MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA -- Minnesota Beethoven Festival

Winona Lake Park Bandshell
Sarah Hatsuko Hicks, conducting
hosted by Classical Minnesota Public Radio's Brian Newhouse

A series of pieces performed outside as part of a free concert to kick off the Minnesota Beethoven Festival season.

"The Star Spangled Banner" -- John Stafford Smith
"Summon the Heroes," music from the 1996 Summer Olympics -- John Williams
"Hungarian Rhapsody No.2" -- Franz Liszt
"Blue Liberty" -- Steve Heitzeg
"Armed Forces Salute" -- traditional
Overture to "The Creatures of Prometheus," Op. 43 -- Ludwig Van Beethoven
"Semper Fidelis" -- John Phillip Sousa
"Superman," theme from the movie -- John Williams
"1812," overture, Op. 49 -- Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

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It was a beautiful evening, perfect for an outdoor concert as performed by the incredibly talented Minnesota Orchestra. The colors of the sky (bright orange clouds, reflecting the setting sun, against a deep blue sky, framed by clouds almost purple) really highlighted this performance. Too bad the music wasn't somehow ... gutsier.

Ms Hicks tried to build a repoir with the large crowd gathered on the green, but I sensed her enthusiasm and spirit were forced.

The pieces performed were rather typical fare for such a concert -- look at those titles...does anything seem a surprise? But even with familiarity one could infuse a little more vigor.

The most unusual piece was Steve Heitzeg's "Blue Liberty." Kudos for performing a relatively new piece. Certainly not something that people were going to be familiar with. Sadly, though, I found it dull. Whether it was the piece itself, or the conducting, is hard to say.