Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC)

During Hans Rott’s tragically short life, he passed at only 25, he certainly made his mark – at least with his contemporaries. Gustav Mahler called him the “Founder of the New Symphony” and he was one of Bruckner’s favorite students. Today, he is all but forgotten. His Julius Caesar Overture gives us a hint of the genius that Mahler admired so much. We follow with Elgar’s beloved Cello Concerto with up-and-coming cello superstar Gabriel Martins. Finally, we hear from Rott’s teacher, Anton Bruckner. To many, Bruckner’s symphonies represent the pinnacle of the evolution of the symphonic form. His Third Symphony gives us a taste of why he is so admired: Epic, stoic, yet beautiful and majestic – this is truly magnificent music. Bill Talks! Get your pre-concert prelude with Bill Bastian at 6:10pm to the left of the main lobby in the harbor side arena walkway.

What do George Gershwin, William Grant Still and Sergei Rachmaninoff have in common? You would never guess, but at some point they were almost neighbors. All three lived in Hollywood in the 1930s and 40s, working on some of their greatest music. Gershwin compiled his suite from Porgy and Bess here called Catfish Row. William Grant Still’s masterful Afro-American Symphony was written just a few years prior to that. Both compositions incorporate a banjo into the classical symphony orchestra and burst with life and energy. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.3 was premiered in New York City in 1909. With its fiendishly difficult technique and its lush melodic writing, the concerto is one of the great achievements of the repertoire. Bill Talks! Get your pre-concert prelude with Bill Bastian at 6:10pm to the left of the main lobby in the harbor side arena walkway.