On Saturday, Feb. 11, the 51st season of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra continues with a performance of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. The concert will be accompanied by visual images provided by the Asheville Art Museum as well as music by Liszt and Wagner. Daniel Meyer conducts; pianist Jeanette Aufiero is the featured soloist. 8 p.m., $20-$55.
According to a press release, “The first half of the evening will feature the glorious Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, (“Pastoral”) by Ludwig van Beethoven. Written in 1807-1808, the Pastoral was inspired by the composer’s many walks through the forests and meadows surrounding Vienna. It was premiered at a concert of his recent compositions in December 1808, in a program which was over 4 hours long, and also included the premieres of the Fifth Symphony, the Fourth Piano Concerto, and much more.” Following intermission, Aufiero will play Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major. And, “The evening will end with the transcendent Prelude and Liebestod (literally ‘love death’) from Richard Wagner’s 1859 opera Tristan und Isolde,” says the press release.
Two free presentations take place around the concert. On Friday, Feb. 10, 3-4:30 p.m., at the Reuter Center, Meyer discusses “the music and introduce the featured soloists, with Mountaine Jonas presenting the composers’ lives and times.” On Saturday, Feb. 11, 7-7:30 p.m., Meyer offers an abridged version of his talk on the music and an introduction of the soloist, in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium of the Asheville Civic Center.
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