July 4th isn’t the same for some of us without Erich Kunzel on PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth.” Kunzel conducted the National Symphony Orchestra July 4th and Memorial Day concerts for nearly 20 years, until his death in 2009 at age 74.
Thanks to CET, Kunzel returns to TV on July 4, with two repeats of “Erich Kunzel: A Cincinnati Legacy,” a half-hour local special which premiered on July 4, 2010.
The Kunzel tribute airs twice – at 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Saturday -- following the 90-minute broadcasts of PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth” at 8 and 10 p.m.
Kunzel joined the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 1965, and conducted his first “8 O’Clock Pops” concert that October. The CET special shows how “Erich Kunzel was the consummate cheerleader for his city, and for the young talent he found here. ‘Erich Kunzel: A Cincinnati Legacy’ shares insight into the life of this creative, driven maestro, through stories told by his closest friends and colleagues,” according to the program description.
PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth” lineup includes Alabama, Barry Manilow, Lang Lang, KC and the Sunshine Band, Nicole Scherzinger, Hunter Hayes, Meghan Linsey, Ronan Tynan, Brad Whitford (“The West Wing”), Robert Davi, the National Symphony Orchestra, U.S. Army Band, U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery, U.S. Army Herald Trumpets and the Choral Arts Society of Washington.
