Listen for our broadcast of the ASO’s fifth Masterworks Concert of this season, recorded on February 23rd at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville.
Mei-Ann Chen, guest conductor
Alexi Kenney, violin
The three very distinct composers presented on this concert all found great inspiration in connecting with their roots. Zoltan Kodály pioneered the field of ethnomusicology while exploring the music of his native Hungary. His Dances of Galánta are a collection of village dances reimagined as a symphonic work and transformed with colors of the modern symphony orchestra. Next, Alexi Kenney, winner of the 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, brings his unique perspective to Dvořák’s Violin Concerto — full of lyricism inspired by the rich Czech folkloric tradition. The concert’s centerpiece is Beethoven’s beloved “Pastoral” symphony, which was inspired by the composer’s love of the countryside.
Program:
Kodály Dances of Galánta
Dvořák Violin Concerto
Beethoven Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral”
