Cabin Fever in Massachusetts during the winter months can be bleak and drury. A trip to summer in the mind's eye might ameliorate that somewhat. Below is my Sturbridge Times Town & Country Living Magazine column from September, 2018about a wonderful place to spend a day.
Tour of Duty at Tanglewood
By Richard Morchoe
When this issue of the Sturbridge Times Town & Country Magazine is mailed out and on newsstands, your columnist will have completed his third summer as a volunteer for the season of music at Tanglewood.
People volunteer for many reasons. Some might say they want to “give back.” Moi, I get much more out of my time in the Berkshires than I give.
It may seem odd that a man with no musical ability would want to travel down the Pike to the far western town of Lenox several times a summer to help people find their seats. Just because one can’t make music doesn’t mean they cannot listen with immense pleasure while helping out.
I never had much interest in classical music until college. A sound coming from a classmate’s dorm room more than caught my attention and I borrowed the album.
It was Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, popularly known as “The Emperor Concerto” with Leopold Stokowski conducting and Glenn Gould as piano soloist. Such a rich sound meant it was love at first listen.
Graduation was approaching and we students were all getting ready to go to our separate lives. Wanting to keep the album, I wrestled with my conscience and lost, Sadly, it was returned.
Though it was back in the ancient days of vinyl, the cost was not prohibitive and not long after, a version with Leonard Bernstein conducting and Rudolf Serkin as pianist began my album collection.
It would be many years before I would experience Tanglewood, and when it happened, it was immediate infatuation. When you go there, the grounds are so beautiful that you would love it even if you did not come for the music. That is, if you take the time to explore.
As time went on, the feeling of wanting to be more a part of it took hold. Obviously, anything to do with the music was beyond me. While exploring the Tanglewood website in winter, I came across a line that had the word, Volunteer. Following the links led me to a page that told one how to apply.
I filled out the application and waited. Invited in, I found myself with another hopeful undergoing a pleasant interview with Erin Asbury, Manager of Volunteer services. Notification of acceptance came and with it the requirement for training. They were not going to unleash us on an unsuspecting public without some knowledge of the basics.
Next was the welcome back event and issuance of badges in a packet of information. Mine came with the first-year red lanyard. I was now official.
The protocol is to arrive an hour before the concert and have a meeting, usually with Tammy Lynch Director of Front of House Management. Tammy will apprise us if there is anything out of the ordinary we need to know. Then it is off to our posts as ushers. Our job is to guide those who need help to their seats, and also be aware if anyone is having a problem
My first working concert was on a July, 2016 evening in the Koussevitzky shed. when the Boston Pops brass and percussion sections performed with world class drum corps including the Boston Crusaders. You may ask yourself why drum corps? It turns out many orchestra brass musicians start out there.
The last piece they all played that night was the 1812 Overture, which you know if you’ve watched the pops on July 4th. To give people an idea what they were in for, ear plugs were handed out. I don’t know if Tchaikovsky meant it to be played with this much brass, but it was loud.
In my three years of volunteering, there has been a performance that has stood out each summer. In 2016, it was Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. As a first-year usher, they pair one with an experienced veteran. After, the man watching me related that someone had complained to him that the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) had played it too fast. Hey, as a dilettante, what do I know? We both thought it excellent. If that was too fast, I hope the BSO never slows down.
In 2017, there would be a wonderful surprise in Ozawa Hall, a lovely space named after the former BSO Music Director. On a Wednesday in July as the evening light declined, Apollo’s Fire, a small Baroque orchestra under the direction of Jeannette Sorrell took the stage. They were there to play Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, but began with a piece called La Bergamasca by the Italian Baroque composer, Marco Uccellini. I had never heard it before, but I shall never forget it.
The energy Ms. Sorrell and her ensemble brought to the stage was memorable. Violinist Olivier Brault was superb as were the other soloists and performers. If you don’t believe me, it was recorded on Youtube. Entering “Apollo’s Fire Bergamasca” in the Youtube search window should get you there.
This Summer is the Centennial of a famous man who had a huge connection to Tanglewood. Much was planned to celebrate the life in music of Leonard Bernstein. Saturday, July 28, on screens at the Shed, they showed the movie West Side Story and the BSO played Bernstein’s music as the film ran. Everyone in the audience was thrilled, including this usher.
The last Sunday in August, the BSO plays Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. People who never listen to classical music have heard the Ode to Joy. Though one might never tire of it, The Ninth on recording does not compare to hearing it live at Tanglewood. Every summer, I look forward to seeing The Tanglewood Festival Chorus rise as one to sing Beethoven’s adaption of Schiller’s words. It will never grow old.
As the last notes fade away, so is summer on the wane. Life goes on and there are other tasks and pleasures, but be assured your columnist is anticipating the posting of the schedule for the 2019 season. That is my favorite harbinger of summer. Symphony Hall is wonderful, but there is nothing like beautiful music on a lovely day in the Berkshires.
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