Violinist Augustin Hadelich Returns to Minnesota Orchestra in Program Led by Thomas Søndergård

Hadelich will perform Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto in a program that also features Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations, William Walton’s Scapino and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Idyll

A frequent guest of the Minnesota Orchestra since his debut with the ensemble in 2015, Grammy Award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich will return to Orchestra Hall to perform Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto with Music Director Thomas Søndergård at the podium. Regarded for his virtuosity with a wide-ranging repertoire, Hadelich often performs Britten’s monumental Violin Concerto with orchestras around the world and released a recording of the work in 2022. Søndergård and Hadelich recently performed the piece together with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in January 2023.

The program will take place at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis on Friday, January 5, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, January 6, at 2 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $39 to $106. Free tickets for both programs are available to young listeners ages 6 to 18 thanks to the Orchestra’s Hall Pass program. Choose Your Price tickets are available to concertgoers for select seating sections ($10 minimum ticket price) for the January 6 program. The January 5 performance will be broadcast live on stations of YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio. Following the January 6 concert, the audience is invited to stay for an onstage conversation between Søndergård and YourClassical host Melissa Ousley.

In addition to the concerto by Britten, the program will feature three other works written by English composers that premiered between 1899 and 1941. The concerts will open with William Walton’s Scapino, A Comedy Overture, which was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1941. Walton drew his inspiration from a series of 17th-century sketches based on a character in the commedia dell’arte—an early form of comedic Italian theater.

The program’s second half will begin with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Idyll, a dreamlike work that highlights woodwinds and horns, as well as the lyricism of the strings. Though its first premiere took place in 1901, a fully engraved set of score parts for Idyll only became widely available in 2021; the Minnesota Orchestra performed and made the first professional recording of Idyll in 2022 as part of its Listening Project initiative, which spotlights the music of historically underrepresented composers.

The concerts will culminate with Variations on an Original Theme, a work by Edward Elgar. Commonly known as Enigma Variations, the piece comprises 14 variations on the same theme, each of which honors an important person in the composer’s life. Enigma Variations has become one of the most popular works in the classical repertoire, and the variation entitled “Nimrod”—which depicts the publisher August Jaeger, a friend of Elgar—is regularly performed during patriotic and royal events around Britain.

 

About Thomas Søndergård

Thomas Søndergård began his tenure as the Minnesota Orchestra’s 11th music director in September 2023. A highly regarded conductor in both the orchestral and opera spheres, he has earned a reputation for incisive interpretations of works by composers from his native Denmark, a great versatility in a broad range of standard and modern repertoire, and a collaborative approach with the musicians he leads. Since 2018 Søndergård has been music director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO), a role he is continuing alongside his Minnesota appointment. Prior to joining the RSNO, he served as principal conductor and musical advisor to the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and then as principal conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW). As a guest conductor he has led major European and North American orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Gewandhaus Orchestra, Houston Symphony, London Philharmonic and the symphonies of London, Montreal and Toronto. More: minnesotaorchestra.org.

About Augustin Hadelich

Augustin Hadelich is one of the great violinists of his generation. From Bach to Brahms and Bartók to Adès, he has mastered a wide-ranging and adventurous repertoire. Often referred to by colleagues as a “musician’s musician,” he is consistently cited worldwide for his phenomenal technique, soulful approach and insightful interpretations. He has performed with nearly every major orchestra in Europe, Asia, and North and South America. Hadelich is the winner of a 2016 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for his recording of Henri Dutilleux’s Violin Concerto, L’Arbre des songes, with the Seattle Symphony under Ludovic Morlot (Seattle Symphony MEDIA). A Warner Classics Artist, his most recent releases include a Grammy-nominated double CD of the six solo sonatas and partitas of Johann Sebastian Bach, and a recording with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne that includes selections from Pablo de Sarasate, Sergei Prokofiev, Francisco Tárrega and Benjamin Britten. More: augustinhadelich.com.

---

Minnesota Orchestra Classical Concerts

SØNDERGÅRD CONDUCTS ENIGMA VARIATIONS

 

Friday, January 5, 2024, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall*

Saturday, January 6, 2024, 2 p.m. / Orchestra Hall

 

Minnesota Orchestra

Thomas Søndergård, conductor

Augustin Hadelich, violin

 

WALTON	Scapino
BRITTEN	Violin Concerto
COLERIDGE-TAYLOR	Idyll
ELGAR	Enigma Variations

 

Tickets: $39 to $106 [Free tickets available for young listeners ages 6 to 18, thanks to the Hall Pass program. Choose Your Price tickets ($10 minimum ticket price) are available for select seating sections for the January 6 concert.]

* The performance on Friday, January 5, 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.