In her first solo performance as Minnesota Orchestra Acting Concertmaster, violinist Sarah Kwak will join Principal Cellist Anthony Ross for a Brahms concerto in concerts from May 13 to May 15 at Orchestra Hall at 11th and Marquette in Minneapolis.Brahms’ Double Concerto, written in 1887, is the composer’s last orchestral work. It is popular for its deep meaning as it was written in part as a gesture of reconciliation toward an estranged friend, Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim. The first movement has a heroic motto, while the Andante is a gentle song without words; the lively finale contains hints of gypsy music, a nod to Joachim’s nationality.
The program also features music from Wagner’s Tannhäuser and Haydn’s Symphony No. 90, and Wagner opera music, Brahms’ elegant Double Concerto and a Haydn symphony, conducted by maestro Mark Wigglesworth of England who returns to Orchestra Hall for his tenth set of Minnesota Orchestra subscription concerts in 15 years
The program marks the first time Kwak and Ross have performed together as soloists in an Orchestra concert since 1996, when they played the same Brahms work under conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier.
Kwak joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 1988, was named first associate concertmaster in 1990 and took the title of acting concertmaster in January 2010. She has appeared as soloist with the Orchestra in major works of Bach, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Vaughan Williams, Stephen Paulus and Kevin Puts, and she has also been a featured soloist with the Houston Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra.
The program is performed three times at Orchestra Hall: on Thursday, May 13, at 11 a.m.; Friday, May 14, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, May 15, at 8 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $22 to $84. For tickets, call Minnesota Orchestra Ticket Services at (612) 371-5656 or visit minnesotaorchestra.org.
