The Berkshires

Hidden Valley Campground, Lanesborough, MA

Hidden Valley Campgrounds in Lanesborough,  just north of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is appropriately named!  After a few wrong turns, we eventually pull into a lovely, hilly, wooded campground.  Our campsite is very spacious and landscaped beautifully with an English garden setting of flowers, boulders covered with moss, and towering trees with songbirds and chipmunks galore.

Chippy, the Chipmunk?

After a short nap, we get ready for our evening at Tanglewood for the Anne-Sophie Mutter/Andre Previn violin & piano concert.  Sadly, Previn is not able to perform due to a severe arthritic condition. 

Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood

The Ozawa Hall is a joyous experience!  Built in 1994, the 1200-seat concert hall, with its wood interior and overhanging balconies, is famous for its acoustics and architectural excellence.  It was built in honor of Seiji Ozawa, a Japanese conductor of the Vienna State Opera and music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The concert includes works by Mozart, Schubert, Previn and Saint-Saens.  Such virtuoso talent!  They perform 'Summertime' from Porgy and Bess as their encore tune!  Perfection for a summer evening in the Berkshires!

Cheshire Reservoir on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail

Adams, MA...end of the trail

We explore the area and discover an eleven-mile rail trail from Pittsfield to Adams.  On Wednesday, we take off on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail which winds its way along the Cheshire Reservoir and the Hoosnac River.  The trail is paved, 10 feet wide, fairly flat, and shaded for much of the way.  We pedal past marshes with egrets and  blue herons, old mills with waterfalls for power, and great vistas of sailboats and fishing boats on the Cheshire Reservoir.  Success!  We made it all the way to Adams, a 22-mile round trip!  Whew! 

 

The Hancock Shaker Village, 1791-1960, has been faithfully restored and maintained for the enjoyment and education of the public.

Their mission is to bring the Shaker story to life and preserve it for future generations. There are historic Village buildings, the farm, woodlands and gardens to visit.

Water turbine demo

Throughout the day, demonstrations of the water turbine, blacksmithing, and Shaker songs are given.  There is an 18-inch diameter water turbine which replaced the 20-foot water wheel in the mid-1800's.  Since the Shakers embraced technology, the water turbine was state-of-the-art for that time.

There are over 10,000 Shaker songs in existence.
Three 'sisters' and one 'brother' delight us with their renditions of 5 songs, one which includes dancing!  The Shakers were highly criticized for their dancing and loud religious services!  

The American Shakers were a celibate, religious, communal community, founded by Ann Lee, Manchester, England in 1734, and established in America in 1774. Societies were in seven states.  Their basic tenets included:  Purity of Life, Confession of Sin, Consecration of Strength, Time and Talent.

The round Stone Barn is an iconic building at the Hancock Shaker Village

Their Beliefs:  Duality of the Deity, Father & Mother God, Immortal Life, Progress of the Soul, Faithfulness, Lawfulness, Equality of the Sexes, Equality in Labor, Equality in Property, Temperance in all things, Justice and Kindness to all.

The Shaker Motto:  'Hands to work, and Hearts to God.'  Mother Ann Lee

Our visit is an appropriate orientation for Thursday's 'Borrowed Light' performance at Jacob's Pillow.  There are 8 women and 8 men, all costumed in black, flowing costumes.  The backdrop is black with lighting coming chiefly from the left side and sometimes front of the stage, creating dramatic shadows. 

Choreographed by Tero Saarinen, its inspiration was the Shakers, using only original Shaker music.  The work itself is not about Shakerism, but rather community and devotion. 

We are delighted that dear friends, Linda Tucker Brandt and her husband, Frank, meet us for dinner there before the performance!  

 

Dolores, Frank & Linda outside the Ted Shawn Theatre, founder of 'The Pillow 

'Shaker music uses the simplest means to achieve extraordinary levels of beauty and emotional intensity. The forms are most often short and binary, employing the melodic idiom of modal English folksong.  We perfom in the traditional Shaker manner:  voices alone without instrumental accompaniment or embellishment.  The composers of these pieces were ordinary Shakers, encouraged with the community to express their spirituality in song.  Many thousands of these songs were notated by the Shakers, but until recent years only a handful were known outside the community.  In two cases- 'Repentance' and 'Verdant Grove'- we believe 'Borrowed Light' represents the first performance ever outside the community, and the first in over 150 years.'  Joel Cohen, The Boston Camerata Music Director Emeritus.

The Inside/Outside Stage with the Berkshires for a backdrop

' "The Pillow" is a treasured 163-acre National Historic Landmark and home to America's longest-running international dance festival.  Thousands of people visit the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts to experience more than 50 dance companies, 200 free performances as well as talks and other events.'

We will return later in the month with my brother, Rick.  The Berkshires have become a favorite destination for us!