Mozart, Chin and Stravinsky's Firebird
Fri Feb 11 — Sat Feb 12, 2022
Orchestra Hall
Unsuk Chin’s music has been described as a suspenseful, chilling and full of unexpected soundscapes. The Minnesota Orchestra opens this program, conducted by returning guest conductor Dima Slobodeniouk, with Frontispiece, a brief composition that Chin describes as “a time lapse…of the history of music” comprising countless tiny musical fragments and gestures. Violinist Baiba Skride returns to Orchestra Hall to perform Mozart’s Fourth Violin Concerto, and the Orchestra sends audiences out into the evening with a performance of Stravinsky’s complete Firebird ballet, a 1910 work that revolutionized orchestral music and opened new worlds of sonic possibilities.
A Few Things to Know
- Frontispiece is a term that describes either the front of a building or an illustration preceding the title page of a book or other printed publication.
- "Skride creates such a gigantic volume that it almost sounds like she has a violoncello under her chin. Phenomenal." -Berliner Tagesspiegel
- Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite was the first of three ballets he composed shortly before World War I. It is one of the most famous orchestral pieces performed today, but it’s not common to hear the complete ballet, which is what the Minnesota Orchestra performs in these concerts.
Program
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CHIN
Frontispiece
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Contemporary composer Unsuk Chin describes Frontispiece as “a time lapse…of the history of music” comprising countless tiny musical fragments and gestures that are sometimes jarring, sometimes calm and never predictable. Among the composers alluded to—but not quoted—are Bruckner, Ives, Webern and Boulez.
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MOZART
Violin Concerto No. 4
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Mozart’s penultimate violin concerto is virtuosic music packed with surprises. In the opening movement, the orchestra recedes and the soloist takes command, gracefully elaborating on the themes; the Andante cantabile is pure song with the second of the work’s two cadenzas; and the Rondeau finale is music fit for a French court, incorporating a tune Mozart encountered in Strasbourg.
- INTERMISSION
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STRAVINSKY
The Firebird (complete ballet)
1 min noteOne Minute Note
The heroic Prince Ivan and a magical Firebird are revealed with brilliant orchestral colors. The gentle dance of captive princesses, the prince’s effort to free them, and the evil sorcerer’s defeat by the Firebird—all is painted in the most vivid musical imagery.
Artists
Minnesota Orchestra
Dima Slobodeniouk
conductor
Baiba Skride
violin
The Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra, led by Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård—who is serving as music director designate during the 2022-23 season—is recognized for distinguished performances around the world, award-winning recordings and broadcasts, educational engagement programs, and commitment to building the orchestral repertoire of the future. Founded in 1903, the Orchestra has an extensive history of touring throughout Minnesota, nationally and abroad, including high-profile visits in recent years to Cuba, Europe and South Africa. Recording projects undertaken in the past two decades include complete cycles of symphonies by Beethoven, Sibelius and Mahler, all recorded under Osmo Vänskä, who is now the Orchestra’s conductor laureate.
Lauded for his deeply informed and intelligent artistic leadership, Dima Slobodeniouk has held the position of Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia since 2013, which he combines with his positions as Principal Conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Sibelius Festival following his appointment in 2016. Linking his native Russian roots with the cultural influence of his later homeland Finland, he draws on the powerful musical heritage of these two countries.
He works with orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago, Baltimore as well as Sydney and NHK Symphony Orchestras.
Baiba Skride’s natural approach to her music-making has endeared her to some of today’s most important conductors and orchestras worldwide. She is consistently invited for her refreshing interpretations, her sensitivity and delight in the music.
The list of prestigious orchestras with whom she has worked include the Berliner Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, New York Philharmonic, Concertgebouworkest, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Orchestre de Paris, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and NHK Symphony Orchestra. Notable conductors she collaborates with include Marin Alsop, Christoph Eschenbach, Ed Gardner, Susanna Mälkki, Andris Nelsons, Andres Orozco-Estrada, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Andris Poga, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Tugan Sokhiev, John Storgårds, Juraj Valcuha and Kazuki Yamada.
Your Concert Experience
Join us for Q&A’s, hosted discussions, exhibits and more. All free with your concert ticket!
Ballet Co.Laboratory
When: Fri Feb 11 & Sat Feb 12 | 7:15pm-7:45pm
Where: Roberta Mann Grand Foyer
Join Ballet Co.Laboratory before the concert to learn the story behind Igor Stravinsky and Michel Fokine’s ballet, The Firebird. Enjoy excerpts of the ballet adapted from Fokine’s original choreography and performed by the dancers of Ballet Co.Laboratory’s professional company.
Concert Preview
with Nicholas Landrum
When: Fri Feb 11 & Sat Feb 12 | 7:05pm -7:25pm
Where: Auditorium
Join composer Nicholas Landrum for a conversation about the idea of “revolutionary composers” and the interplay of drawing on the past to push into the future.
Indulge at the Elixir Haus
When: Pre-Concert and Intermission
Where: Cargill Commons
Beverage service is available before and during each winter concert at Elixir Haus (located outside Orchestra Hall). Grab your coat and head outside for a sip of spirits or a cup of hot cocoa.
Video: Roderick Cox conducts the Minnesota Orchestra in the finale from Stravinsky's Firebird Suite
Accessibility Services
- Assistive Listening Devices
- Large Print Programs
- Service Animals
- Wheelchair & Accessible Seating
Additional services are available upon request.
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