Cecilia Belcher, assistant principal second violin for the Minnesota Orchestra, gets the spotlight this weekend as she performs the solo part in two Romances — instrumental works that are elegant and tender — by Ludwig van Beethoven. The concert also features work by Johannes Brahms and Carl Maria von Weber. The program emphasizes the emotional flourish of the three German composers.
Conductor on the rise Kensho Watanabe leads the concert, after previously conducting “Listening Projects” concerts in 2022 and 2023. This marks his third appearance with the Minnesota Orchestra, and he proved himself to be someone to keep note of as he continues his career.
Before the music began, Watanabe paid tribute to Minnesota Orchestra viola player Ken Freed, who died on June 29 while running in a sprint triathlon. Freed was Watanabe’s teacher at Greenwood Music Camp in Massachusetts, and the conductor admitted to being a bit scared of him back in those days. Later, Freed gave Watanabe his first conducting job. “Ken was a generous musician who didn’t take himself seriously,” the conductor said, adding that Freed loved viola jokes.
The concert begins with the overture to Der Freischütz, often considered the first German Romantic opera. Weber’s music accompanies a story about love, hunting and a deal with the devil gone awry. The opera explores the power of love to overcome the most dire circumstances.
The piece is marked by contrasts between the warm, enveloping sounds of the horns and the jagged tension expressed through sighing, sorrowful calls of the clarinet and ominous timpani rolls.
After Weber, Belcher joins the orchestra for Beethoven’s Romance No. 2 in F Major and Romance No. 1 in G Major for Violin and Orchestra. In the first piece, Belcher takes a strident approach, with deep feeling and flow. The second work gives her a chance to show off her flawless double stops, played with elegance. Her playing was poised and expressive throughout, favoring subtlety over drama and marked by graceful nuance.
Both Weber and Beethoven were important figures in ushering in the Romantic era of music, following the Classical period. Weber’s infusion of folklore and the supernatural, seen in “Der Freischütz,” became hallmarks of Romanticism, and Beethoven’s Romances ooze with sentiment. Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, which came much later in the 19th century than the other two works on the program, sits more firmly within the Romantic period, even as it harkens back to earlier classical symphony forms.
It’s a luscious work, evoking landscape and sensation, with a complex structure of melodies and texture. The tension between the lower strings and the wind instruments evokes a yawning pull between earth and sky, punctuated by swelling grandeur, cascading passages, and finely articulated details that surface throughout the piece.
Violin soloist Cecilia Belcher will perform with the Minnesota Orchestra July 10-12, 2025 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. They will perform both of Beethoven’s Romances-plus music by Brahms and Weber. (Zoe Prinds-Flash / Minnesota Orchestra)
The work’s third movement offers an intriguing pizzicato section, as well moments of discordant — though not somber — unease. Frantic runs burst through the music, while the last movement surprises with its sudden force. Watanabe leans into the final section with vigor, drawing out its celebratory intensity. The symphony drives to a triumphant, satisfying conclusion.
If you go
What: Beethoven and Brahms
When: Friday, July 11 at 8 p.m., Saturday, July 12 at 7 p.m.
Where: Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.
Tickets: $31-$106
Capsule: The Minnesota Orchestra serve up a program of German Romanticism, featuring violinist Cecilia Belcher and guest conductor Kensho Watanabe.
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