Tanglewood: The Clash Between Tradition and Change

Tanglewood: The Clash Between Tradition and Change by Andrew L. Pincus. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781555533465.

An internationally renowned and beloved music festival, Tanglewood is summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and site of the Tanglewood Music Center, a prestigious academy for advanced studies in classical music. Set on spacious lawn overlooking the picturesque Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts, this idyllic place attracts thousands of picnickers and concertgoers for music under the stars. Yet Tanglewoods tranquillity masks the many challenges facing the festival as it strives for success and survival in the coming years. This provocative work explores the dynamics affecting Tanglewood within the larger context of recent trends in American musical life, including dwindling audiences for classical music and growing commercialism in the arts. Andrew L. Pincus begins his lively narrative with an account of Tanglewoods rich history, from founder Serge Koussevitzkys vision of a great music festival and academy, to Seiji Ozawas controversial tenure as BSO director. He describes the construction of the acclaimed Seiji Ozawa Hall and the publicity glitz surrounding its gala opening in 1994 as both a turning point for Tanglewoods passage to a new era and a link to its past. Pincus traces Ozawas demanding conducting career, fully exploring mounting criticism of his repertoire and commitment to the BSO and Tanglewood, and recalls how Leonard Bernstein and other important figures influenced Tanglewoods legacy. Against this backdrop of the festivals evolving relationship between tradition and transition to the innovative and unknown, Pincus examines recent clashes among leaders and artists over both programming decisions and the direction of the Music Center. The staging of highly-publicized events and gala performances to attract larger and broader-based audiences raises thorny questions about whether or not serious art is being compromised for the sake of commercial success. This fascinating book illuminates the ways in which Tanglewood represents both the best and the worst aspects of musical culture. It also captures the enduring spirit that will lead this extraordinary festival into the next century.