Gabel, Ross and Brahms’ Second
Fri Sep 30 — Sat Oct 1, 2022
Orchestra Hall
Fabien Gabel returns to our stage to lead the Minnesota Orchestra in an idyllic program that begins with Richard Strauss’ passionate and colorful Love Scene from Feuersnot. Principal Cello Anthony Ross steps out into the solo spotlight for a performance of Michael Daugherty’s Tales of Hemingway, each of its four movements inspired by one of American author Ernest Hemingway’s stories. Finally, Brahms’ Second Symphony journeys from gentle to joyful as it closes this creative concert.
A Few Things to Know
- Anthony Ross has been featured as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra frequently since he joined the ensemble in 1988. He likes to tell a joke or a story to the cello section right before going onstage for a concert.
- If you love Brahms’ symphonies, make plans now to come back to Orchestra Hall in May for performances of his First Symphony, led by violinist and conductor Leonidas Kavakos.
- “Suffused with the sunshine and the warm winds playing on the water”—these are the words Austrian musicologist Richard Specht used to describe Brahms’ Second Symphony.
Hear Anthony Ross play his favorite passages from Tales of Hemingway
Program
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R. STRAUSS
Love Scene from Feuersnot
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Richard Strauss’ rarely-staged Feuersnot concludes with passionate music that comes at a culminating moment in the plot—involving magic, fire and coercion—and the young Strauss hints at motifs of his idol Richard Wagner.
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DAUGHERTY
Tales of Hemingway for Cello and Orchestra
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Four stories by the novelist Ernest Hemingway come to life in Michael Daugherty’s recent work Tales of Hemingway, which won three 2017 Grammy Awards. The solo cello at the center of the sweeping drama that explores the healing power of the outdoors, the running of the bulls in Spain, the struggle between man and nature—and chimes ringing out in For Whom the Bell Tolls.
- INTERMISSION
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BRAHMS
Symphony No. 2
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Johannes Brahms’ Second Symphony, which the composer described as “cheerful and delightful,” has an expansive feel, yet it is a tightly integrated, concentrated work. A three-note motif leads the way from the work’s opening measures, through a buoyant first movement, a stirring Adagio, a leisurely trio movement and a blazing finale.
Artists
Minnesota Orchestra
Fabien Gabel
conductor
Anthony Ross
cello
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 began his second season as music director.
Fabien Gabel is music director designate of the Tonkünstler-Orchester, a position which begins with the 2025-26 season. He has established an international career of the highest caliber. Praised for his dynamic style and sensitive approach to the score, he is best known for his eclectic choice of repertoire, ranging from core symphonic works to new music to championing lesser-known composers of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Dynamic leader of the Minnesota Orchestra’s cello section since 1991, prize-winning cellist Anthony Ross has appeared as soloist many times with the Orchestra, performing all the standard cello concertos under Osmo Vänskä, Edo de Waart and Eiji Oue. Equally passionate about new music, he has given powerful performances of Michael Daugherty’s Tales of Hemingway, James MacMillan’s Cello Concerto, Paul Moravec’s Montserrat, and he and his wife, cellist Beth Rapier, have championed David Ott’s Concerto for Two Cellos since 1993. Prior to assuming the principal role in Minnesota, Ross performed for four years as principal cello of the Rochester Philharmonic under David Zinman.
Ross’ compelling interpretations have won wide acclaim from Moscow to Kalamazoo, and Dallas to Duluth. As concerto soloist, he has played with the Moscow State Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, the South Dakota Symphony and many other Midwest regional orchestras. Ross’ recordings include Leonard Bernstein’s Three Meditations from Mass, the George Lloyd Cello Concerto with the Albany Symphony, and the sonatas of Rachmaninoff and Elliott Carter.
Your Concert Experience
Pre-Concert Interview
When: Fri Sep 30 & Sat Oct 1 | 7:15pm
Where: N. Bud Grossman Mezzanine
Join host Phillip Gainsley, composer Michael Daugherty, and Minnesota Orchestra Principal Cellist Tony Ross for a conversation about Daugherty's composition Tales of Hemingway which the orchestra will perform - and on which Ross will solo - tonight!
Trivia with Know Factory
When: Fri Sep 30 & Sat Oct 1 | 7:15pm
Where: Target Atrium
Join Brian Ward from Know Factory to play live trivia inspired by Hemingway and many more literary giants.
Video: Musician's Favorite Passage: Michael Daugherty's Tales of Hemingway
Accessibility Services
- Armless & Bariatric Chairs
- Assistive Listening Devices
- Large-Print Programs
- Noise-Cancelling Headphones
- Service Animals
- Wheelchair & Accessible Seating
Additional services are available upon request.
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