To celebrate his homeland and its
historical connections to the North Carolina mountains, Walker presents a
program of Scotland-themed classical works on Saturday, February 10 as he
conducts his audition concert for the Asheville Symphony’s music director
position.
The program includes Malcolm
Arnold’s Four Scottish Dances,
Debussy’s Marche écossaise (Scottish
march), Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with guest violinist Elena Urioste, and
Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3, known as “the Scottish.” The concert takes place
at 8 p.m. in downtown Asheville’s Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.
Walker is the third of six finalists
for the Asheville Symphony’s music director position to conduct an audition
concert. The audience will be asked to give feedback via a survey after the
concert. The three remaining finalists will conduct concerts in March, April
and May.
Malcolm Arnold’s 1957 composition
Four Scottish Dances opens the
evening’s program. Originally composed for the BBC Light Music Festival, the
music strongly suggests Scottish folk song origins. However, three of the
dances are Arnold’s own original tunes, and the fourth is based on a melody
composed by Scottish poet Robert Burns.
Following Arnold is Debussy’s Marche écossaise or Scottish March,
which was commissioned by a Scottish officer. Though markedly Scottish in sound,
the work also includes some of Debussy’s own French musical style. His Scottish
theme uses an oboe and muted trumpet to imitate the sound of bagpipes.
Next guest soloist Elena Urioste
joins the symphony for Bruch’s rich and seductive Violin Concerto No. 1. While
Bruch was not Scottish, his interest in Scotland ran deep—one of the works for
which he is best known is the Scottish
Fantasy for violin and orchestra. Urioste, hailed by The Washington Post
as “a drop-dead beauty who plays with equal parts passion, sensuality, brains
and humor,” was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2012 to 2014 and a first-place
laureate in both the Junior and Senior divisions of the Sphinx Competition. She
has given acclaimed performances with major orchestras throughout the United
States and abroad. Urioste made her debut at Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern
Auditorium in 2004 and has returned frequently as soloist. She is also the co-founder
and artistic director of Intermission Sessions & Retreat, a new program
that combines music and yoga.
The final work of the evening is
Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3, known as the Scottish Symphony. Mendelssohn came
from a wealthy family and as a young man was able to tour Western Europe,
including a visit to Scotland in 1829. It was during this visit that he was
inspired to write both his popular Hebrides
Overture and the Scottish Symphony. The symphony evokes the wild landscapes of
the Scottish Highlands, pulls in the jaunty sounds of Scottish folk music, and ultimately
concludes with powerful optimism.
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, Spotlight on Young Musicians, Symphony
Talks, and pre-concert lectures.
Masterworks 4: Scot Free
Saturday, February 10, 2018 • 8 p.m.
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Garry Walker, conductor
Elena Urioste, piano
Program:
Arnold Four Scottish Dances
Debussy Marche écossaise
Bruch Violin
Concerto No. 1
Mendelssohn Symphony
No. 3, “Scottish”
