Grand Piano Spectacular at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis (July 31, 2025)

On a seasonably, sunny day in July, Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis was beaming with energy and excitement for the Grand Piano Spectacular. The pre-show music of the night was provided by Peter Kogan’s TarBone Quintet. The group played a grooving jazz set with each musician showcasing their improvisation abilities. If jazz wasn’t your vibe, many local vendors and artisans had kiosks with their wares and hand-crafted goods for sale inside the atrium.

Inside the concert hall, a nearly full audience laid their eyes on the 352 keys of the four Steinway grand pianos on stage. Shortly after 7:00 pm, the concert started with the jovial Overture to The Magic Flute by Mozart, arranged for four pianos by Adam Stern. The performers immediately demonstrated their seamless ability to pass the melody back and forth and confidently remained in sync when playing in unison. On the far-left piano, Jon Kimura Parker was lightly conducting the three pianists to his right while playing piano with his other hand. Demonstrating their rapport, it was fun to watch all four performers lift their hands almost exactly the same distance off the keyboard at the same time when they played a particularly powerful chord. At the end of the song, the audience erupted in applause.

Following the lively Mozart piece, Jon Kimura Parker introduced each of the performers and gave a brief introduction to the next piece. Prokofiev’s Romance, from the film Lieutenant Kijé (arr. Stern) was written to accompany scenes where the character starts to think he’s falling in love. Contrasting with the first piece, Romance, slowed down the tempo significantly. Through several key changes, the tempo sped up slightly to a walking pace but never felt hurried. Near the end of the piece, the two middle pianos played high notes meant to resemble bird songs. Throughout the piece, one could almost imagine there was only one or two pianos playing rather than four, again showing off the talent of each player and their ability to blend.

Before the third piece, the pianists grabbed their iPads and moved to different pianos. This was the first of several seat changes among the performers. Described by Parker as “spikey and energetic”, Overture to Act III of Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky (arr. Stern) was next on the program. The piece perfectly fit the description, and the audience was tapping their toes to the beat of this ballet classic. Pianists Chelsea de Souza and Ayane Nakajima tested the limits of how fast fingers can play the keys and left the audience stunned at their speed.

Ravel’s own arrangement for two pianos of La Valse left just Artem Kuznetsov and Ayane Nakajima on stage at the two middle pianos. The piece demonstrated Kuznetsov’s precision of the keys and Ayane’s impressive trills through several key changes from minor to major and back again. At one point the pianists were able to closely mimic the sound of timpani by striking the low notes of the piano in unison and made the audience jump. The piece also allowed for both Kuznetsov and Nakajima to play several glissandos and make it look easy. There was raucous applause when the piece concluded and even Parker noted how technically difficult the piece was. The Minnesota Orchestra will be playing the Ravel’s full orchestral version of La Valse in October 2025.

Closing out the first half of the program was Bizet’s Minuet and Farandole, from L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2 (arr. Stern). The gentle and peaceful Minuet was a pleasant follow up to the prior piece and the familiar Farandole gave de Souza a chance to show off impressive flourishes with just one hand that seemed almost impossible.

The second half started with another of Mozart’s overtures, this time Overture to The Impresario (arr. Stern). It seems all overtures by the young composer are spirited and this was no exception even with the quiet middle section and hints of minor keys at the end.

The audience was catapulted 200 years forward for Adams’ Hallelujah Junction, the second of the night’s pieces for two pianos. Named after a truck stop on the border of California and Nevada, the song evoked the feeling of being on the road through the use of phasing, where Parker and de Souza would be in and out of sync as written by the composer. It almost felt like attempting to pass a car only to fail because the other car sped up to the same speed. This was the most modern sounding piece of the night with its rhythmic variations and tones. Parker and de Souza at one point competed to see who could hit the keys hardest causing the audience to laugh.

It was truly special when Parker welcomed Manny Laureano, Minnesota Orchestra’s principal trumpet of 44 years, to the stage to play the well-known Nessun dorma, accompanied by the four pianos in another beautiful arrangement by Stern. Laureano’s distinct sound filled the hall brilliantly, and one audience member said she felt like she was in Italy. The audience leapt out of their seats when the piece was done, and it looked like Laureano wiped a tear from his eye before exiting the stage. It was a gift for the audience to hear his sound one last time before he retires this summer.

A Scott Joplin Rag Rhapsody by Kevin Olson took the audience on a tour through some of Joplin’s best-known hits including The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag, Solace, The Easy Winners and more. Originally written for eight hands on two pianos, tonight’s performer’s spread out and stayed at their own Steinways. Other than Solace, the tempo moved as quick as you’d expect from ragtime. In a fun surprise the audience loved, the performers even clapped and stomped during the piece.

The final song on the program was Copland’s Hoe-Down, from Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo. The energy of the performers left the audience feeling like they were on a ride through the American West. At one point the performers even yelled out some “yee-haws” that filled the hall and made the audience chuckle.

In their well-served encore, they kept the tempo up with the audience favorite, Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries. The pianists once again could be heard energetically yelling at key moments during the piece. It was a fitting piece to end the energetic night that truly lived up the name “Spectacular”.