“This season marks the 50th anniversary of Musicians from Marlboro on tour—a group of rotating chamber players from the Marlboro Festival in Vermont,” writes Stuart Isacoff in last Wednesday’s (4/6) Wall Street Journal. Performing in Toronto, Detroit, Ames (Iowa), Brattleboro (Vermont), and Montreal in April, and in additional cities next month, “This is no ordinary touring ensemble. It grew from a seed planted in 1951 by some of the most important musicians of the day, including violinist Adolf Busch and pianist Rudolf Serkin … who set down roots in the hills of Vermont with a strong musical vision. Looking more like a farm than a setting for elegant musicians, the Marlboro summer school and festival was based from the start on unique principles, including an emphasis on intimate chamber music … and the determination that every performing group would include both young students and older masters.… Recordings and YouTube postings—many musically exquisite—leave little doubt that Marlboro is still working.” Marlboro alumnus Anthony McGill, now the New York Philharmonic’s principal clarinet, “will be hosting a four-part series of national radio programs, produced by WQXR in New York, featuring concerts from the [2016] tour.”
Posted April 12, 2016
