Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5
Fri Mar 8 — Sat Mar 9, 2024
Orchestra Hall
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky had myriad emotions as he embarked on his fantastic Fifth Symphony, as did Arnold Schoenberg as he worked on Erwartung, writing that “It is impossible for a person to have only one sensation at a time...one has thousands simultaneously.” Join the Minnesota Orchestra and South Korean conductor Eun Sun Kim for an intimate journey of twists and turns, through anticipation, serendipity and, ultimately, fate—in a program that opens with a work by Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute alumnus Texu Kim.
A Few Things to Know
- Conductor Eun Sun Kim was recently named the music director of San Francisco Opera and was appointed the principal guest conductor of the Houston Grand Opera. We recently spoke with her about how this program came together.
- Winner of the Mario Lanza Competition, soprano Heidi Melton is also an avid seamstress and makes or alters many of her concert gowns.
- One of the most performed symphonies in the Minnesota Orchestra’s history, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony received its first performance by the ensemble in November 1906, under the direction of Emil Oberhoffer at the Minneapolis Auditorium. At that time, the piece had existed for fewer than 20 years.
Program
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T. KIM
Dub-Sanjo
1 min noteOne Minute Note
This work from the pen of 2015 Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute alumnus Texu Kim draws on melodic patterns common in sanjo, a virtuosic Korean folk music tradition featuring a soloist with barrel drum accompaniment—bringing together varied sanjo traditions and the large-scale forces of a symphony orchestra.
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SCHOENBERG
Erwartung
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Arnold Schoenberg charted a new course in Western classical music history with his groundbreaking monodrama Erwartung, a work which bears the influence of both the Expressionist art movement and the writings of Sigmund Freud.
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TCHAIKOVSKY
Symphony No. 5
1 min noteOne Minute Note
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s very popular Fifth Symphony—which journeys from minor to major and darkness to hope—is filled with wonderful mottos, orchestral color, balletic beauty and high drama. Watch for the finale’s false conclusion, a great climax that tricks many listeners into thinking the performance is complete.
Artists
Minnesota Orchestra
Eun Sun Kim
conductor
Heidi Melton
soprano
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. This past fall, Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård began his tenure as music director.
Following “a company debut of astonishing vibrancy and assurance” (San Francisco Chronicle) in Rusalka, Korean conductor Eun Sun Kim was named the Caroline H. Hume Music Director of San Francisco Opera, where she began her tenure in 2021. She is a regular guest conductor at the world’s most important opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Semperoper Dresden, Staatsoper Berlin and Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
American dramatic soprano Heidi Melton has been called “the Wagnerian voice we have been waiting for since Flagstad and Nilsson” (La Presse), a voice that is “big, gleaming and tonally resplendent” (San Francisco Chronicle). She opens the 2023-24 season with a debut at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for concert performances of Cavalleria rusticana (Santuzza) conducted by James Gaffigan.
Video: Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 - Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vänskä
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
The 2023-2024 Classical Season is presented by Ameriprise Financial.
