“The concave hull and blocky stone wings of the Hatch Memorial Shell make anything inside it look impossibly far away,” writes Zoë Madonna in Saturday’s (8/5) Boston Globe. “However, the appearance of distance did not translate to reality, as the Boston Landmarks Orchestra went to remarkable lengths [for its Thursday Beethoven concert] to connect with its audience…. Music director Christopher Wilkins … pointed out … the Turkish Crescent instrument that had jingled through [‘The Ruins of Athens’] … looks like it belongs in the Museum of Fine Arts but is ‘really made out of parts from Home Depot and Lowe’s.’ … The evening’s centerpiece, Symphony No. 9, radiated warmth and sincerity…. Wilkins handled the second movement scherzo with a light touch.… The Boston Landmarks One City Choir, a community ensemble … was massive and honest…. Assistant conductor Kristo Kondakci managed the ‘Maestro Zone’ on one side of the lawn…. A coterie of ascendant pint-size maestros clustered around him … pencils bobbing up and down…. And still more kids leapt and danced to the ‘Ode to Joy’ on the asphalt in front of the stage. The community-supported orchestra visibly strove to support the community, and the community supported it right back.”
Posted August 8, 2017
Pictured: Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Music Director Christopher Wilkins, and Boston Landmarks One City Choir performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Hatch Shell. Photo by Michael Dwyer
