Whipping winds, bombastic percussion and shimmering strings — this captivating program is pulsing with new energy and features not one, but three pieces performed by the Minnesota Orchestra for the first time. First, Chilean-born conductor Paolo Bortolameolli introduced audiences to Miguel Farías’ evocative Retratos Australes. Then, first associate concertmaster Susie Park performed Gabriela Ortiz’s blazing violin concerto. Finally, you might be reminded of Igor Stravinsky when you hear Silvestre Revueltas’ La Noche de los Mayas, a 1930s film score drawn from Mayan folklore. Listen to the concert now!
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Paolo Bortolameolli, conductor
Susie Park, violin *
MIGUEL FARÍAS Retratos Australes
GABRIELA ORTIZ Altar de Cuerda for Violin and Orchestra *
SILVESTRE REVULETAS La Noche de los Mayas
‘Thomas Søndergård: Taken by the Sound’
Melissa Ousley joined Minnesota Orchestra music director Thomas Søndergård in his native Denmark last year to explore some of the most important places in his life. Join them as they walk through his memories, musical and otherwise, in this documentary short.
Previous concerts
Celebrate the Year of the Snake with the Minnesota Orchestra
On Feb. 8, the Minnesota Orchestra celebrated the Year of the Snake with a concert focused on gathering together with family and friends to share music that honors family traditions and themes of unity and health. Listen to the concert now!
Want to listen to more music in celebration of the Year of the Snake? Listen to YourClassica’s 'Spring Moon – A Musical Celebration of the Lunar New Year' with host Mindy Ratner!
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Norman Huynh, conductor
Ying Li, piano *
Gao Hong, pipa **
Fei Xie, artistic consultant
LI HUANZHI Spring Festival Overture
DAI WEI Awakening Lion
UNSUK CHIN subito con forza
YIN CHENGZONG/CHU WANGHUA Yellow River Piano Concerto *
HUANG RUO Saibei Dance from Saibei Suite No.2
MAURICE RAVEL Empress of the Pagodas from Mother Goose Suite
VIET CUONG New Work [World Premiere]
GAO HONG Musical Journey for Pipa and Orchestra **
Minnesota Orchestra and George Li perform Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1
Piano works by Franz Liszt exude drama and virtuosity, qualities that fit Minnesota Orchestra’s guest soloist, pianist George Li, perfectly. Li’s focus on English literature changed his approach to music — and is exemplified in his Tchaikovsky Competition silver medal. Also on the program was Du Yun’s Kracken and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 6. Listen to the concert now!
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Nuno Coelho, conductor
George Li, piano *
DU YUN Kraken
FRANZ LISZT Piano Concerto No. 1
ANTONIN DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 6
Upcoming concerts
Friday, Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. — Søndergård, Mozart and Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky was hesitant to compose a violin concerto, but once he got on board he didn’t hold back. Experience two sides of this multifaceted composer with his virtuosic concerto and his Bach-inspired Dumbarton Oaks. Plus, a Mozart symphony that asks the orchestra to play the last movement “as fast as possible.”
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Isabelle Faust, violin *
Minnesota Chorale
JOSEPH HAYDN Te Deum
IGOR STRAVINSKY Symphony of Psalms
IGOR STRAVINSKY Violin Concerto *
JOSEPH HAYDN Symphony No. 92 (Oxford)
Friday, March 7 at 8 p.m. — Søndergård Conducts Mahler Symphony No. 1
Dorothy Howell was 21 when her symphonic poem, Lamia, was first performed at the Proms. Just over 100 years later, it gets a long-awaited first performance by the Minnesota Orchestra. While Keats inspired Howell, Benjamin Britten turned to the poetry of Rimbaud for Les illuminations. American soprano Julia Bullock finds meaning and relevance in every word she sings in Britten’s captivating song cycle. To conclude, Thomas Søndergård leads a journey through the remarkable sound world of Gustav Mahler’s powerful Symphony No. 1.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Julia Bullock, soprano *
DOROTHY HOWELL Lamia
BENJAMIN BRITTEN Les Illuminations *
GUSTAV MAHLER Symphony No. 1 (Titan)
Friday, March 14 at 8 p.m. — Erin Keefe Plays Beethoven
Dobrinka Tabakova’s relationship with Schubert began when she was a child and was drawn to the purity of his music. Her homage not only creates a universe where Schubert’s presence is felt, it’s also a cosmic portal to his Symphony No. 8. Plus, concertmaster Erin Keefe is in the spotlight with Beethoven’s beloved Violin Concerto.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Tabita Berglund, conductor
Erin Keefe, violin *
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto *
DOBRINKA TABAKOVA Fantasy Homage to Schubert
FRANZ SCHUBERT Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished)
Friday, March 28 at 8 p.m. — Sir James MacMillan with the Minnesota Orchestra
Composer-conductor James MacMillan’s religious faith is at the core of his music. In his Minnesota Orchestra conducting debut, you’ll hear two powerful examples. He’ll also conduct one of the most popular hits by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who, despite not being religious, wrote the Russian Easter Overture that concludes with what he called “the unbridled pagan religious merry-making of Easter Sunday.”
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Sir James MacMillan, conductor
Sonia Mantell, cello *
RICHARD WAGNER Good Friday Spell from Parsifal
JAMES MACMILLAN Kiss on Wood for Cello and String Orchestra *
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Russian Easter Overture
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Isle of the Dead
JAMES MACMILLAN Woman of the Apocalypse
Friday, April 4 at 8 p.m. — Beethoven Symphony No. 6
Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz felt a tiny invisible motor inside of her. “Thanks to this I run, not walk,” she said. That rings true in her compact Overture. Then hear how two boundless stars, Poland’s Marta Gardolińska and pianist Behzod Abduraimov, team up beautifully to uncover the soul of Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Marta Gardolińska, conductor
Behzod Abduraimov, piano *
GRAŻYNA BACEWICZ Overture
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2 *
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)
Friday, April 25 at 8 p.m. — Søndergård Conducts Future Classics
If you believe classical music has a vibrant future, you know it’s important to nurture the next generation of creators. The Composer Institute, a residency for emerging composers, culminates in this concert of exciting new music played with rigor, conviction and heart by the Minnesota Orchestra.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Kevin Puts, host and Composer Institute director *
Program TBA
Friday, May 2 at 8 p.m. — Søndergård Conducts Puccini’s Turandot
Although Puccini felt his creative powers were on the decline when he composed his last opera, he doesn’t appear to have run out of ideas. Thomas Søndergård, known for his skill in leading opera, now brings to the Twin Cities the high drama of Puccini’s Turandot, which features the emotionally riveting aria “Nessun Dorma.” The cast is headlined by star soprano Christine Goerke in the title role.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Christine Goerke, soprano
Adolfo Corrado, bass
Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, soprano
Minnesota Chorale
Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs
GIACOMO PUCCINI Turandot
Friday, May 9 at 8 p.m. — Søndergård, Fliter and Mozart
Karim Al-Zand’s Luctus Profugis: Elegy for the Displaced is a lament for orchestra and percussion that reflects on the European refugee crisis of 2015-2019. Listen for the simple three-note motif that repeats for the duration, signifying refugees’ tenacity and resilience. Then listen to pianist Ingrid Fliter take on Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17. The concert ends with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 (The Year 1905), which references the Russian Revolution of that year.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Ingrid Fliter, piano *
KARIM AL-ZAND Luctus Profugis: Elegy for the Displaced
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Piano Concerto No. 17
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 11 (The Year 1905)
Friday, May 16 at 8 p.m. — James Ehnes Plays Dvořák
The Czech influence is deeply felt in this program. For Janáček, we pull out all the stops with his Sinfonietta. In Smetana, we go beyond The Moldau for another treasure from his collection, Má Vlast. And James Ehnes, who was a teenager the first time he performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, returns to play Dvořák.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Edward Gardner, conductor
James Ehnes, violin *
GEORGE WALKER Folksongs
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Violin Concerto *
BEDŘICH SMETANA Tabor from Má Vlast
LEOŠ JANÁČEK Sinfonietta
Friday, May 30 at 8 p.m. — Heyward, Beethoven and Schumann
Two debut artists on this program you won’t want to miss: a pianist known for performing barefoot and a conductor who wears Chuck Taylors on the podium. Alice Sara Ott believes music has no timestamp, and Jonathon Heyward wants to break down musical barriers. Their collaboration is sure to be memorable.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Jonathon Heyward, conductor
Alice Sara Ott, piano *
HANNAH KENDALL He Stretches Out the North Over the Void and Hangs the Earth on Nothing
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 *
ROBERT SCHUMANN Symphony No. 2
Friday, June 6 at 8 p.m. — Fei Xie Plays Jolivet
Wynton Marsalis’ Blues Symphony takes the 12-bar blues and explodes it into a lyrical, kaleidoscopic history of American music. A frequent Marsalis collaborator, Cristian Măcelaru has conducted the symphony in performances and a recording. Then listen to what many consider the most difficult concerto in the bassoon repertoire, played by our beloved principal bassoon Fei Xie. Don’t miss this trifecta of Minnesota Orchestra firsts!
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Cristian Măcelaru, conductor
Fei Xie, bassoon *
WYNTON MARSALIS Selections from Blues Symphony
ANDRÉ JOLIVET Bassoon Concerto *
GEORGE ENESCU Symphony No. 1
Friday, June 13 at 8 p.m. — Søndergård Conducts Rachmaninoff
Carlos Simon’s music challenges us to explore our past to mourn, celebrate and take ownership. This time, the gateway is dance — with ties to American slavery, Reconstruction and Jim Crow. Chopin Competition winner Bruce Liu says “Do not find yourself in the music, but find the music in yourself.” He’ll play Sergei Prokofiev’s dazzling Piano Concerto No. 3. The season concludes with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s rhythmic Symphonic Dances.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Bruce Liu, piano *
CARLOS SIMON Four Black American Dances
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 *
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances
Thursday, June 19 at 7 p.m. — Juneteenth
In celebration and remembrance of Juneteenth, the annual commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans, the Minnesota Orchestra, alongside guests and members of the Twin Cities community, will perform a program featuring music by African-American composers.
Program
Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Bruce Liu, piano *
JAMES P. JOHNSON Victory Stride
MARY D. WATKINS Soul of Remembrance from Five Movements in Color
MICHAEL ABELS Delights and Dances
JAMES LEE III Freedom’s Genuine Dawn
VALERIE COLEMAN Umoja
CARLOS SIMON “Ring Shout” from Four Black American Dances
‘Celebrating a Century on the Airwaves’
On most Friday nights, no matter where you are in the state — or in the world, for that matter — you can look forward to tuning into YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio to hear a live concert. From a radio debut in 1923 under Bruno Walter to television transmissions in the 1950s and the ensemble’s unprecedented international broadcast from Havana in 2015, the orchestra has always been on the forefront of finding new ways to connect audiences with music.
Reflecting on 100 years of radio broadcast history, MPR host Melissa Ousley sat down with historian John Michel, technical director Michael Osborne and former broadcast host and current orchestra staffer Brian Newhouse for a spirited retelling of this vital history.
Love the music?
Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.
Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.
YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.
Your Donation
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment‘s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
