Concerts

About the Concert:

This unusual all-Beethoven event includes the Minnesota Premiere of Sonata for Orchestra, the brilliant transformation of Beethoven’s Sonata no. 7 for Violin and Piano into a showcase piece for a much larger ensemble, arranged by Garrett Schumann and Yaniv Segal. Also programmed is Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4 Op. 58, showcasing Steinway Artist, Ignacio “Nachito” Herrera. Conductor/composer Yaniv Segal will be on the podium, throughout.  

About the Program:

The Sonata for Orchestra was arranged in Beethoven’s style, from the Sonata Op. 30 No.2 for Violin and Piano, by Garrett Schumann and Yaniv Segal. The collaborators have by effect created a new C minor symphony that foreshadows Beethoven’s dramatic Symphony No. 5. The orchestration requires capable musicians at every stand in the ensemble. The Sonata for Orchestra is available on a recording with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Long admired for its depth and beauty, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 Op. 58 in G Major is one of the pinnacles of the piano concerto repertoire. The concerto’s opening was considered radical when Beethoven premiered it himself in 1807. His early biographer suggested that the slow movement’s interplay between strings and piano conjures the imagery of Orpheus calming the mythical Furies. The elegant almost Haydn-like last movement dazzles with a rhythmic theme. For many audiences, the cadenzas alone make the performances of this masterpiece fulfilling. 

About the Artists:

Steinway Artist Ignacio “Nachito” Herrera is a master of Afro-Cuban jazz as well as Classical music, winner of Emmys, Grammys, and Minnesota Music Awards. He has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra among many others and made his solo debut at the age of 12, performing Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No.2 with the Havana Symphony Orchestra. In January 2023, he headlined the Havana International Jazz Festival for the second consecutive year. Nachito resides in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro area.

Yaniv Segal has achieved critical success since childhood for his work as a conductor, composer, actor, and violinist. A rising star who is “redefining classical music” (Esquire Magazine), Yaniv is Music Director of the Salina Symphony, Conductor Laureate and Artistic Advisor of the Chelsea Symphony, and former Assistant Conductor of the Naples Philharmonic and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.

The Orchestra of The Classical Music Project is comprised of highly accomplished local, professional musicians who have performed with all the major musical organizations in Minnesota, as well as other distinguished ensembles across the U.S.