Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4
Fri Aug 27 — Sat Aug 28, 2021
Orchestra Hall
The Minnesota Orchestra’s summer season concludes with a thrilling grand finale conducted by Karina Canellakis. Pianist Jon Kimura Parker caps his first season onstage as the Orchesta’s creative partner for summer programming with two movements from the stunningly beautiful and exceptionally challenging Piano Concerto No. 21 by Wolfgang Amadè Mozart. The Orchestra will fill the stage again in a way that has not been possible for many months, allowing audience and musicians a chance to revel and reconnect through Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s emotional Fourth Symphony, the final movement of which the composer himself suggested was a reminder to “rejoice in the happiness of others.” Opening the program is the noble, blues-infused final movement from American composer William Grant Still’s First Symphony.
Program
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STILL
Lento, con risoluzione, from Symphony No. 1, Afro-American
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Still’s Afro-American Symphony blends two musical cultures into one, combining elements of jazz and African American spirituals with European classical forms. The fourth movement of his symphony—which opens tonight’s program—originally carried the title Aspiration, and the music is appropriately filled with hope and optimism.
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MOZART
Andante and Allegro vivace, from Piano Concerto No. 21
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 captivates audiences with an unlikely balance of constant momentum and entrancing beauty. An inventive piano solo, colored by brass fanfares and woodwind melodies, makes this a star among Mozart’s many concertos. -
TCHAIKOVSKY
Symphony No. 4
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, like Beethoven’s Fifth, presents a Fate motif at the outset. This is an adventurous work carrying us through lyrical episodes as well as high drama on the way to an exuberant conclusion.
Artists
Minnesota Orchestra
Karina Canellakis
conductor
Jon Kimura Parker
piano
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.
Known for his passionate artistry and engaging stage presence, with multiple solo appearances at the Berlin Philharmonic, London’s South Bank, the Sydney Opera House, and the Beijing Concert Hall, Jon Kimura Parker continues to perform to great acclaim. Conductors he has recently worked with include Marin Alsop, Teddy Abrams, Claus Peter Flor, James Gaffigan, Hans Graf, Giancarlo Guerrero, Jeffrey Kahane, Andrew Litton, Tito Muñoz, Gianandrea Noseda, Larry Rachleff, Lahav Shani, Bramwell Tovey, Xu Zhong, David Zinman and Pinchas Zukerman. A true Canadian ambassador of music, Parker has given command performances for Queen Elizabeth II, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Prime Ministers of Canada and Japan. He is an Officer of The Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian honor. In the past two years he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto and awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of British Columbia.
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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