Tanglewood

This past weekend James Levine, artistic director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was given rave reviews for opening the Tanglewood season with a two day concert peformance of the massive and magnificent Berlioz Opera "Les Troyens." It was learned today that Levine will undergo surgery this week. His remaining Tanglewood duties are cancelled but he hopes to be back to cover the opening of the BSO.

Anna Caterina Antonicci, soprano, was riveting as Cassandra, the Trojan prophetess ignored by her fellow citizens in the tragic opera, Les Troyens, by Hector Berlioz. A concert version of the enormous and ambitious work, conducted by James Levine and the Boston Symphony Orchestra opened the Tanglewood 2008 season.

Tickets for the two James Taylor concerts on July 3 & 4 at Tanglewood sold out within hours of being put on sale. On Saturday evening the BSO summer residence offically opens with The Trojans (Part Two on Sunday afternooon) by Berlioz conducted by artistic director, James Levine. This past weekend during the Shoulder Season we attended perormances by the Mark Morris company and a broadcast of Prairie Home Companion.

The awesome array of Berkshire arts events in July is astounding. Our theater, music and dance companies create their schedules one by one, but taken together it's going to be one sensational Summer Festival right here in our own backyard. Enjoy.

Part Two of our report on saving money while enjoying the Berkshire's many performing arts attractions. Theater, music and dance are available at a discount, sometimes even Free!

Berkshire residents and visitors are about to enjoy the earliest and most promising arts season in years. We pick the best of the early music, theater, dance and gallery offerings, from Memorial Day to the end of June 2008.

Every Third Thursday of the month there is a celebration in downtown Pittsfield, in the heart of the Berkshires.

The recently established tradition returns to Lenox, Mass with the annual Labor Day Weekend Tanglewood Jazz Festival. Tickets to all Tanglewood events are now on sale.

While not a "best" and "worst" list in the usual sense we offer an overview of events and what proved to be moving and insightful while covering the arts in 2007.

Jacob's Pillow Dance Company has announced that it will present a special two week residence and performances by the Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Company of the work Chapel/Chapter starting on June 23 before the usual opening of the summer season.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2008 Tanglewood program with James Taylor celebrating the Fourth of July weekend and an even greater emphasis on opera but no great changes or surprises.

Originally scheduled to open last December Federal Judge Michael A. Posner ruled yesterday that Mass MoCA may indeed open the unfinished exhibition of Christoph Buchel in its largest gallery. Did the museum simply prevail in a no win situation? The jury is still out.

The volunteers, the deficits, the sniping from the sidelines: You have to expect it when you are biggest target. The BSO's Berkshire summer of 2007 lends itself to parody, speculation and reminiscences.

The Labor Day weekend wound down with the Tanglewood Jazz Festival performances on Sunday that started in the afternoon and ended just around midnight. It was the last groove of summer.

During its second day Freddy Taylor again demonstrated what is meant by Festival which is more than just a bunch of concerts. The evening featured the vocalists Kurt Elling and Randy Crawford, accompanied by pianist Joe Sample and his trio.

An eclectic array of possibilities makes this the richest Fall arts season yet.

Now in his sixth season Freddy Taylor has brought the annual Labor Day Weekend long Jazz Festival to venerable Tanglewood. Last night there was hot jazz wafting through the cool breeze.

A Tanglewood summer relatively rich in historically informed performances ended officially with a mostly impressive Beethoven Ninth under Frühbeck de Burgos with a postlude by the splendid Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century under their founder Frans Brüggen with young fortepiano master Kristian Bezuidenhout.

In just a few years James Levine has succeeded in making Tanglewood world-class center of operatic studies. He, director Ira Siff,designers John Michael Deegan and Sarah Conly have created an unforgettable production of "Così Fan Tutte."

Yo-Yo Ma's commitment and interpretive brilliance overcome a flawed accompaniment.

The much-loved Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra under Jsmes Levine gave Verdi's middle-period masterpiece a unique quality last weekend.

Hesperion XXI thrilled a close-to-capacity non-specialist audience in Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood.

Accompanied by David Finck, bass and Jim Hall on guitar, the composer and conductor Andre Previn performed jazz for a sold out audience at Ozawa Hall.

The great Tokyo Quartet offer energetic, lean Beethoven and a fresh view of Schubert.

Julianne Boyd hosted an open meeting in her Barrington Stage Company theatre in Pittsfield between arts leaders and Deval Patrick, the first Democrat Governor of Massachusetts in far too long.