Manny & John EMANUEL AX PREMIERES JOHN WILLIAMS ' NEW PIANO CONCERTO
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B y D r. J o s h u a S h e r m a n
Manny & John EMANUEL AX PREMIERES JOHN WILLIAMS ' NEW PIANO CONCERTO
Maria Tipo, Emanuel Ax, and John Williams performed Mozart ' s Triple Piano Concerto at the August 2, 1994, Tanglewood on Parade. The BSO was conducted by Seiji Ozawa.( Walter Scott)
Two towering figures of modern classical music will converge in a greatly anticipated premiere at Tanglewood at the height of summer: Renowned pianist Emanuel Ax will perform a new piano concerto composed for him by the legendary John Williams. The concert, taking place on July 26 at the Koussevitzky Music Shed, will be conducted by Andris Nelsons. Mahler ' s Symphony No. 1 will round out the evening, but the unveiling of Williams ' piano concerto promises to be one of the defining moments of this Tanglewood season.
Ax has garnered eight Grammy ® Awards over a career spanning more than five decades. His collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Isaac Stern, and other luminaries have produced definitive recordings of Beethoven and Brahms, while his commitment to contemporary music has introduced new audiences to works by composers like John Adams and Joseph Schwantner.
Williams, whose name is synonymous with cinematic music, boasts a truly unparalleled musical catalog. With 54
Academy Award nominations— more than any living individual— and five wins, his compositions for the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, as well as Jaws, Superman, Schindler ' s List, and many more, have become cultural touchstones. Beyond the Oscars, Williams has secured 26 Grammy ® Awards, four Golden Globes, and seven BAFTAs. His contributions have been recognized with honors such as the Kennedy Center Honor, the National Medal of Arts, and an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. The convergence of these two larger-than-life talents is not merely a concert, but a historic collaboration that bridges the realms of classical and contemporary music. It marks the culmination of a musical connection decades in the making.
The Berkshires is integral to their artistic lives. Ax and Williams hold Tanglewood close to their hearts— a veritable“ home base” for both of them. Ax made his debut at Tanglewood in 1978 and has returned many seasons since, performing masterworks from the classical canon and curating innovative recital programs. Williams, who has served as a music director and Laureate Conductor for the Boston Pops, has premiered many of his most important concert works at Tanglewood, including Cello Concerto( 1994), TreeSong( 2000), Highwood ' s Ghost( 2018), and Violin Concerto No. 2( 2021).
“ It ' s been just the most magnificent and memorable experience every year,” Williams said about his time at Tanglewood during an interview three years ago with Berkshire Magazine.” There ' s a very definite spiritual aspect to that place. Its history is part of it— the luminaries have been there and contributed so greatly, at least for me. Like the trees, it’ s almost palpable. You can feel the spirit of the place. Its goal seems to be to serve beauty and to serve truth. On the corporeal physical side of it, just simply to walk on around the campus for me is one of the great pleasures.”
According to Ax, he and Williams first collaborated during a Tanglewood on Parade concert in 1994. " We performed a piece by Mozart, the three-piano concerto, with Maria Tipo, myself, and John as the third pianist, with Seiji Ozawa conducting," Ax recalls. " That was the first time I had any kind of real interaction with John. He ' s just a wonderful person."
The idea for the new piano concerto composed specifically for Ax first took root after“ Manny”( as Ax’ s friends call him) read an interview with Williams in celebration of his 90th birthday. In that interview, Williams expressed interest in writing a new piano concerto.
" I just took the bull by the horns and wrote John a letter," says Ax. " I told him, ' If you really want to write one, I would be so thrilled to perform it.'” Williams wrote back to Ax quickly and told him that he wanted to do it.
Williams planned to start writing the piano concerto for Ax after finishing the
26 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Holiday July 2025 2023