawn and Shed seating) and for special events call (617) 266-1200. TDD/TTY: (617) 638-9289. Online: tanglewood.org.

Sevenars Concerts

• Sunday, July 30, 4:00 p.m.: The outstanding young Ukrainian-born pianist Liana Paniyeva returns to Sevenars after a recital that left critic Michael Moran rhapsodizing: "With technical mastery to spare, a deep feeling for the grand Romantic tradition of piano playing, and a modest, all-business stage manner that focuses on the music rather than personal display, Liana Paniyeva has all the makings of a major solo career." Since then, Ms. Paniyeva has had a busy year of concertizing and will bring to Sevenars a stunning program of music by Clara (Scherzo, Op. 14, No. 2 in C minor) and Robert ("Faschingsschwank aus Wien") Schumann; Ravel (Sonatiné); Brahms (three pieces from Klavierstücke, Op. 76) and Franck (Prélude, Chorale, and Fugue).

The Sevenars Academy is located at 15 Ireland Street, just off Rt. 112 in South Worthington, MA. Admission is by donation (suggested $20) and refreshments are included.

Sevenars contact/ticket information: Phone: (413) 238-5854. Online: www.sevenars.org.

Tags: classical music,

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BRTA Focuses on a New Run Schedule

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
01:26PM / Wednesday, April 29, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority is still working on maintaining its run schedules after dropping the route realignment proposal.

Last Thursday's meeting was Administrator Kathleen Lambert's first official meeting taking over the reins; retiring director Robert Malnati stayed during a transition period that ended last month.

Lambert is trying to create a schedule that will lessen cancellations. There was a two-hour meeting the week before with the drivers union to negotiate run bids and Lambert is working with the new operating company Keolis, which is taking over from Transdev.

The board spoke about anonymous emails from drivers, which Lambert said she has not seen. iBerkshires was not able to see those letters, but has received some.

"They were lengthy emails from someone describing themselves as concerning BRTA employee, and there was a signed letter from a whole group of employees basically stating their concerns. So, you know, to me, it was a set of whistleblowers, and that, what my understanding is that this really triggers a need for some type of process to review the merits of these whistleblowers, not going to call them accusations, but basically expressions of concern," said member Stephen Bannon.

A letter iBerkshires received spoke of unhappy drivers who were considering quitting because of decisions being made without "input from frontline staff," frustration and falling morale, and the removal of the former general manager shortly after Lambert came in.

Lambert said it's difficult to navigate a new change. She also noted many drivers don't want to do Saturday runs and it has been hard negotiating with drivers on the new runs.

"I would like you all to keep in mind that the process of change is super difficult. Transdev has been here for 20 years, and some of these drivers have never known any other operating company, the way some of the operations have been handled has been archaic," she said. "So getting folks up to speed on how a modern transit system works is going to be painful for them. So I don't want to say that I'm unsympathetic, because I am sympathetic, but I am trying to coax people along with a system that's going to seem very strange to them."

The board spoke about better communication between them and Lambert, citing cooperation will be best moving forward.

"There's just a lot of stuff in the air right now, and there are a lot of fires to put out to make this a coordinated effort. And if we don't keep our communications open and be straightforward, then you get blindsided about how you know the input that you could get from us about your position, and how you know what's going on in your direction, and we get blindsided. And I think that we have to make sure that this is a collaboration," said member Sherry Youngkin.

"Both sides have responsibilities, because in the long run, this advisory board is going to have to make decisions as to how we brought forward and if we've gone forward in a fair and helpful way. And I think that's hopefully what everybody is looking for also."

Transdev and Keolis held a three-day recruiting event interviewing almost 40 candidates and offering jobs to eight, but only three stayed on to start training. Lambert said it was disappointing but she will keep trying to retain more people.

In her first report to the board, she noted that ridership dipped a little over 10 percent, but still remains higher than last year, adding that was because of cancellations of services because of the lack of drivers.

Like the last meeting, some of the advisory board members were torn over the start of the Link413 service, worried that the start of the service took drivers away and the numbers of riders are low.

Lambert, however, said the ridership has doubled from last month.

"As I've spoken before, we have, generally, a six-month adoption for brand-new service before you can really go in and evaluate, are you being successful based on the grant that my predecessor wrote along with the team for PBTA and RTA, we are ahead of schedule, which is pretty good, so I'm hoping that will continue to improve," she said.

Member Renee Wood said the board never approved the service, adding the only thing she could find in the minutes was a vote to accept the equipment. She said it was supposed to be put on the agenda to discuss.

"The Link413 service has been three years in the making. It's been a grant that was accepted and has been working with our partners, PVTA and FRTA, to put into place. So I don't have the entire history of how that process worked, but it's been three years in the making, and did we not understand that once we accept that grant that we were going to put in new service?" Lambert said.

The board discussed if Title VI, the Civil Rights Act, was followed with an accurate review and accurate amount of time for public comment period on the service changes and if its attorney should review if the grant conditions were properly followed.

Lambert said changes had the 60-day comment period included in the proposed route realignment packet, giving the opportunity for the community to respond to that as well but will look into the legality of the situation with their attorney.

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