Osmo Vänskä’s celebrated 19-year tenure as Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra draws to a close this month. On Friday, June 3 one of these final concerts will be livestreamed on the orchestra’s website at 8PM CT / 9PM ET / 6PM PT. The program features Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings featuring Concertmaster Erin Keefe alongside pianist Juho Pohjonen, and the world premiere of the late Jaakko Kuusisto’s final work, with edits compiled by his brother Pekka Kuusisto.
You can watch the livestream here: https://mnorch.vhx.tv/videos/live-6-3-vanska-and-keefe
It will remain available to view for free for a week.
Additionally, this concert features the Sphinx Virtuosi, the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization. The Sphinx Virtuosi will open the concert performing three pieces and then its members will be seated within the Minnesota Orchestra to perform the remainder of the program.
Mr. Vänskä’s final concerts as Music Director will take place June 10-12. The program is Mahler’s Eighth Symphony – Symphony of a Thousand. These performances will not be livestreamed but are being recorded as part of the Orchestra’s acclaimed Mahler Recording Cycle with BIS Records.
The death of Jaakko Kuusisto is a cruel blow for his friends and music lovers around the world.
He spread his wings in the latter part of his career and became a notable composer in Finland and abroad.
He was the nicest of human beings and I will always value my friendship spread over 15 plus years begun by my annual visits to the Sibelius Festival at Lahti.