Prieto Conducts La Mer
Fri Apr 14 — Sat Apr 15, 2023
Orchestra Hall
Four pieces of orchestral artwork are showcased in this intensely expressionistic program led by acclaimed conductor and regular Minnesota Orchestra guest Carlos Miguel Prieto. The Ring of Fire and Love evokes an “earth-shattering, creative and cataclysmic moment,” as described by composer Outi Tarkiainen. Richard Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder is a set of five musical love letters, sung here by soprano Emily Magee, followed by Joaquin Turina’s colorful and passionate Danzas Fantásticas. The Orchestra then creates a kaleidoscope of swirling sound in Claude Debussy’s classic portrait of the sea.
A Few Things To Know
- This performance of Outi Tarkianien’s Ring of Fire and Love will be the United States premiere of the work.
- American soprano Emily Magee has earned critical acclaim for her interpretations of leading roles in Wagner operas, including Elsa in Lohengrin and Elisabeth in Tannhäuser. She last performed with the Minnesota Orchestra in 2003 as a soloist in Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand.
- Listen to the Minnesota Orchestra play La Mer in this clip from a performance in 2018.
Program
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TARKIAINEN
The Ring of Fire and Love
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Outi Tarkiainen’s The Ring of Fire and Love, premiered in 2021, is music that speaks to the moment of birth—“this earth-shattering, creative, cataclysmic moment [the mother and child] travel through together,” says the composer.
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WAGNER/Mottl
Wesendonck Lieder
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Richard Wagner composed five songs for voice and piano to poems by Mathilde Wesendonck. The two had a mutual infatuation that may have extended to a love affair, and the songs remain a memento of their relationship. They are heard here in a soprano-and-orchestra version, with the last of the set orchestrated by Wagner himself and the other four by composer-conductor Felix Mottl.
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TURINA
Danzas Fantásticas
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Written as a gift to the composer’s wife, Joaquín Turina’s colorful and passionate Danzas fantásticas distills the Spanish composer’s various influences: his home country’s traditional folk melodies and dance rhythms and the progressive musical aesthetics of French Impressionists Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, both of whom Turina met while living in Paris.
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DEBUSSY
La Mer
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Claude Debussy’s classic oceanic portrait recreates the feeling of a visit to the sea. Two slower movements surround a scherzo as a kaleidoscopic stream of musical fragments eventually builds to a thrilling, bombastic close.
Artists
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.
Carlos Miguel Prieto was born into a musical family of Spanish and French descent in Mexico City. His charismatic conducting is characterised by its dynamism and the expressivity of his interpretations. Prieto is recognised as a highly influential cultural leader and is the foremost Mexican conductor of his generation. He has been the music director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México, the country’s most important orchestra, since 2007. Prieto has also been music director of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra since 2006, where he has led the cultural renewal of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. In 2008 he was appointed music director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería, a hand-picked orchestra which performs a two-month long series of summer programs in Mexico City. In 2022, Prieto was announced as music director designate of the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra from 2022-23, and will begin his tenure in 2023-24.
Plan your visit
- Pre-concert activities
- Valet Parking
- Pre-order Beverages
- Directions & Parking
- Helpful Tips
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.
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.