This month the Asheville Symphony Orchestra looks at two symphonic masters.
Joseph Haydn sought to exploit the sonic characteristics of the solo violin, oboe, cello, and bassoon in a concerto for this unique quartet and orchestra. Stepping into the spotlight, our own Jason Posnock, Alicia Chapman, Franklin Keel, and Michael Burns will take the solos, while the musicians of the ASO provide the charm and zest that makes Haydn’s music so joyous. Under the direction of Daniel Meyer, the Asheville Symphony Orchestra will perform Haydn’s Sinfonia concertante, op.84.
Gustav Holst, fascinated with the cosmos and the astrology of our own solar system, devised an orchestral suite with imaginative musical portraits of the planets. Earth and Pluto (which had yet to be classified and then de-classified as a planet) are omitted, but all others, from Mars, the Bringer of War to Neptune, the Mystic, are given astounding sonic renderings using a massive orchestra. The Asheville Symphony Orchestra will perform Holst’s The Planets.
If You Go: ASO’s Masterworks 3, The Planets, November 21, 2015 at 8 p.m. at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Single tickets start at $22 for adults and $11 for youth. Single tickets and season ticket packages can be purchased by calling (828) 254-7046, in person at the U.S. Cellular Center box office at 87 Haywood Street, or at www.ashevillesymphony.org.
The Literary Season with the ASO
The Symphony is pairing literary works with performances this season. On Wednesday, November 11, 2015 at 7 p.m. join a discussion of Dava Sobel’s book, Galileo’s Daughter with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra. the event, hosted by Bernard Arghiere of UNCA’s Lookout Observatory, takes place at Malaprop’s Bookstore.
Symphony director Daniel Meyer chose Galileo’s Daughter “because it so deftly weaves [together] an important period in science history… and a beautiful relationship between a father and his daughter,” making it a wonderful accompaniment to Holst’s piece.
If You Go: Discussion of Dava Sobel’s Galileo’s Daughter with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, Wednesday, November 11, 2015 at 7 p.m. at Malaprop’s Bookstore & Café, 55 Haywood St., Asheville. Call (828) 254-6734, or visit www.malaprops.com.
