Pianist Simon Trpčeski to Perform Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1

Conductor Scott Yoo returns to Orchestra Hall November 4 and 5 to lead the Minnesota Orchestra in concerts that also include Ulysses Kay’s Concerto for Orchestra and Béla Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta

Pianist Simon Trpčeski and conductor Scott Yoo both make their eagerly-anticipated returns to the Minnesota Orchestra in concerts on November 4 and 5 that feature one of the most famous and popular piano concertos ever written, plus two other colorful and adventurous works. These performances mark the second time Trpčeski has performed a fantastically demanding concerto with the Minnesota Orchestra. In his 2015 debut the Macedonian pianist played Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto; this time around he takes center stage in Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto.

The programs will be performed for two evenings on Friday, November 4, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, November 5, at 8 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $30 to $99. The concerts are free to attend through the Hall Pass program for young listeners ages 6 to 18; visit minnesotaorchestra.org/hallpass for details.

Also returning to Orchestra Hall for the concerts is guest conductor Scott Yoo, the chief conductor and artistic director of the Mexico City Philharmonic who is also widely known for hosting the PBS classical music series Now Hear This. In October 2021, Yoo led the Orchestra in recording sessions for the Listening Project—an initiative aimed at recording orchestral works by composers from historically marginalized and underrepresented racial groups. These upcoming November concerts include Ulysses Kay’s Concerto for Orchestra, one of the pieces featured in those earlier sessions.

The Minnesota Orchestra’s string and percussion sections figure prominently in the concert’s final piece: Hungarian composer Béla Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. The quirky composition involves a variety of percussion instruments and an unusual onstage orientation, as Bartók called for two string orchestras to be arranged on opposite sides of the stage, giving the one-of-a-kind work an energetic back-and-forth.

Trpčeski’s appearance inaugurates a season punctuated by visits to Orchestra Hall from some of the most celebrated pianists in recent musical history. Classical offerings in 2022-23 include notable performances of Tchaikovsky’s Second Piano Concerto by Alexandre Kantorow; Jessie Montgomery’s Rounds for Piano and String Orchestra by Awadagin Pratt; Kirill Gerstein’s interpretation of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto; Gabriela Montero playing her own Latin Piano Concerto; Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto by Olga Kern; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto by Garrick Ohlsson.

 

About Scott Yoo

Scott Yoo has served as the chief conductor and artistic director of the Mexico City Philharmonic since 2016. Since 2004 he has been music director of Festival Mozaic, an orchestral and chamber music festival in California. He is also the host and executive producer of the PBS series Now Hear This, which received an Emmy nomination in 2021. He first collaborated with the Minnesota Orchestra in October 2021, conducting the first-ever professional recordings of five works, including one featured on this week’s concerts, Ulysses Kay’s Concerto for Orchestra.

Yoo has conducted many major orchestras in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and his discography includes over 20 recordings. A proponent of the music of our time, he has premiered 71 works by 38 composers. Born in Tokyo and now living in Connecticut, he began his musical studies at age three, performed Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Boston Symphony at age 12 and later won first prize in the 1988 Josef Gingold International Violin Competition, among other high honors.

About Simon Trpčeski

Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski has established himself as one of the most remarkable musicians to have emerged in recent years. Launched onto the international scene 20 years ago as a BBC New Generation Artist, he has collaborated with over 100 orchestras on four continents, from New York and Los Angeles to London, Amsterdam, Seoul and Sydney. At his Minnesota Orchestra debut in 2015, he played Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto.

Trpčeski’s broad and award-winning discography includes repertoire such as Rachmaninoff’s complete works for piano and orchestra and the Sergei Prokofiev piano concertos as well as composers such as Francis Poulenc, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Variations, his latest solo album released in spring 2022, features works by Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadé Mozart. Committed to strengthening the cultural image of his native country, his chamber music project MAKEDOMISSIMO is dedicated to introducing audiences worldwide to the rich traditional Macedonian folk roots. In 2009 he received the Presidential Order of Merit for Macedonia and in 2011, he became the first-ever recipient of the title “National Artist of Macedonia.”

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Minnesota Orchestra Classical Concerts

TCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1

 

Friday, November 4, 2022, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall

Saturday, November 5, 2022, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall

 

Minnesota Orchestra

Scott Yoo, conductor

Simon Trpčeski, piano

 

KAY	Concerto for Orchestra
TCHAIKOVSKY	Piano Concerto No. 1
BARTÓK	Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta

 

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

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TICKET PURCHASING INFORMATION

Tickets and subscription packages can be purchased now at minnesotaorchestra.org or by calling 612-371-5656. For groups of 10 or more, call 612-371-5662.

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.

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

All programs, artists, dates, times and prices subject to change.

 

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