Vänskä Conducts Mahler’s Third
Thu Nov 10 — Sat Nov 12, 2022
Orchestra Hall
It all began in 2016, when then-Music Director Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra embarked on a major mission: to perform and record all ten of Gustav Mahler’s symphonies. Their first recording, Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, burst onto the scene with a Grammy nomination. Since then, along with the masterful work of the BIS Records team, they have recorded all but one of the epic symphonies. Experience the culmination of this multi-year project when Vänskä returns to the stage to conduct Mahler’s Third, the longest and most striking of all.
A Few Things to Know
- Deeply inspired by the natural world on Earth and the heavens beyond, Mahler’s Third Symphony encompasses everything from the sounds of birds and flowers to angels and great light.
- This performance is part of the Mahler Recording Project, our initiative to record all ten Mahler symphonies under the direction of Osmo Vänskä, who takes the title of conductor laureate in August 2022 after 19 years as music director. With a week of recording sessions following these concerts, the Orchestra will have completed the ten-part project.
- In addition to her accomplished singing career, mezzo Jennifer Johnston participated in Harvard University's Women in Leadership program in 2021 and is a podcast creator, a contributing writer for The Guardian and London Book Review, and an arts commentator for BBC radio, among others.
- The Minnesota Boychoir celebrates 60 years of music-making in 2022; the choir has traveled to 5 continents and sung in more than 30 languages and dialects during that time.
Program
-
MAHLER
Symphony No. 3
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Mahler declared that a symphony should contain the whole world, and his Third Symphony—comprising six movements and more than 90 minutes of music—is the one in which he came closest to realizing that ideal. This is a work not only of huge dimensions but also one of immense expressive range: how quickly it moves, at the very beginning, from exuberance to a funeral cortége. The worlds the symphony embraces include the sweetest of pastoral landscapes, a darkly contemplative poem by Nietzsche, an innocent jubilation of children and, for a glorious conclusion, a musical love letter to Beethoven, the great Adagio composer.
Artists
Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä
conductor
Minnesota Chorale
Women of the Minnesota Chorale
Minnesota Boychoir
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.
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.
The Minnesota Chorale has served as the Minnesota Orchestra’s principal chorus since 2004 and is now in its 29th season under the leadership of Kathy Saltzman Romey. Founded in 1972, the Chorale is Minnesota’s preeminent symphonic chorus, with a roster of over 200 singers. Best known for its work with the two major orchestras of the Twin Cities, the ensemble is equally dedicated to programs that build and enrich community. A seasoned artistic partner, the Chorale continues to explore new artistic directions and collaborative opportunities, while earning the highest critical acclaim for its work on the concert stage. In 2018, members of the Chorale traveled to South Africa to perform alongside the Minnesota Orchestra in its historic concerts in Soweto and Johannesburg.
The Minnesota Boychoir is the oldest continually operating boys choir in the Twin Cities. For over 60 years, the Boychoir’s reputation for excellence has brought invitations from local and national music conventions as well as sporting events, local theater productions and touring Broadway companies. The Boychoir has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra—including at the June 2022 season finale concerts of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony—Minnesota Opera, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Prague Philharmonic and a long list of local, regional and national performing artists, ensembles and theater companies.
Plan your visit
- Pre-concert activities
- Valet Parking
- Pre-order Beverages
- Directions & Parking
- Helpful Tips
The Making of Mahler's Eighth Symphony film
When: Thurs - Sat | Pre-Concert
Where: Roberta Mann Grand Foyer
In June 2022, the Minnesota Orchestra, eight vocal soloists, and four choirs performed Gustav Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, known as the Symphony of a Thousand, the final concerts of Osmo Vänskä's tenure as music director. Enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at the recording of the symphony that took place the week following the concerts.
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.
We also offer convenient valet parking as well as buses for our Thursday Coffee Concerts!
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.
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PRE- AND POST-CONCERT ACTIVITIES SPONSORED BY
