Watch World Premiere Of John Williams’ Violin Concerto No. 2 At Tanglewood

Watch the world premiere performance of John Williams’ Violin Concerto No. 2 from Tanglewood 2021, only one day after the live event, on Deutsche Grammophon’s online platform DG Stage on 25 July 2021 at 9pm (CEST). John Williams conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra and virtuoso violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, whom he dedicated the work to, is the featured soloist.

The legendary composer and superstar violinist are old friends

The legendary composer and superstar violinist are old friends and have enjoyed worldwide success together in recent years with their album Across The Stars and their joint performances for John Williams In Vienna, both featuring arrangements of some of Williams’ iconic movie themes written especially for Mutter by the composer. John Williams In Vienna, featuring the legendary composer’s debut concert with the world-famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, was the best-selling orchestral album of 2020.

John Williams’ movie soundtracks are among the best-loved of all time and have received countless prestigious awards, including five Oscars, five Emmys, four Golden Globes and twenty-five Grammys.

Anne-Sophie Mutter is one of the world’s greatest violinists

Anne-Sophie Mutter is one of the world’s greatest violinists. The four-time Grammy Award winner has so far given world premieres of 28 works. For over 45 years the superstar violinist has made her mark as a soloist, mentor and visionary.

The concert opens with American composer-violinist Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst (2012) for string orchestra, full of rapidly changing musical colours and gentle melodies creating a multidimensional soundscape, conducted by the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director Andris Nelsons. After the performance of John Williams’ Violin Concerto No. 2, conducted by the composer, Andris Nelsons returns to the stage to conduct Copland’s Quiet City. The score was originally composed as incidental music for a play of the same name and later reworked into an orchestral suite. This reflective work paints an atmospheric portrait of a city by night and is one of Copland’s most famous, and frequently performed, works.

The programme ends with Stravinsky’s Suite from The Firebird (1919 version). Stravinsky became internationally recognised as one of the most original and exciting composers of his generation when his ballet The Firebird premiered in Paris in 1910 and in 1919 he made an orchestral suite for performance in the concert hall. The ballet scenario is based on various Russian folk tales and the melodies are influenced by Russian folk songs. This popular suite captures all the magic, drama and musical characterisation he created for the dancers of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is delighted to welcome music lovers back to Tanglewood for the 2021 season.

Watch the world premiere performance of John Williams’ Violin Concerto No. 2 from Tanglewood 2021 on 25 July 2021 at 9pm (CEST) on Deutsche Grammophon’s online platform DG Stage.

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