Osmo Vänskä Returns
Thu Feb 22 — Sat Feb 24, 2024
Orchestra Hall
Conductor Laureate Osmo Vänskä, a champion of both new music and rising stars, revisits his beloved Minnesota Orchestra. Through Orchestra commissions by Anders Hillborg and Kevin Puts—plus two bass concertos performed by Nina Bernat, the 2022 FRIENDS of the Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition winner—this concert reflects Vänskä’s wide-ranging and compelling vision for the future of orchestral music.
A Few Things to Know
- Bassist Nina Bernat is one of the recently announced winners of the prestigious 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant.
- Kevin Puts’ Concerto for Orchestra and Anders Hillborg’s Through Lost Landscapes were both co-commissioned by the Minnesota Orchestra during Osmo Vänskä’s tenure as music director; both pieces receive their U.S. premieres in these concerts as well.
- Finnish composer Lotta Wennäkoski’s Flounce and Estonian composer Eduard Tubin’s Double Bass Concerto both receive their first Minnesota Orchestra performances.
Program
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WENNÄKOSKI
Flounce
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ROSSINI
Overture to The Barber of Seville
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BOTTESINI
Bass Concerto No. 2
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HILLBORG
Through Lost Landscapes
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TUBIN
Bass Concerto
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PUTS
Concerto for Orchestra
Artists
The Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra, now in its second century, ranks among America’s top symphonic ensembles, with a distinguished history of acclaimed performances in its home state and around the world; award-winning recordings, broadcasts and educational engagement programs; and a commitment to intentionally build concert programs to feature more works by composers of color, exploring music both contemporary and historic. This fall, Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård begins his tenure as music director.
Minnesota Orchestra Conductor Laureate Osmo Vänskä, whose 19-year tenure as the Orchestra’s music director concluded in 2022, is renowned internationally for his compelling interpretations of the standard, contemporary and Nordic repertoires. His multi-year project with the Orchestra to perform and record all ten Mahler symphonies concluded in November 2022 with the Third Symphony. Signature initiatives of his music director tenure included a Sibelius symphonies cycle that earned the Orchestra its first Grammy Award and major tours to Cuba, Europe and South Africa. As a guest conductor, he has received extraordinary praise for his work with many of the world’s leading orchestras.
Accessibility Services
- Armless & Bariatric Chairs
- Assistive Listening Devices
- Large-Print Programs
- Noise-Cancelling Headphones
- Service Animals
- Wheelchair & Accessible Seating
Additional services are available upon request.
SPONSORED BY
The 2023-2024 Classical Season is presented by Ameriprise Financial.