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Johannes Moser, cello
Johannes Moser, cello | © Sarah Wijzenbeek

Moser Plays Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1

Thu Mar 16 — Fri Mar 17, 2023

Orchestra Hall

~2 hrs, including intermission

Hailed by Gramophone as “one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists.”

In March of 2010, Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra performed Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge on one of music’s greatest stages at Carnegie Hall. It was part of a performance that earned a review from The New Yorker’s Alex Ross, who exclaimed: “the Minnesota Orchestra sounded, to my ears, like the greatest orchestra in the world.” Now, Michael Francis leads a performance of the epic fugue in an arrangement that expands the original string quartet to a full string section. Johannes Moser returns to play Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto, and the Orchestra sparkles in Montgomery’s Strum and Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony.

The Friday night performance will be broadcast live on YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio. Find your station or listen online.

A Few Things To Know

  1. Numerous string orchestra arrangements of Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge have been made, with a crucial component being the addition of a bass part to the traditional string quartet instrumentation of two violins, viola and cello.
  2. Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto includes an expansive cadenza as the entire third movement, allowing the soloist to demonstrate extreme character shifts and virtuosic passages. The concerto also features prominent statements from a solo horn within the ensemble.
  3. New York-based composer Jessie Montgomery is currently the composer in residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
  4. Johannes Moser released a new album in June 2022 called Alone Together. It is a multi-track recording featuring both standard repertoire and new commissions, on which he plays both his 17th-century cello and a modern electric cello.

Explore the concert extras

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Date & Time

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Program

  • BEETHOVEN/Cadenbach

    Grosse Fuge for String Orchestra

    1 min note

    One Minute Note

    Heard here in a string-orchestra expansion of the original string quartet version, Beethoven’s Great Fugue is full of surprises and contradictions, with dissonant counterpoint, complex rhythms and unexpected silences giving way to powerful moments of clarity.

  • SHOSTAKOVICH

    Cello Concerto No. 1

    1 min note

    One Minute Note

    A thread of darkness runs through this concerto, which begins with nervous energy underscored by rumbling contrabassoon. The Moderato draws on a plaintive Jewish folk tune; a lengthy cadenza leads to a ferocious Allegro.

  • MONTGOMERY

    Strum

    1 min note

    One Minute Note

    Originally conceived for string quintet, this contemporary work for string orchestra, according to the composer, draws on “American folk idioms and the spirit of dance and movement” and “has a kind of narrative that begins with fleeting nostalgia and transforms into ecstatic celebration.”

  • MOZART

    Symphony No. 41, Jupiter

    1 min note

    One Minute Note

    Mozart wrote his last symphony when he was destitute, yet it is a work of Olympian grandeur, with lyrical and martial themes, turbulent and gentle subjects—and a spectacular contrapuntal finale.

Full Program Notes

Artists

Minnesota Orchestra

Plan your visit

  • Pre-concert activities
  • Valet Parking
  • Pre-order Beverages
  • Directions & Parking
  • Helpful Tips

Pre-concert Performance by Dúo Ávila

When: Thurs Mar 16 - 10:15am | Fri Mar 17 - 7:15pm
Where: Target Atrium

Dúo Ávila presents Portraits of Women in Music, a multi-sensory concert experience. Venezuelan musicians Ines Guanchez (piano) and Sofia Schutte (violin) explore the music of seven female composers from across the globe through live performance and visual art.

Know Before You Go

An engaging performance awaits, and the fun doesn’t stop there. Make this visit your own with food and activity options. Browse these helpful tips, and when your concert date arrives, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy.

Directions & Parking

All the information you need to know for getting to and from Orchestra Hall. Parking is just steps away from Orchestra Hall in the city-owned and skyway-connected 11th and Marquette Ramp.

Pre-order beverages

Skip the lines at the bar! Pre-order your intermission beverage via the MN Orch App when you arrive at Orchestra Hall.

The Minnesota Orchestra Performs Jessie Montgomery's Strum

Listen Ahead

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.

Sponsored by

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Presented at

Orchestra Hall

1111 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55403