The Classical Beat: Tanglewood Defines Summer Music in the Berkshires

For many music lovers, Tanglewood in Lenox virtually defines music in the Berkshires. It is the largest summer presenter, with the most comprehensive schedule of performances across the full spectrum of musical styles and genres.

Before getting into imminent opening events, bookmark the Boston Symphony’s websites, bso.org or tanglewood.org for the full summer concert schedule, season highlights, tickets and general information.

During the opening week’s events, from Thursday, June 25, through Wednesday, July 1, Tanglewood celebrates the opening of their celebratory 75th Music Festival with a sampling of both popular and classical concerts that are sure to attract audiences. Here’s a preview of these exhilarating and varied musical offerings:

• Thursday and Friday, June 25 and 26, 8 p.m. in Ozawa Hall: The Mark Morris Dance Group is joined by Tanglewood Center Music Fellows in the world premiere of Morris’s choreography to Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1. Darius Milhaud’s 1922 jazz-era pastiche “The Creation of the World” will be a hoot, and breathtaking to see and hear.

• Saturday, June 28, 5:45 p.m. in the Shed: Garrison Keillor’s perennially popular “A Prairie Home Companion” live radio broadcast.

• Sunday, June 28, 10:00 a.m. in Ozawa Hall: A Tanglewood Music Center Chamber Music concert, featuring woodwinds, brass and percussion instrumental Fellows performing music by De Raaff, Dvorak, Gieshoff, Stravinsky, and concluding with Olivier Messiaen’s stupendously thrilling “Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum.”

• Sunday, June 28, 2:30 p.m. in the Shed: Huey Lewis and the News 2015 Tour: Featuring special guest artist Jamie Kent.

• Monday, June 29, 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 8 p.m.: Tanglewood presents their traditional String Quartet Marathon featuring string TMC Fellows performing a wide-ranging sampling of individual string quartet movements from across the 250-year continuum of the quartet literature. Be sure to catch the 8 p.m. premiere of Derek Bermel’s “Harmonica”  - a 75th anniversary TMC commission.

• Tuesday, June 30, 8 p.m. in the Shed: Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga performing music from their “Cheek to Cheek” album.

• Wednesday, July 1, 8 p.m. in Ozawa Hall: The Boston Symphony Chamber Players joined by pianist Randall Hodgkinson, present a concert of music by Nathan, Nielsen and Brahms.

Tickets for all Tanglewood events can be purchased online at tanglewood.org, via SymphonyCharge, at 888-266-1200 or 888-266-1200, and at the Tanglewood box office located at the main gate, on West Street in Lenox. For further information, call 413-637-1600.

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