About Press Room Peter Serkin performs Brahms' two piano concertos, one each in two distinct programsPeter Serkin performs Brahms' two piano concertos, one each in two distinct programs
Osmo Vänskä and Minnesota Orchestra perform all-Brahms concerts January 13, 19 and 21
January 13 program includes Brahms’ youthful First Piano Concerto and First Serenade; January 19 and 21 concerts feature Second Piano Concerto and the landmark First Symphony
(December 15, 2011) The Minnesota Orchestra’s Bravo Brahms series continues as Grammy Award-winning pianist Peter Serkin performs Brahms’ two piano concertos—masterpieces for the instrument the composer himself played—one each in two separate all-Brahms programs. On January 13 the Orchestra performs two of Brahms’ earliest orchestral works: the First Piano Concerto and the symphony-length First Serenade. The concerts on January 19 and 21 feature the Second Piano Concerto and the First Symphony, both of which Brahms completed after he had earned wide acclaim as a composer.
Music Director Osmo Vänskä conducts all three concerts, which are performed at Orchestra Hall on Friday, January 13, at 8 p.m.; Thursday, January 19, at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, January 21, at 8 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $26 to $84. [Editor’s note: A different all-Brahms program is performed on Friday, January 20; see forthcoming release for information or visit minnesotaorchestra.org/pressroom to view all press releases.] For tickets, call (612) 371-5656 or visit minnesotaorchestra.org.
Peter Serkin, piano
Peter Serkin—son of the great pianist Rudolf Serkin and grandson of composer-violinist Adolf Busch—has long been counted among the world’s most esteemed keyboard artists. Acclaimed for his performances of the traditional repertoire, he is also an avid proponent of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire and has premiered works by such composers as Tōru Takemitsu, Peter Lieberson, Charles Wuorinen and Elliott Carter.
Serkin first appeared with the Minnesota Orchestra in 1969 and since has been welcomed back regularly, most recently in 2007, when he presented Messiaen’s Exotic Birds and Bach’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor.
Serkin has collaborated with artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Pamela Frank, Alexander Schneider and the Budapest, Orion and Guarneri string quartets and TASHI, of which he is a founding member. He won a Grammy Award at the age of 19 and has received numerous additional recording honors, including Grammy nominations for a Mozart disc and two Messaien albums. His most recent recording includes Schoenberg’s complete works for solo piano.
Two piano concertos, separated by two decades
Brahms was 20 years old when he began writing his first orchestral work—initially sketching a symphony, then changing course, instead composing the First Piano Concerto. His relationships with two of his early champions, Robert and Clara Schumann, were driving forces in the compositional process. The turbulent first movement was a response, in part, to Robert Schumann’s suicide attempt in 1854, while the slow movement was what Brahms called a “lovely portrait” of Clara. Brahms himself was soloist in the concerto’s public premiere in 1859, where it was harshly received with hisses; the work eventually found favor and is now considered one of Brahms’ first masterpieces.
The Second Piano Concerto has achieved even greater renown than its predecessor. Premiered by Brahms 22 years after the First, it is notable for its epic scope, inner warmth and broad emotional range. Comprising four movements rather than the three in a typical concerto, it demands great technical prowess of the soloist and an especially wide span of the hands. Of note are a dreamy opening by horns, a tempestuous scherzo, a melancholy Andante with a beautiful cello melody, and an agile rondo finale.
Peter Serkin’s father Rudolf Serkin performed both Brahms piano concertos with the Minnesota Orchestra multiple times: the First in 1942 and 1954, and the Second in 1941, 1950 and 1975.
Minnesota Orchestra Classical Concert—Bravo Brahms!
SERKIN AND PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1
Friday, January 13, 2012, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall
Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, conductor
Peter Serkin, piano
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1
Serenade No. 1
Music Up Close: Concert Preview with Alison Young – Jan. 13, 7 p.m.
Minnesota Orchestra Classical Concerts—Bravo Brahms!
SERKIN AND PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2
Thursday, January 19, 2012, 7:30 p.m. / Orchestra Hall
Saturday, January 21, 2012, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall
Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, conductor
Peter Serkin, piano
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2
Symphony No. 1
Music Up Close: Concert Preview with Courtney Lewis – Jan. 19, 6:30 p.m.; Jan 21, 7 p.m.
Ask Osmo! Post-concert Q&A with Music Director Osmo Vänskä – Jan. 21
Individual tickets are available for purchase at the Minnesota Orchestra Box Office at 11th and Marquette in Minneapolis, online at minnesotaorchestra.org or by calling (612) 371-5656 or (800) 292-4141. For groups of 10 or more, call (612) 371-5662 or (800) 292-4141, ext. 662. Prices listed do not include a $5.75 service charge per transaction for all phone or mail orders. Save $1 by purchasing tickets online or by having the Orchestra e-mail your tickets. There are no service charges for subscribers, group purchasers or in-person transactions at the Orchestra Hall Box Office. A non-discountable $3.50 facility fee is included in the price of each individual ticket. No refunds. Some fees and restrictions may apply to ticket exchanges. All sales are final. All programs, artists, dates, times and prices subject to change.
Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the Minnesota Orchestra’s 2011-12 season.
The Star Tribune, 830 WCCO-AM and 102.9 LiteFM are the Minnesota Orchestra’s media partners for the 2011-12 season.
This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the State’s general fund and its arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
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