The Asheville Symphony Orchestra will end its 54th season on Saturday, May 9, 2015, with a program that will explore the connections and contrasts between jazz and classical music, and Paris and New York in the 20th century.
Saxophonist Joe Lulloff will join the ASO under Music Director Daniel Meyer for “Ravel and the Duke,” featuring the music of Duke Ellington, Ravel, Debussy and Milhaud, beginning at 8 p.m. at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.
The symphony will perform the legendary bandleader and pianist Ellington’s Black, Brown and Beige, a vibrant jazz symphony inspired by African American history. From people at work and prayer in the first movement to a tribute to the masterful artists that emerged from the Harlem Renaissance in the finale, it is a work that cast Ellington’s talent in a whole new light.
Another highlight of the concert program will feature two suites from French composer Maurice Ravel’s ballet Daphnis et Chloe.
“There are so many artistic intersections between Paris and New York, particularly in the early 20th century, with American composers living in Paris and Parisians coming to America to hear jazz and experience Harlem’s amazing night club scene,” Meyer said. “With this season finale and saxophonist Joe Lulloff, I wanted to explore these cultural collisions and how the color of Ravel, Debussy, Milhaud, and Ellington’s music contrasts to create a really fascinating kaleidoscope of musical possibilities.”
Lulloff will be the soloist as the ASO performs Claude Debussy’s Rhapsodie and Darius Milhaud’s Scaramouche, which both feature the saxophone. Acclaimed internationally for his innovative style and unparalleled virtuosity, Lulloff has been described by Branford Marsalis as “a marvelous musician” whose “knowledge of music, along with his ability to embrace music normally considered outside the sphere, makes him a joy to listen to.”
Lulloff has performed as a member of the wind sections of the Cleveland Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestras, and performs regularly with symphony orchestras throughout the United States and as soloist in many of the most prestigious concert venues in the Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia and Japan. He is a member of the summer artist faculty at the Brevard Music Center in Brevard, NC.
Ravel and the Duke Program
- Debussy – Rhapsodie
- Ellington – Black, Brown and Beige
- Milhaud – Scaramouche
- Ravel – Daphnis et Chloé Suites 1 and 2
Concert sponsored by Don and Barbara Layden.
If You Go: The Asheville Symphony Orchestra presents Ravel and the Duke, Saturday, May 9 at 8 p.m. at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in 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 go to www.ashevillesymphony.org or call (828) 254-7046.