Minnesota Orchestra offers up a musical potpourri

By Phillip Nones, 17 April 2021

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“Herbsttag is notable for its musical invention and all-around appeal”

Reviewed at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis on 16 April 2021

Thompson, In Response to the Madness

del Águila, Herbsttag (Autumn Day)

Shostakovich, Piano Concerto no. 1 in C minor for piano, trumpet and string orchestra, Op.35

Schumann, Symphony no. 4 in D minor, Op.120

Jon Kimura Parker, Piano

Manny Laureano, Trumpet

Minnesota Orchestra

Marc Albrecht, Conductor

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

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

Scintillating Shéhérazade in Minneapolis

Phillip Nones, 17th November

Rafael Payare contrasts a stentorian Brahms Symphony 4 with colorful French scores, including a scintillating Shéhérazade.

****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.

Minnesota Orchestra offers up a musical potpourri with a chamber discovery