Just as many folks come to our area “from away,” I ventured well outside York

County recently to take in a pair of concerts at Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The BSO is one of a half dozen internationally acclaimed orchestras in the nation. (I won’t mention the others for fear of excluding or including one that others feel do not rate.)

Just as Dickens wrote a “Tale of Two Cities,” this column may easily be described as tale of two concerts, led by two very different conductors. The reason for my trek to Tanglewood was the performance of Gustav Mahler’s 2nd Symphony. The performance of any Mahler symphony is a significant musical event, and his second is oft-reckoned as his greatest achievement.

Indeed, admirers of his music are a devoted lot who could be thought of as a kind of cult, making the devotion of Cubs fans look like fair- weather friends. There were some 12,000 “worshippers” in and outside the venue on the 26th, eager and ready to partake of this musical and quasi-religious event. They were not going to be disappointed. The scheduled conductor had to cancel his appearance and his substitute was Manfred Honeck, the conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony. On the basis of his leadership, musicality, knowledge of the craft of conducting, in my opinion, he is one of the greatest among active conductors.

This symphony makes great demands on conductor and performers alike. From the tuba on its sonorous in-tune low B natural, to the solo horn, trombone, trumpet, brass and wind sections, all earned considerable merit badges on their way to an eventual musical heaven. There were two soloists: Camilla Trilling, soprano and Sarah Connelly, mezzo soprano. Both sang like angels.

The chorus, clad in white with the men with formal white jackets, was superbly trained by John Oliver. They sat through the first four movements and entered ever so softly and in tune as well.

Honeck rarely glanced at his well-worn score. He gave his own interpretation of the music, one that was well thought-out and always musical. His gestures were clear, never theatrical or histrionic. The BSO, seeing that the man knew his music, knew what he wanted, and responded to his every wish. In short, they sounded like the BSO is supposed to sound.

The chorus and soloists were superb. I will not use this column to discuss Mahler or his music; suffice it to say that just as Beethoven signaled the end of the Classical era, Mahler brought the Romantic era to a close. There was a 10-minute standing ovation and it took me a while to return to planet Earth afterwards.

Sunday’s concert was another matter. The program had an odd pairing of composers: Rachmaninoff and Verdi. The conductor, if he can be deemed as such, was Jacques Lacombe, who leads the New Jersey Symphony. In Conducting 101, the first thing one learns is that the first beat is always down. He must have missed that part. One could easily state that the orchestra played well not because of, but rather in spite of, Lacombe’s histrionics on the podium.

The first work on the program, Rachmaninoff’s popular 2nd piano concerto, featured Gabriela Montero as soloist. She is an excellent pianist who performed admirably under trying circumstances. She is to be commended for keeping the breakneck speed forced on her in the last movement and playing all of the notes.

After intermission, excerpts of Verdi’s works were performed, the longest was the Triumphal Scene from Aida with six able and sonorous soloists. If one wanted to be charitable, one could state that Lacombe knew his score. However, his over-the-top theatrical hysterics detracted from the fine performances that occurred while he was on the podium. It sounded fine, so long as you did not watch, and was a tribute to the professionalism of the BSO.

There you have it, a tale of two very different concerts. The BSO will perform three weekend concerts at Tanglewood for the next four weeks, under different conductors and give superb performances regardless of, or perhaps even in spite of, who is directing them.

— Dr. Gold is a composer/conductor and an arts reviewer for the Journal Tribune.