In Friday’s (8/19) New York Times, James C. McKinley writes, “It is not uncommon during the summers here [in Lenox, Mass.] to see John Williams, the celebrated film composer, wandering the verdant grounds of Tanglewood after a morning of writing at the piano. Sometimes he is working through a musical problem. Sometimes he is just communing with the old trees and the valley that cradles a lake and the sleeping mountains farther off, which have inspired artists for generations. These days, however, he is also searching for something: The perfect spots to place sculptures of Leonard Bernstein and Serge Koussevitzky. Mr. Williams has commissioned those works, along with a bronze bust of Aaron Copland that was unveiled in late June. It now stands in a garden on the Tanglewood grounds where Copland’s ashes were scattered. … Mr. Williams spoke about the sculptures as he took a break from composing and preparing for his performance on Saturday, when he will once again lead the Boston Pops through several of his compositions on ‘Film Night.’ … The idea of placing a bust of Copland on the grounds was proposed to Mr. Williams 20 years ago by an executive of the Boston Symphony. Though the plan never came to fruition, Mr. Williams could not let the idea go, and each summer when he visited the campus it became stronger.”
Posted August 19, 2011
