In Thursday’s (5/26) Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Massachusetts), Clarence Fanto reports, “An array of guest conductors—some familiar, some new—will take over James Levine’s five Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood concerts this summer. The BSO’s departing music director canceled five months of commitments earlier this month on doctors’ advice in order to continue recuperating from his back surgery last year. Charles Dutoit, a Tanglewood stalwart since his debut there 31 years ago, will lead the high-profile opening-night all-Italian concert on July 8, including operatic arias by Bellini and Verdi, and very familiar orchestral music by Rossini (the ‘William Tell’ Overture) and Respighi (‘The Pines of Rome’), the orchestra announced Thursday. … ‘What we tried to do was match conductors with repertoires they’re comfortable with because we felt strongly we wanted to preserve all the programs virtually intact as advertised,’ said BSO Managing Director Mark Volpe in an interview Thursday. … As for the search for a new music director to succeed Levine, Volpe depicted the process as being in its early stages.” Also scheduled to appear on the podium are John Storgaards, Emmanuel Krivine, Houston Symphony Music Director Hans Graf, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, Stefan Asbury, National Symphony Orchestra Music Director Christoph Eschenbach, and John Williams.
Posted May 27, 2011
