Upper
Midwest music lovers who act fast have a fine opportunity to learn up close why
the Minnesota Orchestra is so highly rated across the world. The current concert
program features mostly the string sections in top-level performance.
We
attended a morning so-called “coffee concert” at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.
The program will be repeated Friday evening, January 31. The orchestra was ably
led by cello virtuoso, Paul Watkins. First on the program, a delightful
Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge, Opus 10, composed by Benjamin Britten. Some
of the variations were wildly surprising and required exceptional precision by
the violins in particular. Bright, varied and interesting.
Carl
Phillip Emanuel Bach, J.S.’s second son (of 20 total) became a highly
successful and creative composer. His Cello Concerto in A major contains numerous
surprising passages, ably presented by soloist, Paul Watkins. Unfortunately, the
harpsichord was at times, almost lost in the music.
The
final piece was Beethoven’s Symphony No.4 in B-flat major. It’s a rousing piece
in which the orchestra even presented allegro movements with a verve and up-tempo
precision that clearly brought a near-capacity audience to attention. Again,
the string sections performed at a high level. On a cold January evening this excellent
program and performance will be just the thing for the winter audience.