OSMO VÄNSKÄ CONDUCTS ELGAR’S CELLO CONCERTO AND SCHUBERT’S GREAT SYMPHONY

Vänskä leads the Orchestra in Schubert’s final symphony; Cellist Alban Gerhardt performs Elgar’s Cello Concerto

Orchestra musicians Susie Park, Greg Milliren and Wendy Williams featured in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4

The Minnesota Orchestra performs concerts on April 6, 7 and 9, which feature three Orchestra musicians and German cellist Alban Gerhardt as soloists. The concerts begin with Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg Concerto, showcasing First Associate Concertmaster Susie Park, Associate Principal Flute Greg Milliren and flutist Wendy Williams. Then, Music Director Osmo Vänskä conducts Elgar’s famous Cello Concerto, with Gerhardt soloing in his debut with the Orchestra. After intermission, Vänskä leads the Orchestra in a performance of Schubert’s final and most grand Symphony, The Great.

Following the Sunday afternoon concert, Orchestra musicians, with special guest Osmo Vänskä on the clarinet, will perform Schubert’s Octet for Strings and Winds in a Chamber Music Serenade concert in the Target Atrium at 4:30 p.m.; a separate ticket is required for this performance.

The concerts are performed at the Orchestra’s home venue in downtown Minneapolis, Orchestra Hall, on Thursday, April 6, at 11 a.m., Friday, April 7, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, April 9, at 2 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $25 to $96. Tickets are available online at minnesotaorchestra.org and by phone at 612-371-5656. For further purchasing details, refer to the section at the conclusion of this press release.

Alban Gerhardt, cello

Alban Gerhardt has made a unique impact on audiences worldwide with his intense musicality, compelling stage presence and insatiable artistic curiosity. Highlights of his current season include concerts with the Saint Louis Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra and Seoul Philharmonic, as well as performances in Hong Kong, Melbourne and Perth, and recitals in London, Montreal and Vancouver. Following his early success in competitions, he launched his international career in 1991, debuting with the Berlin Philharmonic. His other notable collaborations include concerts with the Royal Concertgebouw, London Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, and the Cleveland, Philadelphia and Chicago symphony orchestras. More: harrisonparrott.com.

Osmo Vänskä, conductor

Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä, the Minnesota Orchestra’s tenth music director, is renowned internationally for his compelling interpretations of the standard, contemporary and Nordic repertoires. In addition to the Orchestra’s May 2015 tour to Cuba, he has led the Orchestra on five major European tours, the most recent of which took place in August 2016, as well as regular tours to communities across Minnesota. His recording projects with the Minnesota Orchestra have also met with great success, including the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance for their recording of Sibelius’ First and Fourth Symphonies on the BIS Records label. The final disc in the series was released in the United States in September 2016. Earlier this year, BIS released the newest Vänskä-Orchestra album, which features in-concert recordings of Sibelius’ Kullervo and Finlandia, and Kortekangas’ Migrations. As a guest conductor Vänskä has led all the major American and European orchestras. For more information, visit minnesotaorchestra.org.

Moments in the spotlight for a multitude of musicians

The fourth in Bach’s set of Brandenburg Concertos features a different voice in each of its three movements: first a solo violin, then two flutes and finally the full orchestra.

Elgar’s Cello Concerto, beloved of cellists and audiences alike, seems to show two sides of the composer; now strong and confident, now wistful and melancholy. Yet despite the contradictions, this most personal statement is utterly beautiful, exuding a quiet power over listeners.

Schubert casts his Great C-major Symphony, the last he completed, on a grand Beethovenian scale. A sylvan horn theme frames the energetic first movement. Spirited oboe is featured in the wintry Andante. The expansive Scherzo is a sublime version of a country dance; the finale, propelled by four repeated horn notes, whirls to a powerful close.

Minnesota Orchestra Classical Concerts
VÄNSKÄ CONDUCTS SCHUBERT

Thursday, April 6, 2017, 11 a.m. / Orchestra Hall
Friday, April 7, 2017, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall
Sunday, April 9, 2017, 2 p.m. / Orchestra Hall

Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, conductor
Alban Gerhardt, cello
Susie Park, violin
Greg Milliren, flute
Wendy Williams, flute

BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
ELGAR Cello Concerto
SCHUBERT Symphony in C major, The Great

Tickets: $25 to $96

TICKET PURCHASING INFORMATION

Subscription packages and individual tickets can be purchased online at minnesotaorchestra.org, or by calling 612-371-5656 (612-371-5642 for subscriptions) or 800-292-4141. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Orchestra Hall Box Office, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis (open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and beginning two hours before all ticketed performances); and at the Minnesota Orchestra Administrative Office, International Center, 5th floor, 920 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis (open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). For more information, call 612-371-5656, or visit minnesotaorchestra.org. For subscriptions, call 612-371-5642 or visit minnesotaorchestra.org/subscribe. For groups of 10 or more, call 612-371-5662.

All programs, artists, dates, times and prices subject to change.

The Star Tribune is the Minnesota Orchestra’s media partner for the 2016-17 season.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.