Minnesota Orchestra sparkles in less familiar Scandinavian repertoire

By Phillip Nones, 31 May 2015

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Reviewed at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis on 29 May 2015

Nielsen, Pan and Syrinx, Op.49

Sibelius, Symphony no. 3 in C major, Op.52

Brahms, Piano Concerto no. 2 in B flat major, Op.83

Minnesota Orchestra

Osmo Vänskä, Conductor

André Watts, Piano

Bold Beethoven bookends Sir Andrew Davis' Minnesota Orchestra program

Sam Jacobson, 17th June

At the Minnesota Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis contrasts works of Beethoven with Berg’s Violin Concerto and a piece the draws on traditional Chinese folk dance.

****1

Minnesota Orchestra offers up a musical potpourri

Phillip Nones, 16th April

In something of a surprise, the standout item on this Minnesota Orchestra concert program turned out to be a short chamber piece by Miguel del Águila.

***11

Prom 31: An all-American concert from Minnesota Orchestra and Vänskä

Dominic Lowe, 6th August

The Minnesota Orchestra’s visit offered a chance to hear Gershwin’s Piano Concerto and Ives’ Symphony no. 2, though the former suffered somewhat from an absence of spark.

***11

A praiseworthy Chichester Psalms from Minnesota Orchestra

Phillip Nones, 1st June

The Minnesota Chorale does Leonard Bernstein and Sir William Walton proud, with the Bernstein Chichester Psalms a particularly impressive presentation.

***11

Minnesota Orchestra reacquaint with old friends in Minneapolis

Phillip Nones, 13th April

In Minneapolis, Markus Stenz and Louis Lortie present time-honored Austro-German symphonic masterpieces in committed and compelling performances.

****1

Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra present “Tchaikovsky's Threes”

Phillip Nones, 11th January

In memorable performances, Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra showcased lesser-known scores as part of their Tchaikovsky Marathon.

****1

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Phillip Nones

Phillip Nones studied piano from age six, also playing percussion in educational and civic groups before moving to a rural area of the USA in 1990, where performance opportunities were few. Recently he has started performing again, participating in “side-by-side” orchestra performances and playing percussion in the World Doctors' Orchestra. His personal collection of music includes over 5,000 classical albums in all formats (CDs, LPs, 78s), plus downloads. In his professional life, he heads up a marketing communications firm in the state of Maryland. He blogs about the French composer Florent Schmitt here.

Osmo Vänska and the Minnesota Orchestra sparkle in less familiar Scandinavian repertoire