Vänskä Conducts Mahler's Ninth
Thu Mar 17 — Sat Mar 19, 2022
Orchestra Hall
Osmo Vänskä’s Mahler Symphonies recording cycle with the Minnesota Orchestra has garnered rave reviews from around the globe, including a Grammy Award nomination for their rendition of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. Now is your chance to hear Vänskä and the Orchestra perform the Ninth Symphony for the first time together, just one week before the work is recorded for a future album to become the eighth installment in the complete symphonies collection.
A Few Things to Know
- Mahler suffered from a heart condition and died before ever hearing his completed Ninth Symphony in performance.
- This performance is part of the Mahler Recording Project, our ongoing initiative to record all ten Mahler symphonies with Music Director Osmo Vänskä. The Orchestra performs and records Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in June 2022.
Program
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MAHLER
Symphony No. 9
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, written in the twilight of the composer’s life, expresses serenity in the face of inevitable death. Its structure is unusual: two large outer movements, both slow and poignant, frame a pair of inner movements that are faster and somewhat sardonic. The work begins with a long crescendo over a murmuring rhythm some assume to represent Mahler’s own arhythmic heartbeat. A set of swaggering, rustic and sensuous folk dances comprise the second movement, and the third races off in a defiant and brilliant Burlesque. The final movement climbs from the dark, murky depths to an extreme emotional height and then ends with a peaceful fade to nothingness. Mahler completed the score in 1909, but died two years later without ever hearing this heavenly symphony performed.
Artists
Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä
conductor
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. In September 2024, Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård begins his second season as music director.
Minnesota Orchestra Conductor Laureate Osmo Vänskä, whose 19-year tenure as the Orchestra’s music director concluded in 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.
Your Concert Experience
Join us for Q&A’s, hosted discussions, exhibits and more. All free with your concert ticket!
Osmo Vänskä Retrospective Exhibit
When: Pre-Concert and Intermission
Where: Roberta Mann Grand Foyer
Stroll down memory lane in our lobby photography exhibit, along with artifacts from the Orchestra's recording history, as we celebrate some of the indelible moments of the last two decades with Music Director Osmo Vänskä.
Osmo Vänskä CD Signing
When: Post-Concert
Where: Roberta Mann Grand Foyer
Following the concert, Music Director Osmo Vänskä will be in the lobby to sign CDs and greet patrons. CDs will be available for purchase at our merchandise cart.
"The Curse of the Ninth" Debate
When: Thu Mar 17 | 10:10am
Where: Roberta Mann Grand Foyer
“The Curse of the Ninth” is the idea that composers were fated to die during or after writing their ninth symphony. Is it pure superstition or historical fact? Join Minnesota Orchestra musicians Ken Freed and Emily Switzer as they debate this topic, and decide for yourself which is the more convincing argument.
“The Curse of the Ninth” Debate
When: Fri Mar 18 & Sat Mar 19 | 7:10pm
“The Curse of the Ninth” is the idea that composers were fated to die during or after writing their ninth symphony. Is it pure superstition or historical fact? Join Minnesota Orchestra musicians Ken Freed and Emily Switzer as they debate this topic, and decide for yourself which is the more convincing argument.
Pre- and Post-Concert Activities Sponsored By
Mahler was not only an incredible composer, but also a conductor, and I have always loved and admired his music.”
An Interview with Osmo
Osmo Conducts Mahler 9 marks the penultimate milestone in the Mahler Symphony recording project—Osmo and the Orchestra have set out to learn, perform and record all ten of them together under the BIS label. Read the latest interview with him to learn more about the recording project and Osmo’s thoughts on his final concerts as music director.
Accessibility Services
- Assistive Listening Devices
- Large Print Programs
- Service Animals
- Wheelchair & Accessible Seating
Additional services are available upon request.
Sponsored By
These concerts are dedicated in loving memory to Judy Dayton, who believed passionately in the beauty and power of music.
The performance of Mahler's Ninth Symphony is sponsored by Ellie Crosby and The Longview Foundation.
