The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire and Hudson Valley Cultural Preview
June 28-July 5, 2023
With so much going on culturally speaking in our greater Berkshires/Hudson Valley region, this is my highly selective, curated snapshot of some of the most promising upcoming events …
HERMANOS GUTIÉRREZ BRING LATIN GUITAR SOUNDS to THE CLARK
Guitar duo Hermanos Gutiérrez kicks off a five-part outdoor concert series at the Clark in Williamstown, Mass., with a free performance on Wednesday, June 28, at 6pm. The Ecuadorian-Swiss Gutiérrez brothers, Alejandro and Estevan, transport their audiences to landscapes inspired by the sounds of surf guitar, spaghetti Westerns, indie-rock, and Latin folk. (Wed, Jun 28)
ELVIS COSTELLO, ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS, EMERSON QUARTET at TANGLEWOOD
While the BSO has yet to formally usher in the summer season at Tanglewood, there has been plenty of music emanating from all around the campus, and this weekend is no exception. The Emerson String Quartet, on its “farewell tour” this summer, will be joined by pianist Emanuel Ax on Wednesday, June 28, at 8pm, to perform works by Purcell, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Shostakovich, and Dvořák. Then on Saturday night, July 1, at 7pm, rock singer-songwriter Elvis Costello and his band, the Imposters, bring Costello’s blend of new-wave melody with soul and Americana touches, followed by one of the most unlikely yet gorgeous duos, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin fame and bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss, on Sunday, July 2, at 7:30pm. As for James Taylor on July 3 and 4, don’t even think about going anywhere near Tanglewood if you don’t already have tickets; those shows have been sold out for months. (Wed, Jun 28; Sat, Jul 1; Sun, Jul 2)
VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ BRINGS ‘DESERT BLUES’ to RACE BROOK LODGE
Vieux Farka Touré, often referred to as “the Hendrix of the Sahara,” brings his Malian-bred Afrofunk to Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, Mass., on Thursday, June 29, at 7pm. His father, Ali Farka Touré, is considered a pioneer of African desert blues. Straddling the tightrope between Middle Eastern, West African, and downtown NYC improv aesthetics, Trio Xalam, led by oud wizard Brandon Terzic, will warm up the crowd for Touré. (Thu, June 29)
CHRIS THILE JOINS THE KNIGHTS at TANGLEWOOD
Acclaimed mandolinist Chris Thile accompanies the contemporary orchestral ensemble The Knights in a program featuring works by Bartok, Jessie Montgomery, and George Enesco in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., on Thursday, June 29, at 8pm. The concert also features Thile’s composition, ATTENTION!, a narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra, two of whose movements are titled “Lord Starbucks” and “Carrie Freaking Fisher.” (Thu, Jun 29)
SUFJAN STEVENS MUSICAL GETS WORLD PREMIERE at BARD
Bard SummerScape’s 20th anniversary season, Breaking Ground, presents the world premiere of Illinois, a new, full-length music-theater work based on the 2005 concept album of the same name by Grammy- and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. Commissioned by SummerScape, the musical has been called “an ecstatic pageant of storytelling, theater, dance, and live music that takes audiences on a wild ride through the American heartland.” Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois album enjoys cult status for its lush orchestrations and wildly inventive portrayal of the state’s people, landscapes, and history, complete with UFOs, zombies, and predatory wasps. The musical runs through Sunday, July 2. (Thu, Jun 29-Sun, Jul 2)
MARK MORRIS DOES BURT BACHARACH at JACOB’S PILLOW
Mark Morris Dance Group will kick off this summer’s Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival with the evening-length work, The Look of Love, as the season’s first week-long engagement in the Ted Shawn Theatre, from Wednesday, June 28, through Sunday, July 2. The Look of Love is an homage to the late Burt Bacharach, a towering figure of popular music, who died this past February. (Wed, Jun 28-Sun, Jul 2)
CAITLIN CANTY & NOAM PIKELNY at SPIEGELTENT
Bard Summerscape’s Spiegeltent’s five-concert Bluegrass on Hudson series celebrating contemporary bluegrass and American roots music kicks off with folk, blues, and country singer-songwriter Caitlin Canty and Grammy Award-winning banjoist Noam Pikelny of the Punch Brothers on Thursday, June 29, at 8pm. (Thu, Jun 29)
BORIS GILTBURG PLAYS RUSSIAN PIANO WORKS at TANNERY POND
Capital Region Classical continues its Tannery Pond summer series with renowned Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg at the Darrow School in New Lebanon, N.Y., on Saturday, July 1 at 7:30pm. Giltburg’s program of Russian piano works includes his own arrangement of Shostakovich’s Third String Quartet, as well as works by Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev. (Sat, Jul 1)
FLOATING TOWER PAYS MUSICAL TRIBUTE to UKRAINE
The North Adams, Mass.-based musical collective Floating Tower brings its multimedia collaboration with Joe Wheaton, a unique, poignant musical tribute to the people of Ukraine, to the Adams Theater in Adams, Mass., on Saturday and Sunday, July 1-2. The program, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: An Immersive Musical Homage to the Spirit of Ukraine, centers around a classic Ukrainian art film of the same name. Using the film as a starting point, composer Mátti Kovler -- born in Moscow, raised in Jerusalem, and now based in Brooklyn and North Adams -- has brought together Ukrainian musicians and artists for this benefit for Ukrainian refugees. (Sat-Sun, Jul 1-2)
PLENA LIBRE PLAYS PUERTO RICAN FUSION at PS21
For 30 years, Puerto Rican ensemble Plena Libre has been blending traditional Puerto Rican plena rhythms with modern Afro-Caribbean influences in their contemporary compositions. The group brings its fusion of a hard-hitting horn section, master hand drummers, and lush vocal harmonies to PS21 in Chatham, N.Y., on Sunday, July 2, at 6pm. (Sun, Jul 2)
TATIANA EVA-MARIE BRINGS FRENCH POP-FUSION to THE FALCON
Tatiana Eva-Marie brings her fusion of French pop derived from the Django Reinhardt tradition of so-called Gypsy jazz with Balkan and folk influences to the Falcon in Marlboro, N.Y., on Sunday, July 2, at 7:30pm. Eva-Marie’s upcoming album, DJANGOLOGY, combines the music of Django with her own lyrics in French, English, and Rromanes set to her original arrangements. (Sun, July 2)
JOE HENRY BRINGS ROOTSY, GRAMMY-WINNING FOLK-ROCK to THE CLARK
On Wednesday, July 5, at 6pm, the Clark Art Institute continues its five-part outdoor concert series with a performance by Grammy Award–winning musician and troubadour Joe Henry. A hyper-literate storyteller, by turns dark, devastating, and hopeful, Henry draws an author’s eye for the overlooked detail across a broad swath of American musical styles. As a producer, Henry has worked with artists as varied as Bonnie Raitt, Rhiannon Giddens, Bettye LaVette, Elvis Costello, Aimee Mann, and Aaron Neville. He has also written a number of songs for his sister-in-law, Madonna, as well as for Rosanne Cash and Madeline Peyroux. (Wed, Jul 5)
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Roll Call: Founding Members
Anne Fredericks
Anonymous (6)
Erik Bruun
Benno Friedman
Richard Koplin
Steve and Helice Picheny
Rhonda Rosenheck
Elisa Spungen and Rob Bildner/Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook
Julie Abraham Stone
Mary Herr Tally