On April 26 and 27, pianist Inna Faliks will perform Felix Mendelssohn’s “Concerto No. 1 in g minor, op. 25”  with the Minnesota Sinfonia. This concerto (Mendelssohn’s fourth chronologically) is notable for the relatively early entrance of the piano soloist and the spaces left open for the composer’s improvisations.

The program also includes a world-premiere commission by Theodore Unseth and Ralph Vaughn Williams’s “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.” The first of two concerts begins at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 26, at Founders Hall at Metropolitan State University, 700 East 7th Street in St. Paul. The second concert begins at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 at Basilica of St. Mary at 88 17th St. N. in Minneapolis. Admission is free and children are welcome to attend. Audience members should arrive early—all concerts are first-come, first-seated.

COMPLETE PROGRAM:

T. Unseth Concertino (World Premiere)
R. V. Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
F. Mendelssohn Concerto No. 1, op. 25

Called “adventurous” and “passionate” by The New Yorker and “poetic” by Time Out New York, Ukrainian-born, New York City based pianist Inna Faliks has established herself as one of the most passionately committed, exciting and poetic artists of her generation. After her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 15, acclaimed by the Chicago Tribune, she has performed on many of the world’s great stages, with numerous orchestras, in solo appearances, and with conductors such as Leonard Slatkin and Keith Lockhart.

Critics praise her “courage to take risks, expressive intensity and technical perfection” (General Anzeiger, Bonn), “Infusing every note with brilliance and personality,” (Hilton Head Competition Review), “poetry and panoramic vision” (Washington Post) , “riveting passion, playfulness” (Baltimore Sun) and her “virtuosity, humor, lyricism and a way to make every note an important part of the texture of the music.”(Free Times, South Carolina). Her CD on MSR Classics, Sound of Verse, was released in 2009, featuring music of Boris Pasternak, Rachmaninoff and Ravel, receiving excellent reviews from Gramophone, American Record Guide, and other music publications.

Additional Minnesota Sinfonia concert information is available at 612-871-1701 or www.mnsinfonia.org.