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Nelsons ‘thrilled’ with expanded commitment to Tanglewood next summer

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Andris Nelsons leading the BSO at Tanglewood earlier this month.BSO

After filling in at the last minute to lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra in its season-ending performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at Tanglewood this weekend, BSO music director Andris Nelsons is planning to return to the Berkshires next summer for four full weeks – the maestro's longest commitment yet to the summer festival.

"I am absolutely thrilled to announce that I will be spending four weeks and leading 10 concerts during the 2017 Tanglewood season," Nelsons said in a statement. "I feel so blessed to be part of such a passionate musical community, all of whom are welcome members of the BSO's wonderful extended family!"

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Nelsons said that he planned to take up the baton on the BSO's opening night, July 7, leading a rendition of Mahler's Symphony No. 2. He added that he would also lead a program featuring young musicians from the Tanglewood Music Center, as well as reprise his duties at the traditional season-ending performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

"I am also very excited to announce that I will be leading two opera programs, one of them a complete concert performance of a major work," said Nelsons. "Though we are still in the process of making final programming decisions for the 2017 Tanglewood season, we look forward to sharing the full season announcement about these and other programs this fall."

Nelsons extended his stay at Tanglewood this summer after Christoph von Dohnányi, who was originally scheduled to lead the BSO in Beethoven's Ninth, was forced to withdraw from the performance over health concerns.

Nelsons, meanwhile, had a rare gap in his schedule after he withdrew abruptly from a new production of Richard Wagner's "Parsifal" at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany earlier this summer.

Nelsons, who has steadfastly declined to elaborate on his reasons for withdrawing from the production, said in an earlier statement issued by his management team that, "owing to a differing approach in various matters, the atmosphere at this year's Bayreuth Festival did not develop in a mutually comfortable way for all parties.

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Early Sunday, German media reported that Nelsons and the Bayreuth Festival have agreed to terminate their contract for "Parsifal" in 2017.


Malcolm Gay can be reached at malcolm.gay@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @malcolmgay.