The Minnesota Orchestra’s innovative “Inside the Classics” series returns for a third season in 2009-10, offering audiences an up-close look at musical masterworks inspired by aspects of nature including the countryside, the sea and the changing of seasons.
Assistant Conductor Sarah Hicks and Orchestra violist Sam Bergman reprise their roles as, respectively, conductor and host, leading an entertaining exploration of the works and composers featured on each program. The concerts focus on Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, Debussy’s La Mer and works by Vivaldi, Piazzolla and Raskatov that take audiences on a journey through the four seasons.
Each concert begins with an in-depth look at the featured composers and the inspiration behind their works, as Hicks and Bergman delve into the connections between music and nature. The series’ flexible format also allows Hicks and Bergman to spotlight the colorful personalities of the Orchestra’s 98 musicians—and occasional special guests. After intermission, Hicks leads the Orchestra in a full performance of the featured work or series of related works.
“Inside the Classics is a series for everyone,” says Bergman. “It bridges the gap between frequent concertgoers and people who are new to the concert hall.”
In addition to their roles as conductor and host, Hicks and Bergman will continue contributing to the Inside the Classics section of the Orchestra’s website, accessible at insidetheclassics.org. The site features a regularly updated blog written by Hicks and Bergman, behind-the-scenes video interviews, an interactive “Ask an Expert” feature and a compilation of headlines from the online news digest ArtsJournal.com.
The Programs: Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, Debussy’s La Mer and a celebration of seasons
The third season of Inside the Classics begins on October 29 and 30 with a look at Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, Pastoral. The work, which the composer originally called Recollections of Country Life, evokes images of babbling brooks, crashing thunderstorms and rural life. In the concerts, Hicks and Bergman will examine the composer’s passion for nature and the impact it had on his work. The program will conclude with a complete performance of the five-movement Pastoral Symphony.
The season’s second program, performed on January 27 and 28, is centered on Debussy’s 1905 masterpiece La Mer, a work that broke new ground in sonic possibilities and form. Also featured at these concerts is Debussy’s classic Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, which casts the flute as the protagonist of an alluring natural tableau. Both works will be performed in full during the program’s second half.
For the Inside the Classics season finale, presented on March 10 and 11, Hicks and Bergman will lead a transcontinental exploration of the seasons as portrayed by Vivaldi, Piazzolla and contemporary Russian composer Alexander Raskatov. Orchestra violinists Gina DiBello and Jonathan Magness will be featured as soloists in the Spring and Summer concertos of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, the Fall movement of Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires and Raskatov’s depiction of the year’s first four months. -- www.minnesotaorchestra.org
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