About This Concert
Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein brings rigor and wit to Rachmaninoff’s Second Concerto in a program that also features Shostakovich’s heroic Leningrad Symphony.
Program
RACHMANINOFF
Piano Concerto No. 2 / 36 min
INTERMISSION / 20 min
SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No. 7, Leningrad / 70 min
Read more
Artists
- Minnesota Orchestra
- Juanjo Mena, conductor
- Kirill Gerstein, piano
Fun Facts
- Gerstein will join the Orchestra throughout the calendar year 2020 to perform all of Rachmaninoff's major works for piano and orchestra.
- In the early 2010s, Spanish conductor Juanjo Mena led a recording of Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony for Hyperion with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, which has been described to “utterly redefine the terms under which past/current/future Turangalîlas need to be judged."
- Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony premiered in its namesake city in 1942 while it was under siege by Nazi Germany. Loudspeakers broadcast the symphony throughout the city to erode German military morale.
- The Boston Classical Review praises Gerstein, stating he has the “poetic sensitivity to match the technical fireworks.”
Accessibility at Orchestra Hall
1111 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis
MN
55403
Performance Cancelled
The Minnesota Orchestra is committed to the health and safety of everyone at Orchestra Hall. Therefore, the Gerstein Plays Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 performances have been canceled as a preventative action against the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).The orchestra will perform the Friday, March 13, concert for radio broadcast only. The performance will be held at Orchestra Hall without a live audience. Listeners can tune in to Classical MPR 99.5 FM in the Twin Cities or stream at classicalmpr.org worldwide beginning at 8pm CST.
All tickets are fully exchangeable and can be exchanged now online by logging into your account. If you choose not to exchange, we will automatically bank the value of your tickets for use at a future concert. As a result of this cancellation, we anticipate limited staffing, and longer phone wait times. We may also have modified phone and box office hours (for the safety of our employees).
Classical
Gerstein Plays Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Additional Dates
Kirill Gerstein, piano
Performance Cancelled
The Minnesota Orchestra is committed to the health and safety of everyone at Orchestra Hall. Therefore, the Gerstein Plays Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 performances have been canceled as a preventative action against the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).The orchestra will perform the Friday, March 13, concert for radio broadcast only. The performance will be held at Orchestra Hall without a live audience. Listeners can tune in to Classical MPR 99.5 FM in the Twin Cities or stream at classicalmpr.org worldwide beginning at 8pm CST.
All tickets are fully exchangeable and can be exchanged now online by logging into your account. If you choose not to exchange, we will automatically bank the value of your tickets for use at a future concert. As a result of this cancellation, we anticipate limited staffing, and longer phone wait times. We may also have modified phone and box office hours (for the safety of our employees).
Pre-pay Valet Parking (Save $3)
Concert Duration
Approximately 2 hours including a 20 minute intermission.
Pre-Concert
Doors open 6pm
Concert Preview
About This Concert
Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein brings rigor and wit to Rachmaninoff’s Second Concerto in a program that also features Shostakovich’s heroic Leningrad Symphony.
Program
RACHMANINOFF
Piano Concerto No. 2 / 36 min
INTERMISSION / 20 min
SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No. 7, Leningrad / 70 min
Read more
Artists
- Minnesota Orchestra
- Juanjo Mena, conductor
- Kirill Gerstein, piano
Fun Facts
- Gerstein will join the Orchestra throughout the calendar year 2020 to perform all of Rachmaninoff's major works for piano and orchestra.
- In the early 2010s, Spanish conductor Juanjo Mena led a recording of Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony for Hyperion with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, which has been described to “utterly redefine the terms under which past/current/future Turangalîlas need to be judged."
- Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony premiered in its namesake city in 1942 while it was under siege by Nazi Germany. Loudspeakers broadcast the symphony throughout the city to erode German military morale.
- The Boston Classical Review praises Gerstein, stating he has the “poetic sensitivity to match the technical fireworks.”
Accessibility at Orchestra Hall
Listen on Spotify
Pre- and Post-Concert Experiences on Friday March 13 / SEE ALL UPCOMING EXPERIENCES

Leningrad Concert Preview with James von Geldern and Valerie Little
When: 7:15pm-7:45pm
Where: N. Bud Grossman Mezzanine
Join James von Geldern, Chair of Russian Studies at Macalester College, and Valerie Little, Minnesota Orchestra Assistant Principal Librarian, for a tour of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7, Leningrad, and the historical events surrounding it.