MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA COFFEE CONCERT A MIXED WINNER

Feb. 25, morning concert by Minnesota Orchestra. Interesting mix. First a Concerto for seven winds, Tympani, percussion and strings. By Swiss composer, Frank Martin. Fascinating political connections with obstinate separations in the beginning and gradual compromises and final blending for the greater good.

Mozart piano concerto 21 in C Major was next, considered top of the charts, soloist Jon Kimura Parker. An excellent composition, very well performed.

J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #5, in D Major, is a  lovely piece and was well-performed. The trouble is the piece works better in as much smaller hall.

Finally, the orchestra concluded the concert with Arthur Honegger's Symphony NUMBER 2. It's a dark and depressing  work, composed during the height of the Nazi occupation of Paris. It is complex and dark and reminds one of war, occupation and concentration camps.Besides, the hall was cold.

Sibelius Kullervo/Black or White

Minnesota Orchestra at full throttle and in great voice with this piece, plus Finlandia. Program opened with Migrations by Olli Kortekangas, for male chorus and orchestra. It was a powerful, well-imagined concert. The YL male voice choir from Finland was magnificent and Osmos outdid himself. A small morning audience received a great benefit.

BLACK OR WHITE
Based on a true case, attorney Elliot Anderson has to fight off an attempt by his bi-racial granddaughter's black grandmother to send Eloise to her father after Anderson's wife dies in an auto accident.  The film illuminates all sorts of social and racial cliches in a fairly predictable and obvious manner. The acting is pretty good throughout, as is the direction, but the plot plods along in obvious manner until the last courtroom scene. Still worth seeing.