Tanglebook.
I purchased this splendid new book that narrates the history of the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home in Lenox, Massachusetts at the Tanglewood Music Center via a collection of reflections by contemporaneous participants. Author Peggy Daniel was on hand Sunday afternoon and inscribed my copy. It is a fascinating read, as it would be for any music lover.
I went up with my sister for the Beethoven Ninth with the BSO, the last concert of their summer season in the beautiful Berkshires. The season often ends with that monumental work, and one could hardly complain. We had a picnic all'italiana before the concert at one of the picnic benches on the grounds, with my bottle of chilled Verdicchio wine to wash down panini, formaggio, and frutta.
But the highlight of the day was the concert itself in the Koussevitzky Shed. It was a finely-etched reading of the Beethoven led by the German conductor Christoph von Dohnányi, with the BSO and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and four apt vocal soloists I won't list. The soprano and mezzo stood out in their Jezebel-red gowns.