Johannes Moser, cello | © Sarah Wijzenbeek

Moser Plays Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1

Thu Mar 16 — Fri Mar 17, 2023

Orchestra Hall

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, using his own unique arrangement. Johannes Moser returns to play Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto, and the Orchestra sparkles in Montgomery’s Strum and Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony.

A Few Things To Know

Michael Francis provides his own arrangement of Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge for these performances. An accomplished double bass player, Francis has created an arrangement that places particular emphasis on the bass line.
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.
New York-based composer Jessie Montgomery is currently the composer in residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
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.

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