Tuesday October 24, 2023
In His Minnesota Orchestra Debut, Pianist Bertrand Chamayou to Perform Saint-Saëns’ Fifth Piano Concerto
Led by conductor Fabien Gabel, the November 16-18 program includes two works never performed by the Minnesota Orchestra: Korngold’s The Sea Hawk Suite and Tchaikovsky’s The Tempest
Toulouse-born pianist Bertrand Chamayou is making his debut with the Minnesota Orchestra in these mid-November concerts, performing Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5. Chamayou is a leading interpreter of French classical repertoire, including that of Saint-Saëns; in 2019, he was awarded the Gramophone Recording of the Year Award for his recording of the composer’s Piano Concertos No. 2 and 5. Saint-Saëns borrowed the theme of this dazzling, wide-ranging work from songs overheard by boatmen on Egypt’s Nile River.
The program will be performed at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis on Thursday, November 16, at 11 a.m., Friday, November 17, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, November 18, at 7 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $36 to $111. Free tickets for all programs are available to young listeners under the age of 18 thanks to the Orchestra’s Hall Pass program. Choose Your Price tickets are available to all concertgoers for select seating sections ($5 minimum ticket price) for the November 18 program. The November 17 performance will be broadcast live on stations of YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio.
Fabien Gabel has been one of the Minnesota Orchestra’s most frequently appearing guest conductors in recent seasons, with this program marking his fifth engagement since April 2021. Known for his eclectic choice of repertoire, Gabel’s program includes fantastical and narrative-driven music. The concerts will open with Anatol Lyadov’s The Enchanted Lake, a mood-piece that borrows from the magical, dream-like quality of Russian folk legends.
The second half of the program includes two works that have never before been programmed at Orchestra Hall. The first, Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s The Sea Hawk Suite, was extracted from a 96-minute score that Korngold composed for a 1940 adventure film of the same name. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Tempest, Fantasy-Overture will conclude the program. Tchaikovsky’s composition—which ranks among his lesser-known orchestral works—brings Shakespeare’s story and characters to vivid life.
About Fabien Gabel
Fabien Gabel, the newly appointed music director designate of the Tonkunstler Orchestra, has established an international career of the highest caliber, appearing with orchestras from London and Paris to Chicago, Seoul and Melbourne. Praised for his dynamic style and sensitive approach to the score, he is best known for his eclectic choice of repertoire, ranging from core symphonic works to new music to championing lesser-known composers of the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 2023-24 season he returns as a guest of such orchestras as City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia and Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo. In Paris, he continues his work on a large-scale project to record a new score for Abel Gance’s epic 1927 film Napoléon with the Orchestre National de France and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, in a production which will appear in movie theaters and live performances, as well as on online streaming. More: opus3artists.com, fabiengabel.com.
About Bertrand Chamayou
French pianist Bertrand Chamayou has mastered an extensive repertoire and displays striking assurance, imagination, artistic approach and remarkable consistency in his performances. He is a regular performer in venues such as the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Lincoln Center, the Herkulessaal Munich and London’s Wigmore Hall. He has appeared at major festivals including New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, the Lucerne Festival and the Salzburg Festival. Last season saw him appear with orchestras including the Philharmonie de Paris, Vienna Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and San Francisco Symphony, as well as a tour across France with the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées. He is featured on a large number of highly successful recordings, including a Naïve CD of music by César Franck. The only artist to win France’s prestigious Victoires de la Musique on four occasions, he has an exclusive recording contract with Warner/Erato and was awarded the 2016 ECHO Klassik for his recording of Ravel’s complete works for solo piano. More: harrisonparrott.com, bertrandchamayou.com.
Minnesota Orchestra Classical Concerts
GABEL, SAINT-SAËNS AND TCHAIKOVSKY
Thursday, November 16, 2023, 11 a.m. / Orchestra Hall
Friday, November 17, 2023, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall*
Saturday, November 18, 2023, 7 p.m. / Orchestra Hall
Minnesota Orchestra
Fabien Gabel, conductor
Bertrand Chamayou, piano
| LYADOV | The Enchanted Lake |
| SAINT-SAËNS | Piano Concerto No. 5, Egyptian |
| KORNGOLD | The Sea Hawk Suite |
| TCHAIKOVSKY | The Tempest, Fantasy-Overture |
Tickets: $36 to $111 [Choose Your Price tickets are available to all concertgoers for select seating sections ($5 minimum ticket price) for the November 18 program. Free tickets for all programs are available to young listeners under the age of 18 thanks to the Orchestra’s Hall Pass program.]
* The Friday evening performance will be broadcast live on stations of YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio, including KSJN 99.5 FM in the Twin Cities.
TICKET PURCHASING INFORMATION
Tickets and subscription packages can be purchased at minnesotaorchestra.org or by calling 612-371-5656. For groups of 10 or more, call 612-371-5662.
The 2023-2024 Classical Season is presented by Ameriprise Financial.
The Hall Pass program makes free tickets available for young listeners ages 6 to 18 for select Classical and Symphony in 60 concerts, and all kids under 18 for Family concerts. This program is sponsored by Cynthia and Jay Ihlenfeld. For more information, visit minnesotaorchestra.org/hallpass.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
All programs, artists, dates, times and prices subject to change.