Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz felt a tiny invisible motor inside of her. “Thanks to this, I run, not walk,” she said. That rings true in her compact Overture that opened last week’s Minnesota Orchestra concert. Next on the program, two boundless stars, Poland’s Marta Gardolińska and pianist Behzod Abduraimov, teamed up beautifully to uncover the soul of Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Listen to the concert now!
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Marta Gardolińska, conductor
Behzod Abduraimov, piano *
GRAŻYNA BACEWICZ Overture
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2 *
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)
‘Thomas Søndergård: Taken by the Sound’
Melissa Ousley joined Minnesota Orchestra music director Thomas Søndergård in his native Denmark last year to explore some of the most important places in his life. Join them as they walk through his memories, musical and otherwise, in this documentary short.
Previous concerts
James MacMillan leads the Minnesota Orchestra
Composer and conductor James MacMillan’s religious faith is at the core of his music. In his Minnesota Orchestra conducting debut last Friday, March 28, audiences heard two powerful examples. He also conducted one of the most popular hits by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who, despite not being religious, wrote the Russian Easter Overture that concludes with what he called “the unbridled pagan religious merry-making of Easter Sunday.” Listen to the concert now!
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Sir James MacMillan, conductor
Sonia Mantell, cello *
RICHARD WAGNER Good Friday Spell from Parsifal
JAMES MACMILLAN Kiss on Wood for Cello and String Orchestra *
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Russian Easter Overture
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Isle of the Dead
JAMES MACMILLAN Woman of the Apocalypse
Erin Keefe and the Minnesota Orchestra play Beethoven
Dobrinka Tabakova’s relationship with Franz Schubert began when she was a child and was drawn to the purity of his music. Her homage not only creates a universe where Schubert’s presence is felt, it’s also a cosmic portal to his Symphony No. 8. On March 14, the Minnesota Orchestra and guest conductor Tabita Berglund performed both pieces in a program that also featured concertmaster Erin Keefe in the spotlight with Ludwig van Beethoven’s beloved Violin Concerto. Listen to the concert now!
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Tabita Berglund, conductor
Erin Keefe, violin *
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto *
DOBRINKA TABAKOVA Fantasy Homage to Schubert
FRANZ SCHUBERT Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished)
Upcoming concerts
Friday, April 25 at 8 p.m. — Søndergård Conducts Future Classics
If you believe classical music has a vibrant future, you know it’s important to nurture the next generation of creators. The Composer Institute, a residency for emerging composers, culminates in this concert of exciting new music played with rigor, conviction and heart by the Minnesota Orchestra.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Kevin Puts, host and Composer Institute director *
Program TBA
Friday, May 2 at 8 p.m. — Søndergård Conducts Puccini’s Turandot
Although Puccini felt his creative powers were on the decline when he composed his last opera, he doesn’t appear to have run out of ideas. Thomas Søndergård, known for his skill in leading opera, now brings to the Twin Cities the high drama of Puccini’s Turandot, which features the emotionally riveting aria “Nessun Dorma.” The cast is headlined by star soprano Christine Goerke in the title role.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Christine Goerke, soprano
Adolfo Corrado, bass
Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, soprano
Minnesota Chorale
Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs
GIACOMO PUCCINI Turandot
Friday, May 9 at 8 p.m. — Søndergård, Fliter and Mozart
Karim Al-Zand’s Luctus Profugis: Elegy for the Displaced is a lament for orchestra and percussion that reflects on the European refugee crisis of 2015-2019. Listen for the simple three-note motif that repeats for the duration, signifying refugees’ tenacity and resilience. Then listen to pianist Ingrid Fliter take on Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17. The concert ends with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 (The Year 1905), which references the Russian Revolution of that year.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Ingrid Fliter, piano *
KARIM AL-ZAND Luctus Profugis: Elegy for the Displaced
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Piano Concerto No. 17
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 11 (The Year 1905)
Friday, May 16 at 8 p.m. — James Ehnes Plays Dvořák
The Czech influence is deeply felt in this program. For Janáček, we pull out all the stops with his Sinfonietta. In Smetana, we go beyond The Moldau for another treasure from his collection, Má Vlast. And James Ehnes, who was a teenager the first time he performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, returns to play Dvořák.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Edward Gardner, conductor
James Ehnes, violin *
GEORGE WALKER Folksongs
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Violin Concerto *
BEDŘICH SMETANA Tabor from Má Vlast
LEOŠ JANÁČEK Sinfonietta
Friday, May 30 at 8 p.m. — Heyward, Beethoven and Schumann
Two debut artists on this program you won’t want to miss: a pianist known for performing barefoot and a conductor who wears Chuck Taylors on the podium. Alice Sara Ott believes music has no timestamp, and Jonathon Heyward wants to break down musical barriers. Their collaboration is sure to be memorable.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Jonathon Heyward, conductor
Alice Sara Ott, piano *
HANNAH KENDALL He Stretches Out the North Over the Void and Hangs the Earth on Nothing
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 *
ROBERT SCHUMANN Symphony No. 2
Friday, June 6 at 8 p.m. — Fei Xie Plays Jolivet
Wynton Marsalis’ Blues Symphony takes the 12-bar blues and explodes it into a lyrical, kaleidoscopic history of American music. A frequent Marsalis collaborator, Cristian Măcelaru has conducted the symphony in performances and a recording. Then listen to what many consider the most difficult concerto in the bassoon repertoire, played by our beloved principal bassoon Fei Xie. Don’t miss this trifecta of Minnesota Orchestra firsts!
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Cristian Măcelaru, conductor
Fei Xie, bassoon *
WYNTON MARSALIS Selections from Blues Symphony
ANDRÉ JOLIVET Bassoon Concerto *
GEORGE ENESCU Symphony No. 1
Friday, June 13 at 8 p.m. — Søndergård Conducts Rachmaninoff
Carlos Simon’s music challenges us to explore our past to mourn, celebrate and take ownership. This time, the gateway is dance — with ties to American slavery, Reconstruction and Jim Crow. Chopin Competition winner Bruce Liu says “Do not find yourself in the music, but find the music in yourself.” He’ll play Sergei Prokofiev’s dazzling Piano Concerto No. 3. The season concludes with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s rhythmic Symphonic Dances.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Bruce Liu, piano *
CARLOS SIMON Four Black American Dances
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 *
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances
Thursday, June 19 at 7 p.m. — Juneteenth
In celebration and remembrance of Juneteenth, the annual commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans, the Minnesota Orchestra, alongside guests and members of the Twin Cities community, will perform a program featuring music by African-American composers.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Bruce Liu, piano *
JAMES P. JOHNSON Victory Stride
MARY D. WATKINS Soul of Remembrance from Five Movements in Color
MICHAEL ABELS Delights and Dances
JAMES LEE III Freedom’s Genuine Dawn
VALERIE COLEMAN Umoja
CARLOS SIMON “Ring Shout” from Four Black American Dances
‘Celebrating a Century on the Airwaves’
On most Friday nights, no matter where you are in the state — or in the world, for that matter — you can look forward to tuning into YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio to hear a live concert. From a radio debut in 1923 under Bruno Walter to television transmissions in the 1950s and the ensemble’s unprecedented international broadcast from Havana in 2015, the orchestra has always been on the forefront of finding new ways to connect audiences with music.
Reflecting on 100 years of radio broadcast history, MPR host Melissa Ousley sat down with historian John Michel, technical director Michael Osborne and former broadcast host and current orchestra staffer Brian Newhouse for a spirited retelling of this vital history.
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