Thursday, January 11, had the great pleasure of a late morning concert by the Minnesota Orchestra. First we bussed from Rosedale to Orchestra Hall, an excellent convenience. Then, after coffee, juice and donuts, came the pleasure of part of the symphonic Beethoven Marathon. First, Symphony No.4 in B-Flat major. It is a more modest work than some of Ludwig's bigger, but its lyricism and mood fit a brisk morning well.
Then Yevgeny Sudbin put his tall slender self at the Steinway keyboard for Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major. Sudbin is a prodigious talent and meshes well with Conductor Osmo Vanska's up-tempo style.
Later , after an intermission, contemplating a cold bright January sun over Minneapolis, we sank into the happy rhythms of Beethoven's Symphony Number 6 in F Major. The Pastoral was enthusiastically performed and enthusiastically received by a well-filled house.
Thereafter we were taken by comfortable bus back to Rosedale. Compliments to all involved. A fine concert and performance of sundry servicdes.
