For Immediate Release
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Contacts:
Katherine Eklund
msomanager@msomn.org
Kristin Fischer Rosel
msomediacontact@msomn.org
Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra Performs Pictures at an Exhibition on May 8
Minnesota Orchestra acting concertmaster Sarah Kwak performs Glazunov’s Violin Concerto
MINNEAPOLIS, April 14, 2011 – The Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce its upcoming concert featuring Leopold Stokowski’s brilliant and rarely performed orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
Sunday, May 8, 4:00 p.m
Central Lutheran Church
333 South 12th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition was written in 1874 shortly after the composer attended a posthumous showing of artworks created by his late friend, Victor Hartmann. Originally composed for solo piano, the suite depicts Mussorgsky’s stroll through the art gallery and the impressions made by Hartmann’s drawings, paintings and ceramics. The music has been orchestrated by a variety of composers, most famously by Maurice Ravel. Stokowski’s orchestration of Pictures was premiered in Philadelphia in 1939.
“Leopold Stokowski, one of the 20th century's greatest conductors, was also a fabulous orchestrator, and he thought Ravel's version sounded too Gallic, so he made a version that sounds very Russian,” says MSO Music Director
William Schrickel. “It is a fantastic arrangement that will appeal both to listeners familiar with Ravel's version and those who have never previously heard the work.”
Additional pieces on the program include Johannes Brahms’ Tragic Overture, composed in 1880, and Alexander Glazunov’s Violin Concerto, first performed in 1905. Sarah Kwak, acting concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra, will perform the virtuoso showpiece with the MSO.
“Sarah Kwak is a brilliant violinist and a consummate artist. There is no one else with whom I would rather perform the Glazunov Concerto,” says Schrickel. “The MSO members and I always look forward to performing at Central Lutheran Church. The audience is attentive and enthusiastic, and the orchestra sounds wonderful in the church's warm acoustic.”
All MSO concerts are free of charge; free-will donations are appreciated. No tickets or reservations are needed. For more information and directions to the performing venue, and to view the MSO’s entire 2010-2011 schedule, please visit
www.msomn.org.
Pictures at an Exhibition
William Schrickel, conductor
Sarah Kwak, violin
Johannes Brahms – Tragic Overture, op. 81
Alexander Glazunov – Violin Concerto in A minor, op. 82
Modest Mussorgsky/Leopold Stokowski – Pictures at an Exhibition
About William Schrickel and The Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
The Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra celebrates William Schrickel's 11th season as its Music Director. He was an Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra for the 2005-06 season and was the Music Director of the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra from 2002-2008.
The Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra is in its 29th season. Founded in 1982 by Saint Olaf College graduates, the orchestra has grown from a small chamber ensemble to a full symphony orchestra, a magnet for some of the area's finest professional and amateur instrumentalists. The primary goal of the orchestra is to reach all corners of the metropolitan area with a full spectrum of orchestral music and to encourage audiences to experience the excitement of live symphonic performances. Visit www.msomn.org for more information.
About Sarah Kwak
Acting concertmaster Sarah Kwak, a Minnesota Orchestra member since 1988, has performed numerous solos with the Minnesota orchestra. Kwak, a 2008 McKnight Artist Fellowship winner, has also soloed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Houston Symphony, and Curtis Institute Chamber Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, she has toured internationally with the Casa Verde Trio and has participated in the Marlboro Music Festival, Pensacola Festival, Pittsburgh Summerfest, Bargemusic of New York and Festival Mozart in France. She was a founding member of the Rosalyra String Quartet, which gave its New York debut in 1996 and was awarded a McKnight Artist Fellowship in 2000. The ensemble has released several CDs on the Artegra label.