(graceful classical music) - Minnesota Orchestra, together with your Classical MPR and Twin Cities PBS is live, with performances, interviews, and more on television, radio, and online.

(graceful classical music) This is Minnesota Orchestra.

(graceful classical music) (thrilling orchestral music) (audience cheering and applauding) Performed by the Minnesota Orchestra, led by our guest conductor Ken-David Masur.

That was music of John Williams, written for the 1996 Summer Olympics, "Summon the Heroes", an appropriate title for our concert tonight.

So welcome everyone around the world, across the U.S., here at home, and of course, right here in Orchestra Hall.

I'm your host, Sarah Hicks, And I'm excited that you've joined us for an evening of great live music with the Minnesota Orchestra.

Tonight, we celebrate our very own heroes, the frontline workers of downtown Minneapolis.

We're grateful for everything they've done to keep our city working during the most difficult times throughout the pandemic.

We honor them and are thrilled so many are our guests right here in Orchestra Hall.

Our program continues with a work by a musical pioneer.

It was premiered by the Boston Symphony and was the first symphony composed and published by an American woman.

Let's go now to the first movement of Beach's "Gaelic Symphony".

(anxious orchestral music) (graceful classical music) (anxious orchestral music) (building orchestral music) (soft oboe music) (anxious orchestral music) (building orchestral music) (gentle orchestral music) (building orchestral music) (audience cheering and applauding) Captivating music by Beach.

The first movement of her "Gaelic Symphony".

Amy Beach is one of my musical heroes, but tonight we celebrate our hometown heroes.

Please join me in welcoming Minnesota Orchestra bassist Kate Nettleman to tell you about our special evening.

Welcome, Kate.

(audience applauding) - Thanks, Sarah.

- So, Kate, this evening is special because of the people in the hall.

Tell us more about our guests and how this concert came to be.

- Yes, many people attending tonight work in essential service or frontline industry jobs right here in our neighborhood.

They work in health care, food, pharmacies, childcare and education, media, sanitation, public safety, transportation, social services, and more.

This gathering is a representation of the variety and sheer number of people whose work right outside these doors keeps our city running every day.

The pandemic has highlighted that these services are critical to a healthy and functional community.

Through the orchestra's work we want to express our gratitude for these phenomenal neighbors on whom we all rely.

On behalf of the musicians, staff and board of the Minnesota orchestra, thank you for your vital and valued work.

(applauding) - So, Kate, I understand that musicians have covered the cost of the tickets tonight from your Bellwether Fund, so tell me, why is this a priority for you and your colleagues?

- Sure, the Bellwether Fund is a musician-led resource within the Minnesota Orchestra, and we use it to underwrite projects that we believe will deepen community connections through music.

It is a historic collective effort of our community that's made it possible for us to gather here and share music at Orchestra Hall at all.

But this year it is particularly thanks to the daily work of the guests seated in front of this stage that we can gather.

Downtown neighbors, we are honored to be your Minnesota Orchestra.

We invite you and your families to return many times and fill your hearts and your lives with beautiful music.

For those watching and listening at home, come join us downtown soon and celebrate this city.

Thank you.

- That's wonderful.

Thank you, Kate.

- Thanks, Sarah.

(applause) - Our next selection are two movements from a symphony by Perkinson, called "Generations".

We'll hear a lyrical movement which pays tribute to the women in the immediate family and a humorous movement dedicated to his grandson.

Here now our movements two and three of Perkinson's "Sinfonietta No.

2".

(moving orchestral music) (violin solo) (audience applauding) (bouncy orchestral music) (audience applauding and cheering) To movements from the "Sinfonietta No.

2" by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, American composer born in Manhattan in 1932 and named after Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, an Afro-English composer whose music was popular in the early 20th century.

Perkinson wrote that music in 1996 and gave it the subtitle "Generations", with each movement dedicated to family members.

We are live at Orchestra Hall tonight with the Minnesota orchestra under Ken-David Masur, who is making his Minnesota orchestra debut.

I'm Melissa Ousley in the MPR radio booth, and Sarah Hicks is backstage tonight.

And Sarah, I am so glad you're there, because I have a couple of questions.

Hello.

- Hello, Melissa.

- The orchestra is about to play a piece by Samuel Barber, who, like many members of this orchestra, went to Curtis in Philadelphia, and I know you studied there too, and I'm wondering what it was like.

- Well, it's a conservatory steeped in tradition, and it provided me with a really old-school music education.

In fact, my teacher was a towering old maestro who had no problem yelling at me in German in front of the student orchestra.

So I suppose you could say it was a little intimidating.

- And did you understand what he was saying?

- Oh, I spoke enough German to know what he was saying.

(chuckling) - Okay.

Oh dear.

Well, Curtis graduate Samuel Barber calls this next piece "Essay No.

1".

What did he mean by that?

- So, Barbara created the idea of a musical essay, just like a written essay, as the development of a complex thoughtful work drawn from a single melodic thesis, in this case, a five note theme that goes ♪ Mi mi mi fa re ♪ - Oh, very helpful.

I'm gonna think of those five notes.

I think we're ready to hear the Minnesota Orchestra play the "Essay No.

1" by Samuel Barber.

Sarah, thank you.

(somber orchestral music) (emphatic orchestral music) (soft french horn music) (light orchestral music) (spirited orchestral music) (gentle orchestral music) (audience applauding) - That was Barber's "Essay No.

1", the Minnesota Orchestra, led by our guest conductor, Ken David Masur.

Next up is a solo performance by pianist and our creative partner for summer programming, Jon Kimura Parker.

And as someone who travels for work, he is thrilled to see the energy and the people returning to Minneapolis.

- I've been coming to Minneapolis for at least 30 years.

And most of that time has been because I've been here to perform with the Minnesota Orchestra, but I love the city of Minneapolis.

And of course, since we're here in Orchestra Hall, downtown Minneapolis is the part of the city that I know best, but I've visited friends in their homes all over the city.

It's a warm place in the sense that the people are incredibly friendly.

And I love being downtown also because of the energy here.

I love being on Nicollet Mall.

Peavey Plaza is a really fun place to hang out.

There are great restaurants nearby.

And everyone I've had an interaction with has been so friendly and welcoming, and I've always felt that I'm just part of Minneapolis, even though I've never actually lived here.

(lively piano music) Hi, Jon Kimura Parker.

- Nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you.

I'm the creative partner of the Minnesota Orchestra for summer programming, and just thrilled to meet you, because you're a real hero of downtown Minneapolis.

- Thank you.

- You've been honored as such.

Tell me about the Downtown Improvement District and give me an idea of a few specific things that you might do during the course of the day or the course of a week.

- We help people.

This is our main focus.

We do all kinds of things, such as bus routes are our number one.

We get a lot of people that come in and want to know where to go and how to get there.

Also motorist assists.

Some of the things we do like with groceries and stuff like that, we help individuals out that need help.

- [Jon] Tell me what the last year and a half has been like.

I mean, obviously downtown's been a bit of a different place.

- It was, to say the least, lonely.

We were down here quite a bit, especially during the peak of the pandemic.

We were the only ones down here for a minute or two.

Glad to see all the vibrancy and everybody come back.

It's a welcoming place to be.

- [Jon] Any advice for people coming to Minneapolis for the first time?

- Come on down and see us.

Enjoy the views.

We have a beautiful downtown, beautiful city, beautiful state.

- [Jon] Beautiful people, - [Tim] Beautiful people, smiles everywhere, (upbeat piano music) - Come in left to right.

- Understand.

Okay.

- Try and nice and easy.

- It's quite difficult.

- It's easier said than done.

- Yeah.

Oh!

- Almost.

- Almost.

- Almost.

- See, I was trying to knock yours out of the way.

- That's a good idea, yes.

- Would that have been a good idea if it had worked?

- Right, okay, great.

- Absolutely, yeah.

- The whole atmosphere here and the fact, for me, of course, that you're across the street from Orchestra Hall, this is my favorite place.

I mean, this is where I come, this is where I feel like I kind of know the menu and what to order, and, you know, I'm just thrilled to be here.

- Well, thank you.

We're thrilled to be back open really.

It's been a long, long year.

Very difficult.

Being downtown has had its problems, but, you know, we're coming back now for sure.

There's definitely hope around.

The orchestra is starting off again, so we'll get a bit of crowd from there.

Conventions finally seem to be coming back.

Twins are back.

Even downtown offices seem to be coming, bringing those workers back into town.

So, yeah, the seeds of recovery are definitely there.

- People are coming back into downtown, which is great.

I know you're an institution like Orchestra hall and the Minnesota Orchestra are institutions.

How long have you been here?

- 31 years.

The building a bit longer.

But yeah, we do think we're sounds as an institution.

See ourselves as a bit of an everyman pub, you know?

We cater for everybody, and that's why I think we are such an institution.

- I'm so glad to see and hear everybody here and that it's all picking up.

It's wonderful.

- Yeah, thank you.

Cheers.

- Cheers.

(glasses clink) (upbeat piano music) Like everywhere in the country, Minneapolis has had a very difficult year, and it's really exciting to be here now and to see downtown coming back, to see Orchestra Hall coming to life, to hear rehearsing in the background, and to know that the music is back.

And most importantly, of course, for the orchestra, for me, and for all of us who make music, is having our audience back and having everyone come back to Orchestra Hall and actually hear the incredible magic of the live sound of the Minnesota Orchestra.

(upbeat piano music) (audience applauding) - It's truly inspiring to see our neighbors and our downtown beginning to thrive again.

And you'll no doubt be inspired by our next selection, based on themes from a classic movie.

Here now is Hirtz's "Wizard of Oz Fantasy" performed by our creative partner for summer programming, Jon Kimura Parker.

(audience cheering and applauding) (whimsical piano music) (delicate piano music) (bouncy piano music) (audience cheering and applauding) The delightful "Wizard of Oz Fantasy" by Hirtz, performed by our absolutely delightful creative partner, Jon Kimura Parker, to our very appreciative audience here in Orchestra Hall.

I can hear them even here backstage.

And I am delighted to be joined now by our guests conductor for the evening, Ken-David Masur.

Welcome, Ken.

- Hello, Sarah.

Great to be with you.

- Thanks so much for joining us.

So tonight's program is all about American music and all its styles.

And I'm wondering how William Grant still really fits into this spectrum of American music.

- Oh, I mean, he fits in perfectly.

This is a celebration of American musical heroes, and we began with John Williams, who wrote, of course, the fanfare for the 1996 Atlanta Games.

And it was also the 100th anniversary of the re-begin of the modern Olympic games in 1896.

But another thing was the 100th anniversary of, because in 1896, Amy Beach, who we heard thereafter, wrote her groundbreaking "Gaelic Symphony", because just a couple of years before, the "New World Symphony" by the Antonin Dvorak was written, and he encouraged the young generation of American composers and musicians to find their own path.

And so, with Amy Beach, we saw how this continued, and it would continue, of course, into the '10s and the '20s with Gershwin, who are going to hear at the end of the program.

But in 1930, Grant still wrote his first symphony, "The Afro-American", and with that, he just broke many barriers and was so courageous to follow that up with, seven years later, writing "Song of a New Race", which is the second symphony, which we're going to be performing the last movement of.

And to me, this is so amazing because this movement is filled with songs, not just one or two melodies, but it really ends in this great hope with many melodies coming together, signifying the many people walking alongside each other as brethren and sisters here to a new dawn at the end.

- Remarkable message and a remarkable piece.

Thank you so much for joining us.

- Great pleasure.

- And speaking of remarkable, in a concert celebrating our hometown heroes, well, we can't forget our newest hometown hero, Sunisa Lee, the gymnast who won the gold in the women's all around this week at the Tokyo Olympics, a remarkable achievement, and we send her all our congratulations.

And so next up, we have a piece that is a third in a trilogy of works depicting the African-American experience.

We'll hear now Still's "Symphony No.

2", the fourth movement, the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by our guest conductor, Ken-David Masur.

(orchestra tuning) (audience applauding) (emphatic orchestral music) (graceful orchestral music) (bouncy orchestral music) (passionate orchestral music) (audience cheering and applauding) Music by Still from his "Second Symphony", the Minnesota Orchestra led by guest conductor, Ken-David Masur.

And as we change over the stage for our last work, please join me in welcoming our creative partner, Jon Kimura Parker, this time live and in-person.

Great to see you, Jackie.

- Great to see you, Sarah.

Thank you.

(audience applauding) So, Jackie, you're playing one of my all-time favorite concertos, the Gershwin "Concerto in F".

What can you tell us about this piece?

- Well, it's one of my all-time favorite concertos, too, actually.

And what's really interesting is that Gershwin had, of course, a huge success when he wrote "Rhapsody in Blue".

That was in 1924.

And what many people don't know about "Rhapsody in Blue" is that Gershwin didn't yet have the confidence to orchestrate it, so he actually farmed that out like a Hollywood composer would and had somebody else choose what instruments would do what.

That opening a glissando in the clarinet, not Gershwin's idea, actually.

So when it came to the "Concerto in F", he had studied, he was desperate to be taken very seriously, and he orchestrated this piece himself.

And in this first movement, you'll hear how incredibly enthusiastically Gershwin orchestrated it.

There's brilliant writing, searing beautiful melodies for the strings, very effective rhythmic writing for the percussion.

The winds are called upon to do amazing, virtuosic things.

The brass, of course, figure very big in this piece.

And you'll hear elements of the Charleston and other jazz rhythms.

Basically, this is a piece that will really make you think of the roaring 20s.

Those 20s.

- Those 20s.

Exactly.

(laughs) And it's remarkable to hear all of this different repertoire.

You play it so amazingly, and you have this boundless energy, which we enjoy so much, especially as our creative partner.

What have been your highlights?

- Well, for me, the biggest highlight has been my interaction with players in the orchestra.

I've been playing as a guest soloist and in summer programs with the Minnesota Orchestra for over 30 years.

And there are some players in the orchestra that I've been playing with for 30 years.

There are also several younger players in the orchestra that studied at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where I teach, and so I know them also, so I feel...

They have welcomed me like family, and I know so many players personally, and I feel like I know the orchestra also.

This is an astounding orchestra.

Buy the Mahler recordings, by the way, everybody.

It's such an incredible orchestra, so for me, the great joy of being their partner, is just all this personal and musical interaction.

- That's wonderful.

And you are such a part of this family, Jackie, and it's so wonderful to have you.

Thanks for chatting today.

- Thank you.

Thanks, Sarah.

(audience applauding) - So, it looks like our stage reset is almost over.

And at this point, I'd like to give a huge shout-out to our amazing stage crew who has had the Herculean task of making so many complicated stage changes throughout our broadcast this season.

They are the unsung heroes of Orchestra Hall, crucial to our ability to perform for you, and we appreciate them so much.

So it looks like their work is done.

Now it's time for our musicians to work.

So we wrap up our concert with the first movement of Gershwin's "Piano Concerto in F", featuring our creative partner, Jon Kimura Parker, the Minnesota Orchestra led by guest conductor Ken-David Masur.

(orchestra tuning) (dynamic orchestral music) (moving piano music) (lively orchestral music) (spirited piano music) (bouncy orchestral music) (light orchestral music) (emphatic orchestral music) (playful piano music) (building orchestral music) (passionate orchestral music) (spirited orchestral music) (climactic orchestral music) (audience cheering and applauding) A dazzling performance of Gershwin's brilliant "Concerto in F".

Pianist Jon Kimura Parker with the Minnesota Orchestra led by Ken-David Masur.

What a perfect way to bring this evening to a close, a program of American music dedicated to our hometown heroes, the downtown frontline, and other employees who are here with us tonight.

We are proud to work alongside them and this great city of Minneapolis.

And thanks to all of you for joining us.

Until the next time, my friends, as always, stay safe, stay well, and we'll see you soon.

Good night.

(audience cheering and applauding) (light orchestral music)