In Minnesota Orchestra Debut, Composer and Pianist Gabriela Montero Performs Her Own Concerto

Conducted by Carlos Miguel Prieto, the February 3 and 4 programs feature repertoire inspired by Spanish and Latin American musical traditions, including Maurice Ravel’s Rapsodie Espagnole, Carlos Chávez’s Sinfonía India and a suite from The Three-Cornered Hat by Manuel de Falla

The concert on Friday, February 3, will be broadcast on Twin Cities PBS (TPT-2) and livestreamed through the Orchestra’s website and social media channels

In what will be the Venezuelan pianist’s first appearance at Orchestra Hall, Gabriela Montero will play her Latin Piano Concerto, which she notes “shows the complexities of South American life.” The work was premiered in 2016 with the Orchestra of the Americas under the direction of conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto, who makes his return to the Minnesota Orchestra in these concerts.

The program will be performed at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis on Friday, February 3, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, February 4, at 8 p.m., with ticket prices range from $30 to $99. Free tickets are available for young listeners under the age of 18, thanks to the Orchestra’s Hall Pass program. For more information, visit minnesotaorchestra.org/hallpass.

The performance on Friday, February 3, will be broadcast live on Twin Cities PBS (TPT-2) and YourClassical MPR, and streamed live for free through the Orchestra's website and social media channels. The broadcast will subsequently be released for on-demand viewing with a digital subscription to the Orchestra’s Digital Concert Hall.

Montero’s Latin concerto is the Latin Grammy Award-winner’s first large-scale composition. Before Montero takes the stage, Prieto and the Orchestra will open the program with Maurice Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole. Born in southwestern France near its border with Spain, Ravel was deeply influenced by the region and his own Spanish heritage; his lively, four-movement Rapsodie was among the first major works he wrote for an orchestra.

After intermission, the Orchestra will perform Carlos Chávez’s Sinfonía India, the most popular of the Mexican composer’s six symphonies. Sinfonía India exemplifies Chávez’s interest in Indigenous instrumentation; the work uses many special percussion instruments including a jicara de agua (a water gourd), guiro, cascabeles (a Yaqui metal rattle) and several Mexican drums that are not typically found in Western orchestral music. The program concludes with a suite from Manuel de Falla’s jubilant ballet, The Three-Cornered Hat. One of the most distinguished Spanish composers of the 20th century, de Falla wrote the score based on a popular pantomime, with the sound inspired by folk music of Andalusia—a region of southern Spain; at this performance, the Orchestra will perform selected movements chosen by Prieto drawn from the composer's Suites No. 1 and 2.

 

About Carlos Miguel Prieto

Carlos Miguel Prieto’s charismatic conducting and expressive interpretations have led to major engagements and critical acclaim throughout the Americas, Europe and internationally. Born into a musical family of Spanish and French descent in Mexico City, he has been the music director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México—the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the American continent—since 2007. He has additionally served as music director of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra since 2006 and Mexico City’s Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería since 2008. During the 2023-24 season, he will begin his tenure as music director of the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra.

A staunch proponent of music education, Prieto has conducted the Orchestra of the Americas—which draws young musicians from the entire continent—alongside Gustavo Dudamel, since 2002. He is also renowned for championing Latin American music and for his dedication to new music; he has conducted over 100 world premieres of works by Mexican and American composers, many of which were commissioned by him. In 2019, Prieto was recognized as Musical America’s conductor of the year.

About Gabriela Montero

Born in Venezuela, Gabriela Montero started her piano studies at age four, making her concerto debut at age eight in her hometown of Caracas. Her visionary interpretations and unique compositional gifts have garnered her critical acclaim and a devoted following on the world stage. Recipient of the prestigious 2018 Heidelberger Frühling Music Prize, Montero’s recent and forthcoming highlights include debuts with the New World Symphony, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony in Tokyo, Orquesta de Valencia and the Bournemouth Symphony, the latter of which featured her as artist-in-residence for the 2019-20 season.

Celebrated for her exceptional musicality and ability to improvise, Montero has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras to date. A graduate and fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London, Montero is also a frequent recitalist and chamber musician, having given concerts at distinguished venues from the Kennedy Center to the Sydney Opera House. She was also awarded the 2012 Rockefeller Award for her contribution to the arts and was a featured performer at Barack Obama’s 2009 presidential inauguration.

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Minnesota Orchestra Classical Concerts

RAPSODIE ESPAGNOLE

 

Friday, February 3, 2023, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall*

Saturday, February 4, 2023, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall

 

Minnesota Orchestra

Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor

Gabriela Montero, piano

 

RAVEL	Rapsodie espagnole
MONTERO	Piano Concerto No. 1, Latin
CHÁVEZ	Symphony No. 2, Sinfonía India
FALLA	Suite from The Three-Cornered Hat

 

Tickets: $30 to $99 [Free tickets available for young listeners ages 6 to 18, thanks to our Hall Pass program.]

* The performance on Friday, February 3, will be broadcast on Twin Cities PBS (TPT-2) and YourClassical MPR, and streamed live for free through the Orchestra’s website and social media channels. The concert will subsequently be released for on-demand viewing with a digital subscription through the Minnesota Orchestra’s Digital Concert Hall.

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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.

Details around COVID safety protocols can be found at minnesotaorchestra.org/safety

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

Our This Is Minnesota Orchestra digital concert series is made possible in part by a generous lead gift from Kathryn and Charles Cunningham. Digital subscriptions are available for purchase; the $60 annual household subscription can be purchased at minnesotaorchestra.org/digital-concerts.

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.

 

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