Posted on Facebook 1/23
“STUNNING. CAPTIVATING. CATHARTIC.” said SOSMN’s friend Sarah Schmalenberger after yesterday morning’s MN Orchestra concert.
Sarah continued, “That was my experience at this morning's Winterfest concert by the Minnesota Orchestra. For the first half - "Chivalry" - we were treated to the narration of actor Samuel West as he delivered epic Shakespearean verse from ‘Henry V.’ From the crisp militaristic riffs of the percussion and brass to the cinematic melodies of the strings, the drama unfolds to recount the epic play. And then came the second half - "Romance" - of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony. Brian Jensen addressed the audience before taking his seat in the horn section, encouraging us to embrace the musical journey as a balm for persevering through the trials of our own lives. The herald call of the symphony, proclaimed brilliantly by Principal hornist Michael Gast, echoed throughout the piece and brought redeeming triumph to the journey. Certainly a performance worth catching if you don't already have tickets!”
Rob Hubbard calls this concert “inspiring” and says it’s “a chance to recharge your emotional batteries” in his PioneerPress review this morning: http://www.twincities.com/Entertainment/ci_27377327/Minnesota-Orchestras-Shakespeare-Winterfest-lifts-above-January-gloom
For tickets and more info click here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/359/-/chivalry-and-romance-bruckner-s-fourth-symphony#.VLUhpCvF_l8
“STUNNING. CAPTIVATING. CATHARTIC.” said SOSMN’s friend Sarah Schmalenberger after yesterday morning’s MN Orchestra concert.
Sarah continued, “That was my experience at this morning's Winterfest concert by the Minnesota Orchestra. For the first half - "Chivalry" - we were treated to the narration of actor Samuel West as he delivered epic Shakespearean verse from ‘Henry V.’ From the crisp militaristic riffs of the percussion and brass to the cinematic melodies of the strings, the drama unfolds to recount the epic play. And then came the second half - "Romance" - of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony. Brian Jensen addressed the audience before taking his seat in the horn section, encouraging us to embrace the musical journey as a balm for persevering through the trials of our own lives. The herald call of the symphony, proclaimed brilliantly by Principal hornist Michael Gast, echoed throughout the piece and brought redeeming triumph to the journey. Certainly a performance worth catching if you don't already have tickets!”
Rob Hubbard calls this concert “inspiring” and says it’s “a chance to recharge your emotional batteries” in his PioneerPress review this morning: http://www.twincities.com/Entertainment/ci_27377327/Minnesota-Orchestras-Shakespeare-Winterfest-lifts-above-January-gloom
For tickets and more info click here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/359/-/chivalry-and-romance-bruckner-s-fourth-symphony#.VLUhpCvF_l8
Posted on Facebook 1/21
The MN Orchestra’s 5-weekend “Shakespeare Winterfest” starts this Thursday morning with “Chivalry and Romance” (the program is repeated Friday & Saturday nights). STUDENTS can get advance rush tickets for $12: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/special-offers/student-rush-tickets
See the festival lineup here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/special-events/shakespeare-winterfest
This week’s program opens with William Walton’s rarely-performed Suite from Laurence Olivier’s 1944 film version of “Henry V,” a piece that communicates the story’s heroism, charm and complexity, and is considered by many to be the finest Shakespearean film score ever written. It is narrated by British actor & director Samuel West (Mr. Selfridge, The Chronicles of Narnia, Cambridge Spies, Howards End, Notting Hill, Hamlet, Richard II, and many more), who worked with conductor Mark Wigglesworth to select portions of Shakespeare’s script for this weekend’s performances. In the program notes Mr. West says: “Mark Wigglesworth and I have discussed what scenes from the play might best accompany [the] suite, inspired partly by Olivier’s recorded narration and partly by Palmer’s Scenario. This is a bespoke arrangement: we have conflated a pair of French battles, but since that allows you to hear two of the greatest speeches ever written, we hope you will allow us the artistic license.” See a clip from this week’s rehearsal here: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152590665913045&set=vb.54292558044&&theater
After intermission we will experience Anton Bruckner’s monumental 4th Symphony. Program annotator Eric Bromberger writes about the final movement: “The ending is extraordinary. The music grows quiet and slows, and a horn chorale takes shape, building slowly in strength. The rest of the orchestra joins the horns, and the music rises higher and higher, taking on more power as it climbs. Finally the symphony soars to its shining conclusion as the entire brass section stamps out the rhythm of the solo horn call that had opened the symphony an hour earlier.” An SOSMN friend writes: “[The Bruckner] should be celebrated for what it is - a great chance to sit back, suspend time, and soak in luxurious symphonic sound. It's not for everyone, everytime, but everyone who loves symphonic music should gird their loins, prepare themselves, and just let the sound wash over them, at least once in their lives.” Do not miss the opportunity to hear this symphony in person!
Tickets, more info, and recordings of the Walton and the Bruckner provided at no cost via Spotify, are on the Orchestra’s webpage for this concert: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/359/-/chivalry-and-romance-bruckner-s-fourth-symphony#.VLUhpCvF_l8
Full program notes are here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/images/programnotes/1415/chivalry_romance.pdf
The MN Orchestra’s 5-weekend “Shakespeare Winterfest” starts this Thursday morning with “Chivalry and Romance” (the program is repeated Friday & Saturday nights). STUDENTS can get advance rush tickets for $12: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/special-offers/student-rush-tickets
See the festival lineup here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/special-events/shakespeare-winterfest
This week’s program opens with William Walton’s rarely-performed Suite from Laurence Olivier’s 1944 film version of “Henry V,” a piece that communicates the story’s heroism, charm and complexity, and is considered by many to be the finest Shakespearean film score ever written. It is narrated by British actor & director Samuel West (Mr. Selfridge, The Chronicles of Narnia, Cambridge Spies, Howards End, Notting Hill, Hamlet, Richard II, and many more), who worked with conductor Mark Wigglesworth to select portions of Shakespeare’s script for this weekend’s performances. In the program notes Mr. West says: “Mark Wigglesworth and I have discussed what scenes from the play might best accompany [the] suite, inspired partly by Olivier’s recorded narration and partly by Palmer’s Scenario. This is a bespoke arrangement: we have conflated a pair of French battles, but since that allows you to hear two of the greatest speeches ever written, we hope you will allow us the artistic license.” See a clip from this week’s rehearsal here: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152590665913045&set=vb.54292558044&&theater
After intermission we will experience Anton Bruckner’s monumental 4th Symphony. Program annotator Eric Bromberger writes about the final movement: “The ending is extraordinary. The music grows quiet and slows, and a horn chorale takes shape, building slowly in strength. The rest of the orchestra joins the horns, and the music rises higher and higher, taking on more power as it climbs. Finally the symphony soars to its shining conclusion as the entire brass section stamps out the rhythm of the solo horn call that had opened the symphony an hour earlier.” An SOSMN friend writes: “[The Bruckner] should be celebrated for what it is - a great chance to sit back, suspend time, and soak in luxurious symphonic sound. It's not for everyone, everytime, but everyone who loves symphonic music should gird their loins, prepare themselves, and just let the sound wash over them, at least once in their lives.” Do not miss the opportunity to hear this symphony in person!
Tickets, more info, and recordings of the Walton and the Bruckner provided at no cost via Spotify, are on the Orchestra’s webpage for this concert: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/359/-/chivalry-and-romance-bruckner-s-fourth-symphony#.VLUhpCvF_l8
Full program notes are here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/images/programnotes/1415/chivalry_romance.pdf
Posted on Facebook 1/20
Bruckner 4 – expect to be amazed!
On Jan 15 we posted comments from Max Bonecutter about his experience playing this symphony in the MN Orchestra under Klaus Tennstedt’s direction (and the audience’s reaction to it) in the late ‘70s.
Today SOSMN Leadership Team member Julie Stewart talks about why she and her husband are so excited about this weekend’s concerts.
Julie writes: “I don't know anything about the Walton [Suite to Shakespeare’s Henry V], though I'm looking forward to hearing it. What attracted John and me to this concert: (a) Mark Wigglesworth, whom we think draws superb performances out of the orchestra; and (b) Bruckner 4. Yes, it was performed during the lockout; but don't you want to hear this incredible symphony in the newly-refurbished Orchestra Hall, by our newly-resurgent Minnesota Orchestra? I first heard Bruckner 4 with the Chicago Symphony under George Solti - I was a newly-minted graduate student, taking advantage of my student discount, and somehow ended up just a few rows from the stage. I'd heard Solti before, but was waiting to understand why his reputation was so big - and with that concert, I understood. It was the most exciting live concert I'd ever been to to that point. Why do I mention this? Just because I know that this piece of music can be amazing, and I'm fully expecting to be amazed this weekend.”
So if you’re in need of a profoundly moving experience this weekend, you have three opportunities to hear this spectacular program – Thursday morning and Friday & Saturday nights. Tickets here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/359/-/chivalry-and-romance-bruckner-s-fourth-symphony#.VLUhpCvF_l8
$12 advance student rush tickets are available for this concert. Details here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/special-offers/student-rush-tickets
We hope to see you this weekend!
Bruckner 4 – expect to be amazed!
On Jan 15 we posted comments from Max Bonecutter about his experience playing this symphony in the MN Orchestra under Klaus Tennstedt’s direction (and the audience’s reaction to it) in the late ‘70s.
Today SOSMN Leadership Team member Julie Stewart talks about why she and her husband are so excited about this weekend’s concerts.
Julie writes: “I don't know anything about the Walton [Suite to Shakespeare’s Henry V], though I'm looking forward to hearing it. What attracted John and me to this concert: (a) Mark Wigglesworth, whom we think draws superb performances out of the orchestra; and (b) Bruckner 4. Yes, it was performed during the lockout; but don't you want to hear this incredible symphony in the newly-refurbished Orchestra Hall, by our newly-resurgent Minnesota Orchestra? I first heard Bruckner 4 with the Chicago Symphony under George Solti - I was a newly-minted graduate student, taking advantage of my student discount, and somehow ended up just a few rows from the stage. I'd heard Solti before, but was waiting to understand why his reputation was so big - and with that concert, I understood. It was the most exciting live concert I'd ever been to to that point. Why do I mention this? Just because I know that this piece of music can be amazing, and I'm fully expecting to be amazed this weekend.”
So if you’re in need of a profoundly moving experience this weekend, you have three opportunities to hear this spectacular program – Thursday morning and Friday & Saturday nights. Tickets here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/359/-/chivalry-and-romance-bruckner-s-fourth-symphony#.VLUhpCvF_l8
$12 advance student rush tickets are available for this concert. Details here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/special-offers/student-rush-tickets
We hope to see you this weekend!
Posted on Facebook 1/18
William Walton’s “Henry V Suite” – a very British intro! SOSMN’s friend Emily Hogstand (“Song of the Lark” blog) writes:
“The Minnesota Orchestra takes on Walton's Henry V Suite January 22, 23, 24. Here's a great three-minute introduction from the very British BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0220hl0
“Then buy your tickets here! http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/359/-/chivalry-and-romance-bruckner-s-fourth-symphony#.VLUhpCvF_l8 “
Thanks for digging this up, Emily!
William Walton’s “Henry V Suite” – a very British intro! SOSMN’s friend Emily Hogstand (“Song of the Lark” blog) writes:
“The Minnesota Orchestra takes on Walton's Henry V Suite January 22, 23, 24. Here's a great three-minute introduction from the very British BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0220hl0
“Then buy your tickets here! http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/359/-/chivalry-and-romance-bruckner-s-fourth-symphony#.VLUhpCvF_l8 “
Thanks for digging this up, Emily!
Posted on Facebook 1/15
“Zis must be a TERRIBLE crescendo.” Former MN Orchestra trombonist Max Bonecutter wrote to us at SOSMN about his memories rehearsing and performing Anton Bruckner’s 4th Symphony, “Romantic,” under the late Klaus Tennstedt, and about the audience’s reaction to it.
Max writes: “One of the first years I was in the orchestra (1977-82), the late Klaus Tennstedt guest conducted Bruckner 4. His English still was not very good. He asked musicians who knew German to translate for him sometimes. At other times, he used his fractured English, which was, nevertheless, often very meaningful. If he saw a violinist or two not really giving it their all, he would say, ‘I need everybody here! Now, come on!’ I remember phrases like ‘Zis must be a TERRIBLE crescendo,’ and ‘You must it, because you can it!’
“At the Wednesday opening night concert, it felt like one room in Orchestra Hall for a change, instead of there being an invisible shield between the stage and the audience. The audience listened to the entire symphony without emitting hardly any sound. After the final Eb major chord ended, there was a silence for a split second, and then the audience, as one, leaped to their feet and yelled ‘Bravo.’ It was the only truly spontaneous total standing ovation I have ever witnessed, either as a performer or as an audience member. I will never forget that musical moment - the kind of moment that made the weeks of 4 rehearsals and 4 concerts, 4 rehearsals and 4 concerts, 4 rehearsals and 4 concerts, worth it.”
Be swept up into that “terrible” Brucknerian crescendo (and hear William Walton’s wonderfully evocative Suite from Laurence Olivier’s 1944 film version of “Henry V”) yourself on Jan 22, 23 or 24. Ticketing and more info are here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/359/-/chivalry-and-romance-bruckner-s-fourth-symphony#.VLUhpCvF_l8 And thanks, Max, for your wonderful story!
[If you have stories, insights or perspectives on upcoming concerts that you would be willing to share, please write to us at [email protected] ! We are always looking for unique angles and personal stories on upcoming repertoire, and we would be happy to share your thoughts with attribution or anonymously.]
“Zis must be a TERRIBLE crescendo.” Former MN Orchestra trombonist Max Bonecutter wrote to us at SOSMN about his memories rehearsing and performing Anton Bruckner’s 4th Symphony, “Romantic,” under the late Klaus Tennstedt, and about the audience’s reaction to it.
Max writes: “One of the first years I was in the orchestra (1977-82), the late Klaus Tennstedt guest conducted Bruckner 4. His English still was not very good. He asked musicians who knew German to translate for him sometimes. At other times, he used his fractured English, which was, nevertheless, often very meaningful. If he saw a violinist or two not really giving it their all, he would say, ‘I need everybody here! Now, come on!’ I remember phrases like ‘Zis must be a TERRIBLE crescendo,’ and ‘You must it, because you can it!’
“At the Wednesday opening night concert, it felt like one room in Orchestra Hall for a change, instead of there being an invisible shield between the stage and the audience. The audience listened to the entire symphony without emitting hardly any sound. After the final Eb major chord ended, there was a silence for a split second, and then the audience, as one, leaped to their feet and yelled ‘Bravo.’ It was the only truly spontaneous total standing ovation I have ever witnessed, either as a performer or as an audience member. I will never forget that musical moment - the kind of moment that made the weeks of 4 rehearsals and 4 concerts, 4 rehearsals and 4 concerts, 4 rehearsals and 4 concerts, worth it.”
Be swept up into that “terrible” Brucknerian crescendo (and hear William Walton’s wonderfully evocative Suite from Laurence Olivier’s 1944 film version of “Henry V”) yourself on Jan 22, 23 or 24. Ticketing and more info are here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/359/-/chivalry-and-romance-bruckner-s-fourth-symphony#.VLUhpCvF_l8 And thanks, Max, for your wonderful story!
[If you have stories, insights or perspectives on upcoming concerts that you would be willing to share, please write to us at [email protected] ! We are always looking for unique angles and personal stories on upcoming repertoire, and we would be happy to share your thoughts with attribution or anonymously.]
Posted on Facebook 1/13
The Orchestra’s 5-weekend “Shakespeare Winterfest” begins Jan. 22-23-24 with a program called “Chivalry and Romance,” featuring William Walton’s wonderfully evocative Suite from Laurence Olivier’s 1944 film version of “Henry V” and Anton Bruckner’s huge Symphony No. 4, “Romantic.”
The popular and critically acclaimed Mark Wigglesworth returns to conduct these first concerts of the series. Remember last spring’s Shostakovich 10th Symphony and the “The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure” with Wigglesworth on the podium? We are sure to be in for another treat with him conducting this program.
Recordings of the Walton and the Bruckner are provided at no cost via Spotify on the Orchestra’s webpage for this concert – enjoy the music online and then buy your tickets to hear it in person on Thursday morning or Friday or Saturday evening that weekend! Here’s the link: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/359/-/chivalry-and-romance-bruckner-s-fourth-symphony#.VLUhpCvF_l8
It is said that Shakespeare’s work captured and reflected every human emotion. Will the music in this Shakespeare Winterfest series do the same? Attend one or more of the concerts and hear for yourself! Info on the series is here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/special-events/shakespeare-winterfest
The Orchestra’s 5-weekend “Shakespeare Winterfest” begins Jan. 22-23-24 with a program called “Chivalry and Romance,” featuring William Walton’s wonderfully evocative Suite from Laurence Olivier’s 1944 film version of “Henry V” and Anton Bruckner’s huge Symphony No. 4, “Romantic.”
The popular and critically acclaimed Mark Wigglesworth returns to conduct these first concerts of the series. Remember last spring’s Shostakovich 10th Symphony and the “The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure” with Wigglesworth on the podium? We are sure to be in for another treat with him conducting this program.
Recordings of the Walton and the Bruckner are provided at no cost via Spotify on the Orchestra’s webpage for this concert – enjoy the music online and then buy your tickets to hear it in person on Thursday morning or Friday or Saturday evening that weekend! Here’s the link: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/359/-/chivalry-and-romance-bruckner-s-fourth-symphony#.VLUhpCvF_l8
It is said that Shakespeare’s work captured and reflected every human emotion. Will the music in this Shakespeare Winterfest series do the same? Attend one or more of the concerts and hear for yourself! Info on the series is here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/special-events/shakespeare-winterfest
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