French-Canadian conductor Bernard Labadie leads the Minnesota Orchestra in concerts at Orchestra Hall on February 9 and 10. The program, which features French composer Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, showcases the talents of soprano Hélène Guilmette, bass-baritone Philippe Sly and the Minnesota Chorale, the Minnesota Orchestra’s principal chorus. The concerts open with the Fourth Symphony of 18th-century German Henri-Joseph Rigel, whose music has not yet been played by the Orchestra in its 115-year history. This brief, colorful symphony, composed in Paris, is followed by Mozart’s own nod to France with his Paris Symphony. Then, the Minnesota Chorale joins the Orchestra onstage for performances of Fauré’s elegant Pavane and the beloved Requiem.

These Minnesota Orchestra concerts are held at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis on Friday, February 9, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, February 10, at 8 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $29 to $96. More information is available at minnesotaorchestra.org and by phone at 612-371-5656. For further purchasing details, refer to the information section at the conclusion of this press release.

Bernard Labadie, conductor

Bernard Labadie has established himself worldwide as one of the preeminent conductors of the Baroque and Classical repertoire, a reputation closely tied to his work with Les Violons du Roy, where he served as music director from its inception until 2016, and with La Chapelle de Québec. He begins a four-year term as principal conductor of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in the 2018-19 season. His North American engagements during the 2017-18 season include concerts with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra and National Arts Centre Orchestra; internationally this season he conducts the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National de Lyon and Finnish Radio Orchestra, among other ensembles. More: dispeker.com.

Hélène Guilmette, soprano

French-Canadian soprano Hélène Guilmette, now making her Minnesota Orchestra debut, has led a distinguished international career since winning second prize at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition of Belgium in 2004. Her 2017-18 season includes performances across the world with major companies such as the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich and Opéra Comique in Paris, as well as major orchestras in Quebec and Montreal. More: intermezzo-management.com; heleneguilmette.com.

Philippe Sly, bass-baritone

French-Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly was the first prize winner of the prestigious Concours Musical International de Montréal and a grand prize winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He was also recently awarded Concert of the Year in Romantic, Post-Romantic and Impressionist Music at the 16th annual ceremony of the Prix Opus in Québec. This season, he returns to the Paris Opera as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and as Zebul in Claus Guth’s new production of Jephtha, conducted by William Christie. More: columbia-artists.com; philippesly.com.

Music from the heart of France

Much of Rigel’s work was hidden in the shadow of Haydn and is little-known today. The outer movements of his brief Fourth Symphony drive ahead with intensity, while the central Andantino offers a simple, elegant arc. To please the Parisian audiences that were known to love bold and dramatic new music, Mozart used all of the resources available to him when scoring his Paris Symphony for the largest orchestra he had yet used—with added personnel in the strings and a full contingent of wind instruments.

Graceful in melody and airy of texture, Fauré’s Pavane is distinguished by the restraint of its emotional display and its gentle solo woodwinds. These performances feature the rarely-heard version with chorus.

Fauré’s Requiem is the gentlest of all settings of the Mass for the Dead, casting aside the darkness of the Dies Irae emphasized by other composers in favor of a vision that assumes salvation, ultimate redemption and rest.
Minnesota Orchestra Classical Concerts
FAURÉ REQUIEM

Friday, February 9, 2018, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall
Saturday, February 10, 2018, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall

Minnesota Orchestra
Bernard Labadie, conductor
Hélène Guilmette, soprano
Philippe Sly, bass-baritone
Minnesota Chorale
RIGEL Symphony No. 4
MOZART Symphony No. 31, Paris
FAURÉ Pavane
FAURÉ Requiem
Tickets: $29 to $96

The performance on Saturday, February 10, is part of the Minnesota Orchestra’s Casual Concert series, which includes a $5 pre-concert happy hour, local craft brew samples, and an onstage meet-and-greet with Orchestra musicians after the performance. TICKET PURCHASING INFORMATION


Individual tickets can be purchased online at minnesotaorchestra.org or by calling 612-371-5656 or 800-292-4141. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Orchestra Hall Stage Door, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis (open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.); at the Minnesota Orchestra Administrative Office, International Centre, 5th floor, 920 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis (open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.); and at the Orchestra Hall Box Office, two hours before all ticketed performances. For more information, call 612-371-5656 or visit minnesotaorchestra.org. For groups of 10 or more, call 612-371-5662.

All programs, artists, dates, times and prices subject to change.

The Star Tribune is the Minnesota Orchestra’s media partner for the 2017-18 season.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.