Beethoven’s 5th Symphony

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, which features one of the most famous and recognizable opening bars in music history, headlines the Asheville Symphony Orchestra’s fourth Masterworks concert of the season at 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 17 in Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at the U.S. Cellular Center.

The concert, which will be conducted by Asheville Symphony Orchestra (ASO) Music Director Daniel Meyer, will also include Verdi’s Overture to I Vespri Siciliani and the Sibelius Violin Concerto featuring Korean violinist Kyung Ah Oh.

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony opens with four famous notes considered to be a musical symbol of fate knocking at our door. Revolutionary for forging ahead in rhythm rather than melody, the rhythmic pattern weaves through the entire first movement, opening the door to the struggle from darkness to light in the rest of the work.

Kyung’s appearance performing the Sibelius Violin Concerto, one of the composer’s most beloved works, continues the ASO tradition of presenting virtuosos of the Cleveland Institute of Music. The concerto will follow Verdi’s Sicilian Vespers, a piece written about the Sicilian Revolution of 1848, which will open the concert.

Program

• Verdi, Overture to I Vespri Siciliani
• Sibelius, Violin Concerto
• Beethoven, Symphony No. 5

Beethoven’s 5th, January 17, 2015 at 8 p.m. at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in downtown Asheville. Tickets start at $22 for adults and $11 for youth, and are available through the ASO office or the U.S. Cellular Center ticket office. For more information call (828) 254-7046 or go to www.ashevillesymphony.org.