Scottish pianist faces the demands of Brahms

Steve Osborne
Scottish Pianist Steven Osborne came by the Minnesota Public Radio studios and performed Brahms' Rhapsody in B Minor.
MPR Photo/Karl Gehrke

The last time the Chopin Society brought Steven Osborne to the Twin Cities, he played Olivier Messiaen's enormous, two-and-a-half hour work, "Vingt Regards." On Sunday the Scottish pianist plays a more conventional program of Brahms, Liszt and Mussorgsky.

Osborne has gained an international reputation for a repertoire that ranges from traditional concert works to music by contemporary composers. He says putting programs together is a completely instinctive process. He's learned through trial and error how to select music that will engage an audience.

Even though Osborne is playing a more mainstream program than in his previous visit to the Twin Cities, he tells Minnesota Public Radio's Steve Staruch that it will still be physically demanding. He demonstrates with a performance of Brahms' Rhapsody in B Minor.

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