AFKHAM CONDUCTS SCHUMANN
Tue Mar 29, 2022 | 7pm CT
Orchestra Hall
David Afkham returns to Orchestra Hall to lead the Minnesota Orchestra in Richard Strauss’ imaginative Don Juan, Anton Webern’s expressive Passacaglia and Robert Schumann’s romantic Fourth Symphony.
Symphony in 60 features beloved classical composers and pieces in about an hour. We can’t wait to share this symphonic masterwork with you.
A Few Things to Know
- Drink a beer, fund the music! Join us before the concert during our happy hour to sample brews from MetroNOME brewery. Proceeds go to funding musical instruments, lessons, and education for students in the Twin Cities Metro Area.
Program
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R. STRAUSS
Don Juan
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Richard Strauss’ symphonic poem tells of a man’s romantic exploits, disillusionment with life and ultimate death in a swordfight; notable are the work’s mighty horn calls, sweeping violin music and gorgeous cantilena for solo oboe.
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WEBERN
Passacaglia
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Anton Webern’s Passacaglia blends lush Romantic orchestration with the expanded harmonic language of the 20th century. Pizzicato strings announce the theme in the opening measures, and 23 imaginative variations follow.
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R. SCHUMANN
Symphony No. 4
1 min noteOne Minute Note
The four movements of Robert Schumann’s Fourth Symphony are played without pause, with nearly the entire symphony growing out of one theme-shape from the opening measures. Of special note are a delicate Romance movement and an energetic finale in which the pace quickens again and again.
Artists
The Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra, now in its second century, ranks among America’s top symphonic ensembles, with a distinguished history of acclaimed performances in its home state and around the world; award-winning recordings, broadcasts and educational engagement programs; and a commitment to intentionally build concert programs to feature more works by composers of color, exploring music both contemporary and historic. This fall, Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård begins his tenure as music director.
David Afkham has just been announced as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orquestra y Coro Nacional de España from September 2019. This position will build on the success of his tenure as Principal Conductor of the orchestra since 2014, which has featured critically acclaimed performances of Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, Bruckner Symphony No. 9, Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, Brahms’ Requiem, Haydn’s Die Schöpfung, as well as several world premieres and semi-staged projects with Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer, Strauss’ Elektra, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle. Born in Freiburg, Germany, in 1983, David Afkham is in high demand as a guest conductor with some of the world’s finest orchestras and opera houses, and has established a reputation as one of the most sought-after conductors to emerge from Germany in recent years.
Future highlights as a guest conductor include returns with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Münchner Philharmoniker, HR Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Swedish Radio Symphony, Orchestra of Accademia Santa Cecilia and NHK Symphony Orchestra, as well as debuts with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra and Dresden Philharmonic.
Your Concert Experience
Join us for Q&A’s, hosted discussions, exhibits and more. All free with your concert ticket!
Pre- and Post-Concert Activities Sponsored By
Afkham was a model of physical grace and musical purpose on the podium.”
Accessibility Services
- Assistive Listening Devices
- Large Print Programs
- Service Animals
- Wheelchair & Accessible Seating
Additional services are available upon request.