Exploring Symphony No. 5 with Sam Bergman
Sat Jan 15 — Sun Jan 16, 2022
Orchestra Hall
Why did Sibelius write two significantly different versions of the same symphony? And why does Minnesota Orchestra violist Sam Bergman call Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony “the Best Piece?” Get the answers to these questions and learn many other compositional secrets in this one-of-a-kind concert. Hear from Sam and Osmo Vänskä about the unusual history of Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony and explore examples along the way. Then, sit back for a complete performance of this soaring symphony.
A Few Things to Know
- “Today I saw 16 swans. God, what beauty! They circled over me for a long time. Disappeared into the solar haze like a silver ribbon.” – Jean Sibelius, from his diary and the inspiration for a theme in his Fifth Symphony.
- Since 2005, Sam Bergman has produced, written and hosted more than 40 original narrated performances for the Minnesota Orchestra, many in collaboration with conductor Sarah Hicks.
Program
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SIBELIUS
Symphony No. 5
Artists
Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä
conductor
Sam Bergman
host
The Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra, founded in 1903 and led since its centennial by Music Director Osmo Vänskä, is recognized for distinguished performances around the world, award-winning recordings, radio broadcasts, educational engagement programs, and commitment to building the orchestral repertoire of the future. The Orchestra tours regularly throughout Minnesota and nationally, and has toured abroad in Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and South Africa. Recording has been an important part of the organization’s mission since the 1920s. During Vänskä’s tenure, the Orchestra has undertaken acclaimed recordings, including complete cycles of symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven, Jean Sibelius and—now underway—Mahler.
Since becoming the Orchestra’s music director in 2003, Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä has led the ensemble on several major international tours, including historic tours to Cuba and South Africa and six visits to Europe. His recording projects with the Orchestra have met with great success, including a Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance for an album of Sibelius symphonies. Vänskä's 19-year tenure as music director comes to a close at the end of the 2021-22 season, a year in which the Orchestra will celebrate his lasting impact through performances of Sibelius symphonies and other signature repertoire, reconnections with favorite guest soloists and the continuation of a project to perform and record all ten Mahler symphonies.
Violist Sam Bergman joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 2000 at the age of 23. Born in Boston, he grew up primarily in small-town Pennsylvania, studying violin and viola with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra. He attended Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, studying viola with Jeffrey Irvine and Lynne Ramsey, and played as a member of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra in Birmingham before coming to Minneapolis.
Accessibility Services
- Assistive Listening Devices
- Large Print Programs
- Service Animals
- Wheelchair & Accessible Seating
Additional services are available upon request.
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