Minnesota Orchestra embarks on European Festivals Tour
Osmo Vänskä leads Orchestra in two performances at London’s BBC Proms,
as well as festival concerts in Edinburgh and Amsterdam;
Minnesota Public Radio offers live broadcasts of both Proms performances
for Minnesota audiences, 1:30 pm CDT August 27 and 28
Music Director Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra will depart for three major European music festivals later this month, including two performances at what is generally considered the world’s most famous classical music festival: the BBC Proms in London. Featuring violinist Lisa Batiashvili and cellist Alisa Weilerstein, the tour also includes performances at the Edinburgh International Festival and in the Great Hall of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. [Editor's note: Gil Shaham replaces the originally announced violin soloist, Lisa Batiashvili, who has been forced to withdraw due to illness.] The one-week Festival Tour runs from August 24 through 31 and is entirely underwritten by an anonymous donor.
Minnesota Orchestra fans may follow the Minnesota Orchestra’s travels during the tour via an online “eTour” available at minnesotaorchestra.org, beginning August 25. Additionally, Minnesota Public Radio will present both of the Minnesota Orchestra’s Proms performances live on all its Classical MPR stations. These broadcasts, slated for 1:30 pm (Central Daylight Time) on Friday, August 27 and Saturday, August 28, will be hosted by the BBC and MPR’s Brian Newhouse.
Tour repertoire spans the symphonic gamut from Bruckner’s Fourth and Beethoven’s Seventh to string concertos by Berg, Elgar, Mozart and Shostakovich. In the Orchestra’s final concert at the Proms, it will perform Beethoven’s Ninth, joined by the BBC Symphony Chorus and vocal soloists Helena Juntunen, Charlotte Hellekant, Eric Cutler and Neal Davies.
“To be invited for two performances at the Proms is a great honor,” says Music Director Osmo Vänskä, who led the Minnesota Orchestra in its BBC Proms debut in 2006. “And to be asked to offer Beethoven’s Ninth, which is so important to the Proms, is particularly meaningful. I am very proud of the Minnesota Orchestra, and I look forward to sharing performances at all three festivals this summer.”
The tour is part of an ongoing strategy—along with broadcasting and recording— to share the Minnesota Orchestra sound with broad global audiences. “Earlier this year, we established a regular broadcast presence on BBC Radio 3,” says President and CEO Michael Henson. “Joining up the broadcast series with live performances at the Proms and important festivals in Edinburgh and Amsterdam allows us to maximize the Minnesota Orchestra’s international impact, despite the challenging economic environment.” In December, the Minnesota Orchestra launched a six-concert broadcast series on BBC Radio 3, the only American orchestra to do so in the current season.
MORE ABOUT THE FESTIVALS
London: BBC Proms
The BBC Proms, the world’s largest classical music festival, is a 115-year tradition in London that presents a wide range of music to very large audiences. Running from mid-July to mid-September, the festival consists of more than 70 concerts, predominantly held in Royal Albert Hall. The term “Prom” refers to a Promenade Concert, which comes from the original practice of audience members promenading, or strolling, in certain areas of the hall during a concert. Today there are still 1,000 standing places for “prommers” available at each performance for reduced prices. Further increasing the accessibility of the festival, every Prom concert is also broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, available both on air and online.
Edinburgh: Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh Festival presents classical music, theatrical, opera and dance performances in six major theater and concert venues over a three-week period in late summer each year. The Minnesota Orchestra will perform in the 2,300-seat Usher Hall.
Amsterdam: Robeco Zomerconcerten
Amsterdam’s Robeco Zomerconcerten is an annual summer festival that features more than 100 classical, jazz and world music performances. All performances are held in two auditoriums at the famed Concertgebouw, which ranks among the world’s most visited concert venues and is considered one of the finest acoustic environments in the world.
TRAVELING ALONG
Orchestra fans will be able to share in the tour through an online eTour, which will offer the latest photos, video, blogs and reviews at minnesotaorchestra.org.
The Orchestra’s 2010 European Festivals Tour is arranged by the international artist and project management company HarrisonParrott.
Minnesota Orchestra 2010 European Festival Tour
Friday, August 27, 7:30 pm / Royal Albert Hall, London, England
BBC Proms
This concert will be broadcast live on Classical MPR stations at 1:30 pm Central Daylight Time.
Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, conductor
Alisa Weilerstein, cello
BARBER Music for a Scene from Shelley
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 1
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 4, Romantic
More: bbc.co.uk/proms/2010
Saturday, August 28, 7:30 pm / Royal Albert Hall, London, England
BBC Proms
This concert will be broadcast live on Classical MPR stations at 1:30 pm Central Daylight Time
Minnesota Orchestra Charlotte Hellekant, mezzo
Osmo Vänskä, conductor Eric Cutler, tenor
Gil Shaham, violin Neal Davies, bass
Helena Juntunen, soprano BBC Symphony Chorus
BERG Violin Concerto
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9, Choral
More: bbc.co.uk/proms/2010
Sunday, August 29, 7:30 pm / Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh International Festival
Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, conductor
Alisa Weilerstein, cello
BARBER Music for a Scene from Shelley
ELGAR Cello Concerto
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7
More: eif.co.uk
Monday, August 30, 8:15 pm / Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Robeco Zomerconcerten
Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, conductor
Gil Shaham, violin
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 5
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7
More: robecozomerconcerten.nl
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Minnesota Orchestra’s 2010 European Tour is entirely underwritten by an anonymous donor.
This engagement is also supported by MidAtlantic Arts Foundation through USArtists International in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the Minnesota Orchestra’s 2009-10 season.
This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
PRESS CONTACTS:
Gwen Pappas, Director of Public Relations
(612) 371-5628 | gpappas@mnorch.org
Sandi Brown, Public Relations Coordinator
(612) 371-5641 | sbrown@mnorch.org