'Star Wars,' Yo-Yo Ma, And Kirill Gerstein Punctuate Penultimate Week At Tanglewood

See the full lineup next week at Tanglewood!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 8 P.M. - BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA PRESENTS STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE
Join Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops as they present this classic film with live orchestral accompaniment. Set 30 years after Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: A New Hope, the fourth episode of the saga, returns to the desert planet of Tatooine. A young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) begins to discover his destiny when, searching for a lost droid, he is saved by reclusive Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness). A civil war rages in the galaxy, and Rebel forces struggle against the evil Galactic Empire, Luke and Obi- Wan enlist the aid of hotshot pilot, Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Joined by the quirky droid duo R2-D2 and C-3PO, the unlikely team sets out to rescue Rebel leader Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and make use of the stolen plans to destroy the Empire's ultimate weapon. In a legendary confrontation, the rogue group mounts an attack against the Death Star for a climactic battle with the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 8 P.M. - FRANÇOIS-XAVIER ROTH LEADS A PROGRAM OF BRAHMS AND SCHUMANN, WITH PIANIST KIRILL GERSTEIN
French conductor François-Xavier Roth, general music director of the city of Cologne, leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a program of music by Brahms and Schumann. To open the concert, soloist Kirill Gerstein joins the orchestra for Brahms' magisterial Piano Concerto No. 2, a barnstorming, inspired work that epitomizes the composer's ability to combine Romantic ardor, formal ingenuity, and traditional structures. Maestro Roth then leads Schumann's complex and inspired Symphony No. 2, begun in 1845 after the composer suffered a bout of deep depression.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18, 2:30 P.M. - Yo-Yo Ma JOINS BSO FOR SCHUMANN'S CELLO CONCERTO
François-Xavier Roth returns to conduct the BSO for the second day in a row, once again leading a program of music by Brahms and Schumann. The centerpiece of the performance is Schumann's Cello Concerto, for which Mr. Roth and the orchestra are joined by superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The concert also features members of the BSO horn section in the opening work, Schumann's Concert Piece for four horns and orchestra, a fascinating and spirited piece that provides ample opportunity for the hornists to show their virtuosity. The program concludes with another lesser-known masterpiece, Brahms' Serenade No. 1, an early orchestral work written around the same time as the composer's Piano Concerto No. 1.

TANGLEWOOD LEARNING INSTITUTE EVENTS

The launch of the Tanglewood Learning Institute in summer 2019 represents a new chapter of dynamic and stimulating programs for the famed 82-year-old summer music festival, alongside its traditional schedule of major performances by the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, and Tanglewood Music Center orchestras, as well as a Popular Artist series in the Koussevitzky Music Shed, and chamber music, large ensemble, and recital programs in Ozawa Hall.

FULL TILT
Monday, August 19, 8 p.m., Linde Center, Studio E - The Black Mozart: Concert Theatre Works
Director, composer, and writer Bill Barclay returns to Tanglewood for a Concert Theatre Works development project in partnership with TLI. The object of his creative attention for Full Tilt this summer is Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Bologne was a decorated military officer, champion swordsman, acclaimed violinist, composer, and conductor-a true Renaissance man of the Classical period and an artist of color in 18th-century France.

MEET THE MAKERS
Wednesday, August 21, 3 p.m., Linde Center, Studio E - Flute maker Aiven O'Leary and flutist Alan Weiss
The creation of a handmade flute is on full display in a Meet the Makers session featuring flute head joint maker Aiven O'Leary and artist-in-residence Alan Weiss from one of the world's leading makers of concert flutes, the William S. Haynes Company, headquartered in Acton, Mass. Attendees will learn how the instrument has evolved over time and about the effort and skill required to produce world-class instruments.

SHOPTALKS
Thursday, August 22, 1 p.m., Linde Center, Studio E - Giancarlo Guerrero and Morris Robinson
Six-time Grammy Award-winning conductor Giancarlo Guerrero, music director of the Nashville Symphony, and former all-American college football player and now leading opera bass Morris Robinson come together to discuss their artistry.

AUGUST MASTERPASS
The TLI MasterPass provides participants with a multispectral insider's view of the artistic process. In August, participants can attend up to 18 different behind-the-scenes musical experiences, including seven orchestral rehearsals, thought-provoking music appreciation talks, and open master classes with world-renowned artists, including pianist Kirill Gerstein (August 15), violist Roberto Díaz (August 16), and composer Michael Gandolfi (August 17). For complete details, including times and locations for events, as well as a complete listing of TLI MasterPass events, click here.

CINEMATICS
Sunday, August 18, 7 p.m., Linde Center, Studio E - Impromptu
The 1991 film Impromptu is set in 1830s France and features Hugh Grant as pianist/composer Frédéric Chopin who is pursued romantically by the determined, independent woman and notorious writer George Sand (Judy Davis).

FOCAL POINT
Saturday, August 17, 10 a.m., Linde Center's Martignetti Lobby - Painting, Drawing, and Photography Classes
In partnership with IS183 Art School of the Berkshires, these weekly sessions allow amateur visual artists to hone their skills in photography, painting, and drawing using the immense natural beauty of Tanglewood as a backdrop.

SUNDAY SHOWCASE
Sunday, August 18, 12:30 p.m., Theatre - Vocal Ensemble Music from the Renaissance to the 21st Century
Free of charge to ticket-holders for the Sunday 2:30 p.m. concert.

PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS IN OZAWA HALL

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18, 8 P.M. - TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER ORCHESTRA
Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero comes to the Ozawa Hall podium to lead the brilliant young Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center, sharing the podium with TMC Conducting Fellows. The program will include Mahler's mellifluous Symphony No. 4, a musical journey from earth to heaven. Composed in 1899 and 1900, it is the last of Mahler's works in the genre to incorporate sung text from the folk poetry collection Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth's Magic Horn). The Wunderhorn poem used in the Fourth is "Das himmlische Leben," which describes a child's vision of heaven.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 8 P.M. - Tan Dun'S MARTIAL ARTS SONATA TRILOGY
Tan Dun's Martial Arts Sonata Trilogy is an evening of chamber works by Tan Dun, the world-renowned artist and UNESCO Global Goodwill Ambassador. Inspired by the music from Mr. Dun's acclaimed film scores to Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the concert will also feature video excerpts from these award-winning movies. Artists for the evening include pianist Magdalena Baczewska. (Please note that this program replaces the originally scheduled Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra.)

TICKETS FOR TLI PROGRAMMING AND 2019 TANGLEWOOD SEASON
Tickets for TLI programs, ranging from $19 for some Full Tilt events to $399 for each of the four TLI Weekends, and tickets for the entire 2019 Tanglewood season, ranging from $12-$130 (regular season prices), will go on sale on February 10 at www.tanglewood.org and 888-266-1200. (Link to season announcement)