In the past two years the Minnesota Orchestra’s once-moribund Sommerfest series has surged back to life, thanks in part to the guidance of artistic director Andrew Litton (who also wields a baton as the Dallas Symphony’s music director). This year’s program is satisfyingly broadminded, anchored by traditional classical works by composers like Brahms and Dvorak, but also includes a crowd-pleasing night of movie music from films like Lord of the Rings. Jazz is covered by the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the great hard-bop ivory man Oscar Peterson, and there’s even a nod to experimental rock with pianist Christopher O’Riley’s Radiohead reinterpretations. Litton will lead the orchestra in a selection of Gershwin tunes (one of his specialties) and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and close out this year’s fest with Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio. When we asked Litton what he’d bring to entertain him if stranded on a deserted isle, his list was appropriately heavy on aural delights—but he also knows there’s more to life than just music.
1) “First would be my piano, with the complete Beethoven piano sonatas, and the score to Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto because I’ve always wanted to learn that and I’ve never had the time. Those thirty-two sonatas have everything. It would never be boring to have that treasure trove of music to look through.
2) “My complete Oscar Peterson collection, which is about 114 CDs. He’s my hero. I’m so excited that he’s coming to Sommerfest this year that I can hardly stand it. He represents all that I think is great about music. Maybe I’m being selfish by asking for all 114, but even a selection of ten would do! For me, his approach to the piano is as educational as listening to any of the great classical pianists—plus the fact that he can just sit down and play, and make up stuff on the spot.
3) “Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier. It would be wonderful to have that, and I’d dream that if I ever get off the island I’ll get to conduct it. It would always give me hope.
4) “I’d like to cheat a little bit and take my kids along. They’re the most entertaining thing I know. They’re five and eight, so they’re at a very funny, very entertaining age.
5) “A case of 1982 Bourdeaux that’s kept in the shade. That is one of my passions, I confess, so why not put it here on my list for the world to judge? (laughs) That sounds like a pretty nice island now. I’m very happy. When do I leave?”
Sommerfest runs July 9-31. For a complete schedule, visit www.minnesotaorchestra.org.
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