Minnesota Orchestra´s visiting French conductor, pianist cast a spell
(WorldNews Music)

Thursday felt a lot more like early March than late April in the Twin Cities. It was the kind of almost wintry weather that should have inspired more patrons to pack tissues or cough drops when heading to the Minnesota Orchestra’s midday concert. That lack of foresight came quite close to ruining a very good performance. Specifically, it was the slow movement of Maurice Ravel’s G-major Piano Concerto. French pianist Lisa de la Salle was casting a spell with a heartbreaking extended solo, evoking something that sounded like a complex combination of gentleness, strength and sadness. And then the coughs broke...