Laptop finally works again ... and another summer in the Berkshires with music and other arts is over.
Greeted by baby finches on the front porch who managed to hide well in the hanging fern plant and weren't fazed at all by the constant traffic of guests, let alone by those sitting and chatting on the porch, I happily settled in familiar surroundings.
The theme this summer was NL: A Season of Dutch Arts in the Berkshires. And the very same night I went to listen to the Netherlands Bach Society performing Bach's Violin Concert No.2 with soloist Johannes Leertouwer and two secular cantatas: Cantata BWV 207a Auf, schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten and Cantata BWV 214 Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!, written for the name days of the Elector Duke of Saxony, later King of Poland, Friedrich August II and his spouse Maria Josepha, Queen od Poland, respectively. The text in its original German is rather hilarious, and the whole thing is basically a panegyrical lobbying effort to get the Elector to appoint good old Johann Sebastian Hofcompositeur (court composer) – an effort which eventually succeeded.
My main reason to go to Lenox at that particular time, as every year, was for Festival of Contemporary Music at the Tanglewood Music Center (TMC), and the weekend concerts in the "Shed" mainly by the BSO. Of both more anon.
But there are also the museums in the area, especially the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown and the contemporary MassMoCA the next town over, North Adams. The Clark had three exihibits: "The Unknown Monet: Pastels and Drawings," a Monet lover's delight! It sheds new light on his artistic process and life. As the introductions says: "Drawing upon recently discovered documents and a body of graphic work largely unknown to the public and scholars alike, the exhibition reveals that [Monet] relied extensively upon drafting in the development of his paintings in addition to painting his subjects directly. Monet has long been seen as an anti-draftsman, having denied the role of drawing in his working method in an effort to advance his public image as an Impressionist". Monet's sketchbooks have been scanned and were available for viewing on a bank of monitors. A lot of the exhibit can be viewed here including the sketchbooks.
Another exciting exhibit was Gainsborough, Constable, and Turner: The Manton Collection, selection from a eclectic collection which was given the museum recently.
And the Dutch were represented in Dutch Dialogues (which we somehow missed …)
MassMoCA had Spencer Finch: What Time Is It on the Sun? with more than 160 pastels, 62 photographs, 6 major sculptural installations, plus a 30-foot long drawing – made over the last 14 years. A n exhibition guide explains the background to each work or series of work and reveals a fascinating cerebral approach to creating art. The exhibit runs through Spring 2008, so if you happen to be in the area, don't miss it. The Believers showed a wide range of contemporary styles, and the Netherlands were reprensented by Erik van Lieshout.
The Mount | Edith Wharton's Estate and Gardens is a restoration work in progress. Every Wednesday afternoon in the summer, at the café on the terrace looking over the gardens, there is a reading session of Edith Wharton's work. When I was there, the theme was "Wharton in Italy," with selections from a short story, a novel, her book Italian Villas and Their Gardens, here as Google Book , and an essay from a book on the Italian Renaissance. Edith Wharton Society.
And then I went to the theater one night to see "Antony and Cleopatra" at Shakespeare & Company. Well, last year, I walked out on Hamlet, this year I was close to it. Imagine a 60ish, very overweight, wispy-haired Cleo, and that says it all! Tina Packer founded the company about 30 years ago, and she should have known better. And believe it or not, she got rave reviews …
Finally, one of our favorite spots is the Berkshire Botanical Garden. We never miss it.
Time went fast. I went back for a night for the TMC perfomance of Cosi fan tutte, and last Sunday we drove up for a picnic on the lawn the classical musuic performance of the season, traditionally Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Summer is over … See you next year, Linda & Phil!
Edith Wharton Gardens & Sunflower at the Botanical Garden
