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Yuja Wang

Yuja Wang Plays Prokofiev

Fri Mar 29 — Sat Mar 30, 2024

Orchestra Hall

~2 hours, including intermission

Pianist Yuja Wang has graced stages all over the world, earning rave reviews that describe her performances as daredevil, dazzling and captivating. Now, she makes her Minnesota Orchestra debut in an exhilarating piano concerto by Sergei Prokofiev alongside conductor Teddy Abrams. The Orchestra also performs Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony in this concert that travels through starry nights, showcases extreme technical prowess, and fills the soul with feelings of deep romance and passion.

A Few Things to Know

  1. Yuja Wang has had many works written for her by prominent composers around the world, including Jennifer Higdon, John Adams, Rodion Shchedrin, Michael Tilson Thomas and Tan Dun.
  2. Yuja Wang was awarded a 2024 Grammy Award in Best Classical Instrumental Solo for The American Project, alongside Louisville Orchestra conductor Teddy Abrams, who composed a piano concerto for Wang that was featured on the album.
  3. Abrams, who in 2022 was named Musical America’s Conductor of the Year, is now at work composing on ALI, a musical about Muhammad Ali scheduled to premiere in fall 2024 in Louisville before opening on Broadway in spring 2025.
  4. Pulitzer Prize-winner Carolyn Shaw’s The Observatory drew inspiration from a variety of sources, including a memorable visit to Los Angeles’ Griffith Observatory and her passion for science fiction and stargazing.

Explore the concert extras

Date & Time

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Program

  • SHAW

    The Observatory

    1 min note

    One Minute Note

    In her 2019 work The Observatory, Carolyn Shaw drew inspiration from a variety of sources, including a memorable visit to Los Angeles’ Griffith Observatory; her love of science fiction and stargazing; and music ranging from Bach to Sibelius to contemporary composer Andrew Norman. The piece features large chords, intricate musical patterns, and sounds that correspond with the chaos and clarity of the cosmos.

  • PROKOFIEV

    Piano Concerto No. 1

    1 min note

    One Minute Note

    Notable features of this concerto include a grandly soaring theme for piano and orchestra in unison and, in the final movement, a thrilling display of energy and wit as piano and orchestra seem pitted against each other. Prokofiev, himself a sensational pianist, performed this exhilarating work as his final exam at the Moscow Conservatory.

  • RACHMANINOFF

    Symphony No. 2

    1 min note

    One Minute Note

    Rachmaninoff’s longest, grandest and most expansive symphony is built on the opening motif, a somber figure for low strings. The lyrical third movement is a standout, containing several gorgeous melodies and an extended clarinet solo of ardent longing. The finale is soaring and magnificent, culminating in a blaze of orchestral sound.

Artists

Minnesota Orchestra

Teddy Abrams

conductor

Yuja Wang

piano

It doesn’t matter how many notes or chords you throw at her...Wang is going to flash her unworried smile, tear through the score with effortless ease, and then sit back as if to say, 'Is that all you got?'

- San Francisco Chronicle

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

MSAB

The 2023-2024 Classical Season is presented by Ameriprise Financial.