Performing Arts

Darko Butorac Brings a Night of Contrasts to ASO

Darko Butorac, conductor.

By Natasha Anderson

Asheville Symphony Orchestra (ASO) presents Masterworks 3: Versus on Saturday, November 18, at 8 p.m. at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville. The program will include Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, featuring pianist Lisa Smirnova, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 and Theofanidis’ Rainbow Body. Darko Butorac, the second of six finalists auditioning for ASO’s music director position, will conduct.

“This is a concert of contrasts—three pieces from three different eras and styles,” says Butorac. “However, there are similarities. I particularly enjoy the pairing of Mozart and Prokofiev, as both have a brilliance and clarity in their writing and both are international composers. Theofanidis’ Rainbow Body also exemplifies a striking crosscultural influence, with inspiration from a Buddhist concept but musical language from a medieval chant.”

The program opens with Rainbow Body, composed in 2000. According to Theofanidis, the work was born out of his fascination with medieval mystic Hildegard of Bingen’s music and the Tibetan Buddhist belief that when an enlightened person dies physically, his or her body is absorbed directly back into the universe as pure light.

Next is Mozart’s popular and powerful Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, featuring renowned pianist Lisa Smirnova. Since her debut at Carnegie Hall at the age of 20, Smirnova has been an internationally sought-after soloist. She is also the director of the Youth Talents Program at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf, Germany. “I feel very close to Mozart’s music and his entire personality,” says Smirnova. “His piano concerti are my favorite repertoire and the second movement of this particular concerto is among the best he ever wrote. It creates an atmosphere that brings listeners to tears.”

Lisa Smirnova, pianist. Photo by Larissa Raiskin

The program closes with Sergey Prokofiev’s dramatic Symphony No. 5, composed during the turmoil of World War II and embodying the program’s theme. “The Prokofiev piece is one of the truly grand 20th century symphonies, with a unique, electrifying, almost breathless ending,” says Butorac.

Butorac currently serves as the music director of both the Tallahassee and Missoula symphony orchestras. He has appeared at many prestigious venues including Vienna’s Wiener Konzerthaus, the Gran Teatro Nacional of Lima, Belgrade’s Kolarac Hall, Teatro Magnani in Italy, as well as at the Tartu, Aspen and Brevard summer music festivals. He has collaborated with soprano Renée Fleming, cellist Colin Carr, and Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons. The audience will be asked to give feedback regarding his performance via survey after the concert. The four remaining finalists will conduct concerts in February, March, April and May.

Thomas Wolfe Auditorium is located at 87 Haywood Street in Asheville. Single tickets for all concerts are $24-$69, depending on seating section. Reduced youth pricing is available. Single tickets and season ticket packages can be purchased online at ashevillesymphony.org, by phone at 828.254.7046 or in person at the U.S. Cellular Center box office at 87 Haywood Street.

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