Highlights of
the Masterworks Series include an all-Tchaikovsky celebration, Chopin’s Piano
Concerto No. 2, and an all-American program including Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. All Masterworks concerts
take place in Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in downtown Asheville under the director
of Music Director Daniel Meyer unless otherwise noted.
“This season offers
something for everyone: from the classical enthusiast to the first-time
symphony-goer,” says ASO Executive Director David Whitehill. “Daniel Meyer has
selected some of his favorite works and composers, and the season features
guest soloists who are really the cream of the crop. The New Year’s Eve
performance of Beethoven’s Ninth is something new for us, and is sure to be an
awesome evening.”
Single
tickets, series subscriptions, and ticket packages are on sale now. Single
tickets for all concerts are $22-62, depending on seating section (reduced
youth pricing is available). Tickets can be purchased online at ashevillesymphony.org,
by phone at 828-254-7046, or in person at the U.S. Cellular Center box office
at 87 Haywood Street.
Asheville Symphony 2016-2017 Season
Masterworks 1: Tchasing
Tchaikovsky
Saturday,
September 17, 2016, 8:00 p.m.
The season
opens with an all-Tchaikovsky celebration including the composer’s Suite from Sleeping Beauty, Francesca da Rimini, and Violin
Concerto. Guest soloist Jennifer Koh (violin), named 2016
Instrumentalist of the Year by Musical America, join’s
the symphony for the concerto.
Program:
Tchaikovsky Suite from Sleeping Beauty
Tchaikovsky Francesca da Rimini
Tchaikovsky Violin
Concerto
Jennifer
Koh, violin
Masterworks 2: In
the Key of EEEEEEEEEEE! – Brahms’ Double
Saturday,
October 22, 2016, 8:00 p.m.
The symphony’s
frightfully delightful October concert opens with two works perfect for the
Halloween season: Saint-Saëns’ Danse
Macabre or “Dance of Death,” and Schmitt’s La Tragédie de Salomé, which recounts the biblical story of
Salome’s insistence on the beheading of John the Baptist. The program closes
with ASO’s own concertmaster Jason Posnock and cellist Alistair MacRae taking
on Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Cello.
Program:
Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre
Schmitt La Tragédie de Salomé
Brahms Concerto
for Violin and Cello
Jason
Posnock, violin; Alistair MacRae, cello
Masterworks 3: Rhapsody
in Blue
Saturday,
November 19, 2016, 8:00 p.m.
Masterworks 3
presents a sample of some of America’s finest composers highlighted by
Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue,
featuring masterful solo pianist Conrad Tao. Selections from Copland include
the distinctly American sound of Our Town,
and the Old West drama of Billy the Kid.
The program also includes Diamond’s decidedly American take on European musical
forms in his Symphony No. 4.
Program:
Copland Our Town
Copland Billy the Kid
Diamond Symphony
No. 4
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
Conrad Tao,
piano
Masterworks 4: Eine
Kleine Rhine Musik – Brahms, Haydn, Schumann
Saturday,
January 14, 2017, 8 p.m.
In January,
take a musical float down the Rhine River as the ASO explores some of Maestro
Meyer’s favorite Germanic composers. The program opens with Brahms’ Haydn Variations, an intense emotional
experience, followed by Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C featuring guest cello
soloist Cicely Parnas. The program closes with Schumann’s ‘Rhenish’ Symphony,
which sweeps you along the famed German waterway in an evocative musical
journey.
Program:
Brahms Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn
Haydn Cello
Concerto in C
Cicely
Parnas, cello
Schumann Symphony
No. 3 ‘Rhenish’
Masterworks 5: Music
from Fantasia
Saturday,
February 11, 2017, 8 p.m.
Walt Disney’s Fantasia—and its sequel in 2000—offers
an unforgettable marriage of classical music and ingenious illustrations. The
February concert program includes selections from both Fantasia films with a focus on composers who paint pictures with
their evocative scores. Highlights include Stravinsky’s The Firebird, and the wry Piano Concerto No. 2 from Shostakovich,
which features guest pianist Inon Barnatan—the New York Philharmonic’s first
Artist-in-Association.
Program:
Mussorgsky Night on Bald Mountain
Shostakovich Piano Concerto
No. 2
Inon
Barnatan, piano
Ponchielli Dance of the Hours from La Gianconda
Stravinsky Suite
from The Firebird
Masterworks 6: The
Passion of Chopin
Saturday,
April 22, 2017, 8 p.m.
All three
composers on the April concert program had a firm grasp on the art of choosing
the perfect instruments for the right musical moments. Solo piano combines
perfectly with the orchestra in Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, featuring guest
solo pianist Soyeon Kate Lee. Debussy’s Petite
Suite and Franck’s Symphony in D minor take advantage of the full palette
of the orchestra to beautiful effect.
Program:
Debussy Petite Suite
Chopin Piano
Concerto No. 2
Soyeon Kate
Lee, piano
Franck Symphony
in D minor
Masterworks 7: Mahler’s
“Titan”
Saturday, May
13, 2017, 8 p.m.
All of the
things that make Gustav Mahler such a singular composer—his ear for color, his
ability to shift from one emotional extreme to another—are on display in his
First Symphony, ‘Titan.’ This monumental work serves as the finale for the ASO
Masterworks season. The evening opens with Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto
featuring guest violinist Yevgeny Kutik.
Program:
Mendelssohn Violin
Concerto
Yevgeny
Kutik, violin
Mahler Symphony
No. 1 ‘Titan’
Other Performances in 2016-2017
Asheville Symphony Chorus: From Bach to Bernstein Our 25th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday,
November 12, 2016, 7:30 p.m. at Arden Presbyterian Church
The Asheville
Symphony Chorus shares its joy of singing together for 25 years by offering a
retrospective of the choral works it has performed since its inception. Music
Director Dr. Michael Lancaster has selected his favorite movement from each
work on the program. Highlights include selections from Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem, and Vivaldi’s Gloria.
Joyous New Year – Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
Saturday,
December 31, 2016, 8:00 p.m.
The ASO
presents what’s sure to be the “hot ticket” on New Year’s Eve—a performance of
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Each year orchestras around the world ring in the
New Year with performances of this towering musical work, which celebrates hope
and brotherhood. Ring in the New Year with this unforgettable musical celebration
featuring the Asheville Symphony Chorus, and four guest vocal soloists.
Program:
Beethoven Symphony
No. 9
Asheville
Symphony Chorus
Danielle
Pastin, soprano
Kirstin
Chavez, mezzo-soprano
Rolando
Sanz, tenor
Steven
Condy, bass
Asheville Amadeus Festival
March 10-19,
2017 • Full schedule of events and venues TBD
Asheville
Amadeus returns! The acclaimed 10-day festival inspired by the music and life
of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is back in 2017. The incomparable Midori joins the
festival as headliner and artist-in-residence for a schedule of performances,
education programs, social events, and collaborations with community partners.
This celebration will have something for everyone—from beer to theatre to
music.
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