The first of
the Asheville Symphony’s six finalists for its music director position, Rei
Hotoda, takes audience members on a musical journey in her October 21 audition
concert. Her program includes Dvořák’s Carnival
Overture, Wijeratne’s Concerto for Tabla and Orchestra, featuring Grammy-winning
tabla player Sandeep Das, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. The concert takes
place at 8 p.m. in downtown Asheville’s Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.
This will be the first
opportunity for the Asheville audience to watch one of the music director finalists
conduct and give feedback via a survey after the concert. The five other
finalists will conduct concerts in November, February, March, April and May.
Rei Hotoda is rapidly becoming one of America’s most
sought-after and dynamic artists, and she was recently appointed music director
of the Fresno Philharmonic. She has appeared as a guest conductor with many ensembles,
including the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Edmonton, Fort
Worth, Jacksonville, Utah, Toronto, and Winnipeg, as well as the Colorado and
St. Louis symphonies. Her repertoire spans the staples of the classical canon
to works by leading composers of today, and she is equally at home leading the
orchestra from the piano and from the podium.
“I believe music has the power to
take audiences on journeys that inspire, challenge and engage,” says Hotoda of the
musical lineup for her ASO concert. “In this program we travel to a world
without boundaries.”
The program begins with Dvořák’s
lively Carnival Overture. Dvořák gave
this description of the piece: “The lonely, contemplative wanderer reaches the
city at nightfall, where a carnival is in full swing. On every side is heard
the clangor of instruments, mingled with shouts of joy and the unrestrained
hilarity of people giving vent to their feelings in their songs and dance
tunes.” From the opening bars the overture explodes with sound, featuring a
clanging triangle and rattling tambourine. A more delicate, subdued middle
section is followed by a return to jubilant energy in the piece’s conclusion.
Next, master tabla player Sandeep
Das joins the symphony for a performance of Dinuk Wijeratne’s Concerto for
Tabla and Orchestra. One of the world’s leading tabla players, Das has
performed with ensembles and orchestras around the world. His collaborative
album with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, Sing Me Home, won the 2016 Grammy Award for the Best World Music
Album. Yo-Yo Ma calls Das “one of the greatest artists I have ever met.”
The tabla, a South Asian
percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small drums, is used in a variety
of Hindustani music from northern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and has also gained
international popularity in folk, pop, and world music and in music from film
scores.
Wijeratne’s Concerto for Tabla
and Orchestra, premiered in 2011, blends the unique timbre of the tabla with
the full palette of the orchestra. The concerto’s three movements combine
symphonic styles such as the canon, with traditional tabla beat cycles to
stunning effect.
The final stop on the concert’s
journey is Russia, with Tchaikovsky’s powerful Symphony No. 5. Though this
symphony does not have an explicitly nationalistic style, it is distinctly
Russian in flavor. This mighty symphonic tapestry depicts Tchaikovsky’s
struggles, joys and triumphs.
Single tickets for all concerts
are $24-69, depending on seating section (reduced youth pricing is available).
Single tickets and season ticket packages 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.
The Asheville Symphony Orchestra
performs and promotes symphonic music for the benefit, enjoyment and education
of the people of Western North Carolina. The ASO presents concerts in the
2,300-seat Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville’s U.S. Cellular Center. Related
organizations include the Asheville Symphony Guild, Asheville Symphony Chorus,
Asheville Symphonettes, and education initiatives such as the Asheville Symphony
Youth Orchestra, Music in the Schools, MusicWorks!, Spotlight on Young
Musicians, Symphony Talks, and pre-concert lectures.
Masterworks 2: Journeys
Saturday, October 21, 2017 • 8 p.m.
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Rei Hotoda, conductor
Sandeep Das, tabla
Program:
Dvořák Carnival Overture
Wijeratne Concerto
for Tabla & Orchestra
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5
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