Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra continue their 10-year symphonic portrait of Anton Bruckner with concerts featuring the Romantic-era Austrian’s First Symphony on November 8 and 9. The programs, which are performed at two of the Twin Cities’ most acoustically rich venues—Orchestra Hall and the Cathedral of Saint Paul—also include a pair of works by the minimalist Arvo Pärt, one of which features the women of the Minnesota Chorale, the Orchestra’s principal chorus.
The performances are held at Orchestra Hall on Thursday, November 8, at 11 a.m., and at the St. Paul Cathedral on Friday, November 9, at 8 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $21 to $83.
The Bruckner Project: Decade-long endeavor enters second year
Vänskä and the Orchestra launched the 10-year Bruckner Project in November 2006 with performances of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 0 in D minor, Die Nullte. The cycle now enters a new phase as the Orchestra begins exploring Bruckner’s nine regularly catalogued symphonies.
Bruckner’s First Symphony, which premiered in 1868, is known for its grandiose orchestration, long dramatic pauses and a slow second movement that emulates the operatic language of Richard Wagner.
“Performing at the Cathedral of Saint Paul gives us a chance to present Bruckner’s music in an acoustic setting very similar to the one he had in mind while writing the piece,” says Vänskä. “We’ll play the same program at Orchestra Hall, and the differences between the venues will be fascinating to explore.”
With the concerts, Vänskä becomes only the second conductor to lead the Minnesota Orchestra in performances of Bruckner’s First Symphony. The Orchestra presented the work under the baton of its current conductor laureate, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, in 1973, 1981 and 1991.
Pärt’s Fratres, for Cellos and Como cierva sedienta complete program
Contemporary Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is best known for his mystical minimalist works, which generally use basic harmonies and rhythms, and often incorporate the human voice. His Fratres, composed for chamber orchestra in 1977 and later adapted for cellos, is a hypnotic exercise in slowly shifting dynamics as chords swell and contract over a drone. At these concerts, the Orchestra presents the cello version, which was premiered in 1982 by the Berlin Philharmonic cello section.
Pärt’s 1998 piece Como cierva sedienta (As the Hart Pants), which calls for soprano, female choir and orchestra, sets a Spanish-language translation of Psalms 42 and 43 from the Bible. The work uses simple, thinly-orchestrated materials to convey the text’s message of keeping faith in difficult times. -- www.minnesotaorchestra.org
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