TANGLEWOOD’ S 2025 PROGRAMMING CELEBRATES THE BEST OF CLASSICAL AND POP MUSIC
B y B e n j a m i n L e r n e r
TANGLEWOOD SEASON
TANGLEWOOD’ S 2025 PROGRAMMING CELEBRATES THE BEST OF CLASSICAL AND POP MUSIC
COURTESY OF TANGLEWOOD
Legends of R & B / soul, classical, and folk, from left, John Legend( September 5), Yuja Wang( July 19 – 20), and Graham Nash( July 29), promise to light up the stage at Tanglewood this summer.
COURTESY OF TANGLEWOOD
RALF LOUIS
This summer, the Tanglewood Music Festival is set to deliver a season of remarkable artistic depth and diversity, blending the best of classical and popular music. From a robust classical lineup featuring some of the world’ s most distinguished musicians, including Emanuel Ax, Seong-Jin Cho, and Yuja Wang, to a pop performance series that embraces the spirit of Americana and folk traditions, the 2025 season promises a program that honors longstanding musical tradition while embracing innovation. With renowned classical artists sharing the stage with prodigious young talents and a thematic throughline of American music in the pop performance lineups, Tanglewood’ s upcoming season is both celebratory and revelatory.
Classical Music at Tanglewood: A Season of Virtuosity
The classical programming at Tanglewood this year is underscored by a throughline of unparalleled pianistic talent. Daniil Trifonov opens the Boston Symphony Orchestra( BSO) classical performance season at Tanglewood on July 5 with Rachmaninoff’ s Piano Concerto No. 3, an electrifying piece that showcases his virtuosic range. On July 6, Yefim Bronfman takes the stage for Beethoven’ s Piano Concerto No. 3, a work known for its lyricism and dramatic contrasts. Later that month, on
July 12, Seong-Jin Cho, one of the most exciting pianists of his generation, begins Tanglewood’ s celebration of Maurice Ravel’ s 150th birthday with a performance of the composer’ s two iconic piano concertos, conducted by Andris Nelsons. Cho will also present a solo recital on July 16, performing Ravel’ s complete solo piano works, a rare and impressive feat.
Complementing Cho’ s performances in July, lauded soprano Dawn Upshaw will lead the TMC Vocal Fellows, who will celebrate Ravel’ s 150th anniversary with a performance of L’ Enfant et les Sortilèges on August 4.( See page 8.) This enchanting opera, often described as one of the most perfectly composed operatic works, will be a major highlight of the season. Adding to the sense of operatic grandeur, Andris Nelsons will lead a concert performance of Puccini’ s Tosca on July 19, featuring soprano Kristine Opolais in the title role and bass-baritone Bryn Terfel as Scarpia. Nelsons’ affinity for operatic works has made these performances a centerpiece of recent Tanglewood seasons.
Another major highlight of the season is the world premiere of John Williams’ Piano Concerto, composed for and performed by Emanuel Ax on July 26. In addition
92 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Holiday May / June 2023 2025