Posted on Facebook 4/29

Three all-American guys are giving us a big present this week:  a brand new all-American trumpet concerto! Composer Steve Heitzeg, MN Orchestra trumpet Charles Lazarus, and MN Orchestra Board member Paul Grangaard (who commissioned the piece) collaborated on “American Nomad” – read all about it in Pamela Espeland’s MinnPost column:   http://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2015/04/minnesota-orchestra-premiere-american-nomad-trumpet-concerto

Then watch Charles Lazarus tell (and demonstrate!) a little more about the piece in this short video:  https://www.facebook.com/minnesotaorchestra/videos/vb.54292558044/10152784009068045/?&theater

Then click here for more info and tickets to Thursday morning’s or Friday evening’s concert:  https://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/383/-/bernstein-and-copland#.VTMKByFViko  

A big SOSMN thank you to Steve, Charles and Paul. We can hardly wait to hear the result of your collaboration!

Posted on Facebook 4/28

Burt Hara. The Copland Clarinet Concerto. This Thursday & Friday. Need we say any more?

Well, perhaps just a little! Former MN Orchestra Principal Clarinet Burt Hara brings his spectacular silky mellifluous sound back to the Twin Cities (from Los Angeles, where he now plays with the LA Philharmonic) to perform the gorgeous Copland concerto in this concert of American music. 

If you are new to the Twin Cities, trust us – you want to hear Burt!

If you’ve been around a while, we know that you love Burt – come and show him how much you miss him!

A few tickets remain. Get them here:  https://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/383/-/bernstein-and-copland#.VTMKByFViko  or by calling the box office at 612.371.5656

Posted on Facebook 4/26

Critics heaped praise on the MN Orchestra’s March 2012 world premier of Judd Greenstein’s “Acadia.” Hear it again this Thursday and Friday in a program that also includes Bernstein’s “Divertimento,” Heitzeg’s “American Nomad” (a world premier featuring our own Charles Lazarus on trumpet) and Copland’s Clarinet Concerto (featuring our old friend Burt Hara).

William Randall Beard wrote this for the StarTribune three years ago:  “At times, [“Acadia”] sounded like a lush, epic film score, sometimes complicated by strong dissonances. But sections composed using modal scales created the feeling of innocent folk music. He could whip the music into a frenzied cacophony, but he always seemed completely in control of the effects he was creating. In the finale, he drew all the elements together into a quiet and very satisfying conclusion.” Read his full review here:  http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/145405695.html

Rob Hubbard wrote in the PioneerPress: “…he shows off a good storyteller's sense of arc, introducing conflict, letting the sides be heard, then resolving in something triumphal and transcendent.” Read his full review here:   http://www.twincities.com/music/ci_20295467/acadia-shows-off-greensteins-triumphant-transcendent-vision

And our friend Emily Hogstad wrote this in her “Song of the Lark” blog: “Certain passages were so clever and so unexpectedly beautiful that I looked around to try to catch someone, anyone’s, eye. ‘Can you believe this?’, I wanted to ask them. ‘Are you feeling what I am? What am I feeling? Because I don’t know – I’ve never felt anything like this before. What do you think?’ But no one else met my glance; rows upon rows of people were totally absorbed, sitting absolutely quietly, concentrating. No coughs, no sneezes, no rustling of programs. It felt as if the very walls were listening.” Read Emily’s whole blog post here:  https://songofthelark.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/review-premiere-of-judd-greensteins-acadia-minnesota-orchestra/ 

You can even listen to a recording of the piece on the composer’s website – just click here:   http://www.juddgreenstein.com/works/acadia.html

Then scurry right over to the MN Orchestra’s ticketing system to snap up some of the few remaining seats!  https://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/383/-/bernstein-and-copland#.VTMKByFViko  Or call the box office at 612.371.5656

We hope to see you Thursday morning or Friday night.

Posted on Facebook 4/19

April 30 – May 1 – familiar and new “American Voices” with our MN Orchestra and some of our favorite soloists. A few tickets remain, so read this intro from Julie Stewart (a member of SOSMN’s leadership team) and then get your tickets here:  https://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/383/-/bernstein-and-copland#.VTMKByFViko

American Voices: Made in America celebrates (you guessed it!) American music, presenting Aaron Copland’s justifiably famous Clarinet Concerto, a lesser-known but terrific Divertimento by Leonard Bernstein, and two very new works: Steve Heitzeg’s ‘American Nomad’ (a world premiere), written for and featuring the Orchestra’s own Charles Lazarus on trumpet, and Judd Greenstein’s ‘Acadia,’ a work commissioned and premiered by the Minnesota Orchestra in 2012.  Burt Hara, the Orchestra’s former principal clarinetist, will be returning from Los Angeles to play the Copland, to a no doubt warm and boisterous welcome from the audience.  

Bernstein’s Divertimento starts off sounding a bit like West Side Story but quickly morphs into many other varying moods and sounds, all packed into less than 20 minutes.  The Copland is a study of opposites: the haunting, soulful first movement (can any other instrument do haunting and soulful the way a clarinet can?), followed by the jazzy, upbeat and dazzling second movement.  The Heitzeg and Greenstein will both be new to my ears, and I can’t wait to hear them.   

Throughout the concert, I’ll be listening for what unites all these pieces - what makes them recognizably American?  Jazzy rhythms, melodies as simple and sweeping as the prairie sky, a certain informality, a certain optimism, perhaps even a touch of innocence?  Whatever it is, join us and you’ll get a chance to judge for yourself in these concerts April 30 – May 1.  

Posted on Facebook 4/18

“The Adoration of the Earth.” No, we’re not talking about today’s weather in Minneapolis (although we could be!), we’re talking about Part 1 of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” which our MN Orchestra will perform at next Thursday morning’s and Friday evening’s concerts.

Some of us here at SOSMN are a bit addicted to Stephen Malinowski’s “animated graphical scores” of orchestral works. This photo is a screenshot from the last few measures of Part 1, “The Adoration of the Earth.” We encourage you to share our addiction - click here to see/hear this whole movement:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02tkp6eeh40

Michael Stern conducts this program, which also includes Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Simon Trpčeski and Griffes’ “The Pleasure Dome of Kubla-Khan.”  More info and tickets here:  http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/381/-/primal-paradise-stravinsky-s-rite-of-spring#.VTKHayFVikr

We hope to celebrate spring with you at Orchestra Hall next weekend!

Posted on Facebook 4/7

“The Rage of Achilles” – a world premier Thursday, 4/16 at 8 pm in the Target Atrium of Orchestra Hall. Just $25.00. Do you have your tickets?  http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/465/-/the-rage-of-achilles#.VSP4nfnF_l8

Pamela Espeland reports on her conversation with composer Jeremy Walker in her ArtScape column today. She says, “While working on ‘The Rage of Achilles,’ Walker listened to Duke Ellington and string quartets by Beethoven and Bartok. Sometimes he switched to Paul Simon or the Broadway cast recording of Sting’s musical ‘The Last Ship.’ He found the singer/songwriter music especially helpful. At first it was background, but it led to more singable music in ‘Rage.’ Everything for the singers is composed; the instrumental musicians improvise, but the singers don’t.” Read Pamela’s full report here (scroll down to the second item in her column):  http://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2015/04/acc-show-crafts-lets-make-and-more-soovac-open-bryant

The performance features tenor Tesfa Wondemagegnehu as Achilles along with soprano Angela Keeton, bass-baritone Seth Keeton and jazz instrumentalists Jeremy Walker, Anthony Cox, Brandon Wozniak and Tim Zhorne.  Ancient poetry – classical voice – jazz instrumentation. Wow! What a combination.

And the performance is the day after tax day. Coincidence? We wonder! 

Posted on Facebook 3/29

Do you love lyrical writing for the mezzo voice? Do you love someone? If either or both of those is true, don’t miss the late-night performance of Peter Lieberson’s “Neruda Songs” by Victoria Vargas, mezzo-soprano and Mary Jo Gothmann, piano, in the Target Atrium on Saturday, April 11 at 10:30.

Listen to the last movement, sung with heart-breaking beauty by Lorraine Hunt Lieberman, for whom it was written, here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikvWSU9kutM&feature=youtu.be

This program will be very convenient for those of you with tickets to the 8:00 concert that evening (Haydn Symphony No. 45 “Farewell” and Mahler’s “Song of the Earth”), but of course this NightCap performance is available to everyone. Seating (just $10) and more info here:  http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/442/-/nightcap-neruda-songs#.VRiDDPnF_l8

For info on the 8:00 concert that evening, click here:  http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/380/-/song-of-the-earth-mahler-s-das-lied-von-der-erde#.VRiGz_nF_l8

(Painting by Richard Thorn)

Posted on Facebook 4/11

“…one of the most arresting performances I've encountered in recent memory” says Rob Hubbard in his Pioneer Press review of “Das Lied von der Erde.” You have one last chance to hear this program in person tonight at Orchestra Hall.  8:00  All seats $29. 

“…each of those solos was impeccably executed by the Minnesota Orchestra's principal players. Such as flutist Adam Kuenzel, who engaged Fujimura in melancholy exchanges on ‘The Lonely One in Autumn’ and ‘The Farewell.’ Or oboist John Snow or clarinetist Gregory Williams, both of whom brought the ideal blend of sadness and strength to their lines, as did the chorus of French horns.”

Read Mr. Hubbard’s full review here:   http://www.twincities.com/music/ci_27885694/review-minnesota-orchestra-delivers-mighty-mahler

It’s also your last chance to experience Mark Wigglesworth directing our MN Orchestra for at least a year – he becomes the Music Director of the English National Opera this September and is not conducting any of the 2015-2016 season concerts. He is such a great interpreter of these huge works (remember his Bruckner 4 in January?) that you won’t want to miss this!

More info and tickets here:  http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/459/-/symphony-in-60-song-of-the-earth#.VRQ5mPnF_l8  Or call the box office at 612.371.5655

And as long as you’re at Orchestra Hall, catch Victoria Vargas’ performance of Peter Lieberson’s “Neruda Songs” at 10:30! Read our post about that program here:  http://www.saveoursymphonymn.org/april-2015/april-11-nightcap

Posted on Facebook 3/30

Did you know that ADVANCE PUBLIC RUSH seating is available for the April 10 & 11 concerts (Mahler “Das Lied von der Erde” and Haydn Symphony No. 45)? $25.00 – what a deal!

Order yours today (online only) and avoid the Rush rush!   http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/special-offers/public-rush-tickets

Posted on Facebook 3/26

“A new world just might open up to you,” says Julie Stewart in her reflections on Mahler’s “Song of the Earth.” See if you agree April 10-11!

Julie, one of our SOSMN leaders, describes why she is excited about these concerts: “Mahler fell out of favor in the first half of the twentieth century, which might explain why those who formed my musical taste, trained in the 1930s and 40s, dismissed his music as ‘just neurotic late Romanticism.’  I managed to live the first half of my life without ever seriously listening to him.  Then, one day, a recording of Das Lied von der Erde (‘Song of the Earth’) somehow ended up in my possession, and, without expecting much, I played it.  OMG, as the texters would say – who was this guy, and why was I only finding out about him now?  While the entire work, a unique combination of symphony and song, is extraordinary, it’s the culminating movement, Der Abschied (‘The Farewell’), that will slay you.  It’s utterly sad, beautiful beyond words, and one of the most profound works of music ever written.  If, as I did, you’ve discounted Mahler – go!  A new world just might open up to you.  Great composers are like that – they change your life.”

Hear for yourself Friday and Saturday, April 10&11 at 8:00 pm.  Haydn’s Symphony No. 95  “Farewell” is also on this program.  Tickets ($29-$79) and more info here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/379/-/song-of-the-earth-mahler-s-das-lied-von-der-erde#.VRQ2ePnF_l8

Julie and all the rest of us at SOSMN hope to see you at one of these concerts!

Posted on Facebook 4/6

Happy Hour @ 7. One-hour concert @ 8. Mix & mingle with musicians onstage @ 9. Mahler’s magnificent “Song of the Earth.” $29.00 Such is the magic of “Symphony in 60” this Thursday evening at Orchestra Hall.

From the Orchestra’s website: “After a year filled with personal tragedy, Mahler was captivated by a collection of Chinese poetry that had been translated into German, and he set it to music. The result was ‘Das Lied von der Erde,’ or ‘Song of the Earth’ – a lyrical, dramatic synthesis of song and symphony that juxtaposes the sadness of mortality with the ecstasy of life.”

Don’t miss it! For more info and tickets:  http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/459/-/symphony-in-60-song-of-the-earth#.VRQ5mPnF_l8

Posted on Facebook 3/26

“A new world just might open up to you,” says Julie Stewart in her reflections on Mahler’s “Song of the Earth.” See if you agree April 9!

Julie, one of our SOSMN leaders, describes why she is excited about these concerts: “Mahler fell out of favor in the first half of the twentieth century, which might explain why those who formed my musical taste, trained in the 1930s and 40s, dismissed his music as ‘just neurotic late Romanticism.’  I managed to live the first half of my life without ever seriously listening to him.  Then, one day, a recording of Das Lied von der Erde (‘Song of the Earth’) somehow ended up in my possession, and, without expecting much, I played it.  OMG, as the texters would say – who was this guy, and why was I only finding out about him now?  While the entire work, a unique combination of symphony and song, is extraordinary, it’s the culminating movement, Der Abschied (‘The Farewell’), that will slay you.  It’s utterly sad, beautiful beyond words, and one of the most profound works of music ever written.  If, as I did, you’ve discounted Mahler – go!  A new world just might open up to you.  Great composers are like that – they change your life.”

You can hear for yourself at the Thursday, April 9 "Symphony in 60" concert lasting about one hour and starting at 8:00 pm.  All seats are just $29.  For tickets and more info click here:  http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/459/-/symphony-in-60-song-of-the-earth#.VRQ5mPnF_l8

Das Lied von der Erde will also be performed at the April 10 & 11 concerts, along with Haydn's Symphony No. 45, "Farewell." Those tickets here:  http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/379/-/song-of-the-earth-mahler-s-das-lied-von-der-erde#.VRQ6PPnF_l8

Julie and all the rest of us at SOSMN hope to see you at one of these concerts!

Posted on Facebook 3/23

“The Stalag was buried in snow.  We were 30,000 prisoners (French for the most part, with a few Poles and Belgians).  The four musicians played on broken instruments … the keys on my upright piano remained lowered when depressed … it’s on this piano, with my three fellow musicians, dressed in the oddest way … completely tattered, and wooden clogs large enough for the blood to circulate despite the snow underfoot … that I played my quartet … the most diverse classes of society were mingled: farmers, factory workers, intellectuals, professional servicemen, doctors and priests.”

SOSMN’s friend Emily Green thus quotes Olivier Messiaen’s reflections on the first performance of his “Quartet for the End of Time” in her essay, “The Musicality of War.” Emily, a high school senior, co-founder and President of Young Musicians of Minnesota, and fabulous French hornist, graciously shared her essay with us and permitted us to share it with you! This is an enhanced edition of a presentation for her World Literature and Composition class at Centennial High School in Circle Pines. We are excerpting a few sections of her essay here, but you can read it in its entirety and view the corresponding illustrations below.

Hear “Quartet for the End of Time” performed by Osmo Vänskä, clarinet, Erin Keefe, violin, Anthony Ross, cello and Susan Billmeyer, piano on Saturday, April 4 at 10:30 pm in the Target Atrium at Orchestra Hall. This is a separate ticketed event, convenient for those attending the 8:00 concert that evening, but of course available to everyone. More info and tickets ($10) here:   http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/441/-/nightcap-quartet-for-the-end-of-time#.VGoDD_nF_l8

In her essay, Emily Green gives us insight to the nature of the WW II French defenses, how the 31-year-old Messiaen found himself in a prison camp, how his experiences intersected with his Catholic faith, how this piece came to be written, how unique and ground-breaking his style is, and the skill it takes to perform it.  She says, “To play as slowly as written, performers need a great deal of trust in the music. The quartet musicians have to fundamentally alter their sense of pulse, to pass over the individual notes and follow a broader beat that is so slow as to feel almost unbearable.  It’s like trying to walk in super-slow motion.  In fact, it is so slow that it can be a challenge just to count to eight.  But the rewards for engaging with this radical rhythmic space are profound; the music seems to touch the far edges of human experience.”

And Emily reflects on the meaning of it all.  “Messiaen’s ‘Quartet for the End of Time’ offers a juxtaposition between the destructive and creative potentials of humanity.  Do we seek to transform whatever forms of violence we experience into something creative and relational, or do we spit them out and perpetuate the cycle?”

Please join us (and Emily!) in the Atrium late night April 4 for this intensely musical and spiritual and thought-provoking experience.

[The photo of the program for the premier performance is from Alex Ross’ “The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century”]

Here is Emily Green’s full essay:

The Musicality of War

“The Stalag was buried in snow.  We were 30,000 prisoners (French for the most part, with a few Poles and Belgians).  The four musicians played on broken instruments … the keys on my upright piano remained lowered when depressed … it’s on this piano, with my three fellow musicians, dressed in the oddest way … completely tattered, and wooden clogs large enough for the blood to circulate despite the snow underfoot … that I played my quartet … the most diverse classes of society were mingled: farmers, factory workers, intellectuals, professional servicemen, doctors and priests.”  The preceding quote was accessed from a book written by R. Rischin and is quoting Olivier Messiaen, a Frenchman taken as a prisoner of war during the invasion of France in 1940.  The 1940 German invasion of France, a pivotal moment in World War II, benchmarked an era of emotionally-moving and gratifying classical music.  World War II had a large effect on French prisoner of war and composer Olivier Messiaen, who through his experiences redesigned the art of influential and beautiful music in the mid-1900’s.

France’s army was believed to be the strongest in the continent. But the French had not industrialized beyond the defensive ideas that World War I had sparked, and primarily relied on their Maginot Line for all defensive protection from Germany. The Maginot Line was a very well-developed, strong group of fortifications running along the Belgian and Switzerland borders.  As described by the BBC News, “The line consisted of many defensive installations constructed in depth, equipped with underground supply and communications facilities, and connected by rail lines, with all its heavy guns pointed east at the German frontier.”

Despite the defensive measure taken by the French, the Germans waged war on France May 10th of 1940, invading the country through Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The attack began with German air raids on Belgium and Holland, followed by parachute drops and attacks by ground forces.  The French defense forces weren’t strong enough, falling suddenly and unexpectedly under the pressure exerted by Germany.  

Olivier Messiaen, a World War II draftee, was a French composer, organist, and teacher whose music is influenced by his devout Catholic faith, exoticism, and nature.  When Olivier was 11 years old, he attended the Paris Conservatory where he studied organ and improvisation with Marcel Dupré and composition with Paul Dukas.  With the war beginning in 1940, Messiaen was involuntarily drafted as a French nurse, rather than a soldier.  Soon after Messiaen began his service he was taken prisoner at Stalag VIII-A, a prison camp in southeast Germany.  When Olivier Messiaen was first searched, the guards were in shock to find that he had no weapons, but rather he had music scores in his pockets.  His status in the concentration camp allowed him special privileges, which included having access to the camp’s organ as well as a pen and paper to compose music.  

In creating his individual style, Messiaen discovered in the music of French composer Claude Debussy the properties of "exotic" modes such as the whole-tone and diminished scales.  The inherent symmetrical ideas of these modes enabled Messiaen to create progressions and melodies free of the tonic-dominant polarity of traditional tonal music, while remaining independent of the twelve-tone system.  Messiaen was gifted with a strong sense of "synaesthesia," or hearing in colors.  He often described his music in terms of "color progressions," also equating key signatures sets of pitches with specific colors.  At an early age, Messiaen developed a strong interest in rhythm, particularly fueled by Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.  He soon left regular metric divisions behind, although repetition remained a vital part of his rhythmic vocabulary. 

At the camp he befriended three other prisoners of war who were musicians, and together these men performed the Quatuor pour la fin du temps, also known as “Quartet for the End of Time”, one of Messiaen’s war compositions, in 1941.  According to Mr. Rischin’s book on Messiaen’s Quartet, one of the musicians mentioned that the audience members did not know how to interpret Olivier’s unique and unusual composition styles, saying “The audience, as far as I remember, was overwhelmed at the time.  They wondered what had happened.  Everyone.  We too.  We asked ourselves: ‘What are we doing?  What are we playing?”  Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time” was one first pieces to experiment with the technique of bird song, which became a trademark of Messiaen’s compositions and of other modern composers today.  The piece was greatly affected by the environment, the concentration camp, in which it was composed.

"Quartet for the End of Time” was composed for the four instruments available at the camp – a cello, piano, clarinet and violin.  The piece became one of the most popular chamber music compositions to be written in the twentieth century.  Messiaen created rhythms that expanded, contracted, stopped in their tracks, and rolled back in symmetrical patterns.  For Messiaen, the end of time also meant an escape from history, World War II, and a leap into an imaginary paradise.  The “Quartet for the End of Time” is perhaps the first of Messiaen's works in which the contrast between movements becomes truly extreme: there is a new level of violence in the music.  Messiaen’s struggle to not only endure the terrible conditions, but also to incorporate the experience into his Catholic faith was profound in his music.  According to Steven Osborne’s article, Henri Akoka, the clarinettist for the premiere of the quartet, asked Messiaen to join him in attempting to escape; Messiaen answered: "No, it's God's will I am here."  The result of Messiaen’s experiences is a work more emotionally engaged than any work he had written previously.  In the end, Messiaen’s apocalyptic piece had less to do with catastrophe but instead records the rebirth of a soul in the cases of extreme emotion. This theme remains common in many pieces composed today, which is why the Quartet is as emotionally overpowering now as it was back in 1941.

The piece is so intricate to hear that the listener often doesn’t realize how odd the piece really is.  The unusual combination of piano, clarinet, violin and cello, reflecting the players Messiaen had available to him at the camp, is only a part of it.  Of the Quartet’s eight movements, only half of them involve all four players: one is a solo, two are duets, and one is a trio.  Even stranger, the clarinet and cello are silent for the last 10 minutes of the piece.  In fact, each musician has to sit still for almost 10 minutes once or twice, which can make the experience of the performance feel rather disjointed.  This reflects a curious and vivid genesis: the duo movements are reworkings of Messiaen’s previous compositions; the solo clarinet movement was written as a gift for Akoka (the quartet clarinettist) as they travelled together under German guard; the trio was written for friends in captivity before the concept of writing a quartet had even entered Messiaen's mind.  Only the remaining four movements were written with the quartet itself in mind.

To play as slowly as written, performers need a great deal of trust in the music. The quartet musicians have to fundamentally alter their sense of pulse, to pass over the individual notes and follow a broader beat that is so slow as to feel almost unbearable.  It’s like trying to walk in super-slow motion.  In fact, it is so slow that it can be a challenge just to count to eight.  But the rewards for engaging with this radical rhythmic space are profound; the music seems to touch the far edges of human experience.

There are few pieces that offer the possibility of such transfiguration, and that it should have emerged from such horrific beginnings seems little short of miraculous.  Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time” offers a juxtaposition between the destructive and creative potentials of humanity.  Do we seek to transform whatever forms of violence we experience into something creative and relational, or do we spit them out and perpetuate the cycle?  Perhaps Messiaen's solution was an attempt to avoid the reality of his situation, an escape into his artistic and religious worlds, but it has left us an enduring and improbable masterpiece.

Posted on Facebook 4/1

We were reduced to rubble by “The Lark Ascending.” Immerse yourself in the beauty of Erin Keefe’s haunting performance this Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

The Minnesota Orchestra hosted an open rehearsal Wednesday afternoon for people who had contributed to its Guaranty Fund. Several of us from SOSMN had schedules that allowed us to attend, and “The Lark Ascending” was the first piece they rehearsed. It was absolutely spellbinding from the very first notes. What a brilliant performance by our Concertmaster, Ms. Keefe, and what strong, sensitive, expressive playing from her colleagues – wow, just wow.

Our friend, blogger Scott Chamberlain (Mask of the Flower Prince) offered his very insightful and personal perspectives on the piece in a post this afternoon. Scott says, “Let me be blunt… there has never been a more beautiful, heart-searing flow of music. Taking the part of the lark, the solo violin soars into stratospheric heights at the very top of its register, so that it is barely audible at all. Beneath this, the orchestra lays out a shimmering landscape below, evoking a lush spring morning at its verdant finest. The contrast between them gives the work a feeling of astonishing freedom, of absolute weightlessness untouched by fear, doubt or any earthly care. The lark’s song is a joyful affirmation of simply… being.” Read Scott’s whole post here:  https://maskoftheflowerprince.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/a-concert-ascending/

This weekend’s program also includes Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Russian Easter Overture,” Messiaen’s “Exotic Birds” (we heard this rehearsed this afternoon too – a powerful, complex, brilliant work for woodwind, brass, percussion and piano virtuosos), and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 – all under the direction of Maestro Osmo Vänskä – really, don’t miss it. If you can’t be there in person, be sure to listen to Friday night’s live broadcast on MPR:  http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/programs/minnesota_orchestra/ But we hope to see you at one of the performances! Tickets and more info here:  http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/376/-/spirit-spring-beethoven-s-eroica#.VRyzH_nF_l8

If you’d like to sample the music on this concert, just click the “Spotify” link at the bottom of the Orchestra’s webpage for this concert. If you’ve had problems with Spotify in the past, give it a try again! The technology behind Spotify has been recently upgraded, and you should now be able to click right into the music for this program.

Posted on Facebook 3/22

Easter weekend will be downright transcendent at Orchestra Hall!

On April 2-3-4 hear Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Russian Easter Overture,” Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending,” Messiaen’s “Exotic Birds,” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 – all under the direction of Maestro Osmo Vänskä with our spectacular concertmaster Erin Keefe on “The Lark Ascending” and pianist Timothy Lovelace on “Exotic Birds” and of course our marvelous Minnesota Orchestra – what more could you ask for?

Well, perhaps you might ask for a bit of insight around the spiritual aspects of spring, Easter, regeneration, etc. reflected in this program’s music – if so, you’re in luck because MPR’s Lynne Warfel will moderate a pre-concert discussion on Thursday morning and Friday evening with 
* The Right Reverend Mariann Budde, Bishop of Washington, National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. (and former Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Linden Hills)
* Archpriest Andrew Morby, Dean, St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral
* Rabbi Sim Glaser, Temple Israel
Per the Orchestra’s website, “Topics will range from the role of nature worship in ancient cultures to solstice ceremonies and the ideas of rebirth, regeneration and resurrection – as reflected today in the practices of various faiths and in the music performed in this week’s program. The Orchestra’s approaching trip to Cuba also opens the door to discussions on liberation theology, forgiveness, grace and new beginnings.”  Admission is free with your concert ticket. More info here:   http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/565/-/community-conversations-spirit-spring#.VQ6uAo7F_l8

Some tickets ($30-$69) remain for each performance. Additional details and ticketing here:  http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/376/-/spirit-spring-beethoven-s-eroica#.VQ6wnY7F_l_

Public Rush tickets for unsold seats are available starting one hour prior to the concert, $35 top-priced seating sections; $25 all other locations. Call Ticket Services (612.371.5656) on the concert date to inquire if rush tickets will be offered. Limit 4.