Great Performances

Tanglewood 75th Anniversary Celebration - Pbs Arts

Located in the scenic Berkshires region of western Massachusetts, Tanglewood is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and also the venue for a wide variety of popular music concerts and performing arts events. BSO concerts at Tanglewood can be traced back to 1936, when the Tappan Family estate was donated to the orchestra. In 1937, the orchestra returned to perform an all-Beethoven program of concerts. In 1938, a fan-shaped shed was constructed with 5,100 seats, providing the BSO with a permanent open-air structure in which to perform. Two years later, BSO conductor Serge Koussevitzky initiated a summer school for young musicians, now known as the Tanglewood Music Center. Now, on the occasion of Tanglewood's 75th anniversary, GREAT PERFORMANCES presents this concert, featuring the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus under the batons of conductors John Williams, Keith Lockhart and Andris Nelsons; soloists include James Taylor, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianists Emanuel Ax and Peter Serkin, and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. The program is wide-ranging and includes works by Tanglewood legends including Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein.