Osmo Vänskä and Joshua Bell
Thu Sep 23 — Fri Sep 24, 2021
Orchestra Hall
A new season begins as Music Director Osmo Vänskä conducts music written for our very own city of Minneapolis in Kalevi Aho’s Minea. Then one of Western classical music’s greatest talents, violinist Joshua Bell, takes the stage for Max Bruch’s heroic Scottish Fantasy. Jessie Montgomery’s Banner invites us to consider the sound of an anthem for our time before Vänskä and the Orchestra soar through one of history’s extraordinary symphonies, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth. We’ve waited two years to launch a season like this!
A Few Things to Know
- Vänskä’s first concerts as music director of the Minnesota Orchestra took place in September 2003; Beethoven’s Fifth was the symphony he selected to make the opening statement of his 19-year tenure.
- Minea was commissioned by Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra with the goal of giving every musician onstage “an opportunity to shine.”
- Joshua Bell was the guest soloist in Vänskä’s very first conducting appearance at Orchestra Hall, three years before being named music director.
Program
-
AHO
Minea
1 min noteOne Minute Note
In this concert opener by Kalevi Aho that was premiered by the Minnesota Orchestra in 2009, scored for large orchestra with an expanded percussion section, each instrument is given a chance to shine as volume and tempo increase throughout.
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BRUCH
Scottish Fantasy
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Although he was German, Max Bruch was attracted to the folksongs of Scotland and Wales. His Scottish Fantasy, while not technically a violin concerto, spotlights the solo violin in a prelude and four movements—played without pause—ranging from a solemn prelude to a heroic, virtuoso close, and incorporating a variety of folk tunes.
- INTERMISSION
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MONTGOMERY
Banner
1 min noteOne Minute Note
In Banner, Jessie Montgomery asks us: “What does an anthem for the 21st century sound like in today’s multi-cultural environment?” Her answer includes individual voices interacting with a unified ensemble through fragments of music from The Star-Spangled Banner, the Mexican national anthem, protest songs, Puerto Rican melodies, folk songs and more, blending together the musical icons of a diversified world.
-
BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 5
1 min noteOne Minute Note
The narrative of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is a classic example of progress from turbulence to victory. The four notes of the familiar opening are heard throughout the first movement. The Andante brings variations on a lovely, arching melody; the third movement seems ghostly and threatening. Beethoven then tunnels through the darkness, drums thudding, into bright C-major light.
Artists
Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä
conductor
Joshua Bell
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.
Minnesota Orchestra Conductor Laureate Osmo Vänskä, whose 19-year tenure as the Orchestra’s music director concluded in summer 2022, is renowned internationally for his compelling interpretations of the standard, contemporary and Nordic repertoires. His multi-year project with the Orchestra to perform and record all ten Mahler symphonies concluded in November 2022 with the Third Symphony. Signature initiatives of his music director tenure included a Sibelius symphonies cycle that earned the Orchestra its first Grammy Award and major tours to Cuba, Europe and South Africa. As a guest conductor, he has received extraordinary praise for his work with many of the world’s leading orchestras.
With a career spanning almost four decades, GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell is one of the most celebrated artists of his era. Having performed with virtually every major orchestra in the world, Bell continues to maintain engagements as soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, conductor and Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Bell's highlights in the 2021-22 season include leading the Academy of St Martin in the Fields at the 2021 BBC Proms, throughout Europe, and the U.S. on tour; returning with the Philadelphia Orchestra for a play/conduct program, to the Verbier Festival, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic; and tours with the Israel Philharmonic and NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra as soloist. Additional 2021-22 performances to be announced.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bell joined the classical music world in bringing world-class performances online. In summer 2020, PBS presented Joshua Bell: At Home With Music, a nationwide broadcast directed by Tony and Emmy award winner, Dori Berinstein, produced entirely in lockdown.
Your Concert Experience
Join us for Q&A’s, hosted discussions, pre and post-show drinks with musicians and more. All free with your concert ticket!
Concert Preview
When: Thu Sep 23 | 6:45-7:15pm
Where: Target Atrium
Join Phillip Gainsley and Minnesota Orchestra musicians Natsuki Kumagai, Sam Bergman, and Sophia Mockler for a conversation about the upcoming Minnesota Orchestra season and more.
National Anthem Responses Display
When: Thu Sep 23 | Pre-concert and Intermission
Where: Balcony A
These concerts include both The Star Spangled Banner and Jessie Montgomery's Banner, which explores the idea of the anthem for the 21st century. Artists from Homewood Studios share visual responses to the topic alongside written remarks about the national anthem's history by scholar Melinda Russell.
Concert Preview
When: Fri Sep 24 | 7:15-7:45pm
Where: Target Atrium
Join Phillip Gainsley and Minnesota Orchestra musicians Natsuki Kumagai, Sam Bergman, and Sophia Mockler for a conversation about the upcoming Minnesota Orchestra season and more.
National Anthem Responses Display
When: Fri Sep 24 | Pre-concert and Intermission
Where: Balcony A
These concerts include both The Star Spangled Banner and Jessie Montgomery's Banner, which explores the idea of the anthem for the 21st century. Artists from Homewood Studios share visual responses to the topic alongside written remarks about the national anthem's history by scholar Melinda Russell.
Accessibility Services
- Assistive Listening Devices
- Large Print Programs
- Service Animals
- Wheelchair & Accessible Seating
Additional services are available upon request.
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