Christopher Tavernier. Photo by Carri Bass
The Blue Ridge Orchestra’s (BRO’s) nineteenth season opens November 10 and 11 with Eleven Eleven: Remembering Armistice, presented at 3 p.m. each day in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. The concerts, designed by BRO music director Milton Crotts, commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice and pay tribute to veterans and their service. The program features local piano prodigy Christopher Tavernier performing Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand.
“I am pleased that the BRO can play its part in a musical collaboration that showcases Christopher’s artistry and provides our audiences with a rare opportunity to enjoy this remarkable piece of music,” says Crotts.
The concerts begin with excerpts from Victory at Sea, Richard Rodgers’ iconic representation of the Naval battles of World War II. Arranged by Robert Russell Bennett, these highlights of the soundtrack for NBC’s 1952-53 television series of the same name celebrate air and sea victories with cinematic flair.
Next, Tavernier performs Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand, a piece commissioned for pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in a Russian POW camp during the First World War. Tavernier takes on this challenging work having made a name for himself in musical circles throughout WNC and across the Southeast since his orchestral debut at age thirteen.
The concert ends triumphantly with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, the beginning notes of which became the symbol of victory for the Allies and the opening for BBC broadcasts in the Second World War.
“This is my first Veteran’s Day tribute in 35 years of programming concerts,” says Crotts. “Each selection has an association with war, but the music can speak to peace.”
Lipinsky Auditorium is located at 300 Library Lane on the UNC Asheville campus. Tickets for Eleven Eleven: Remembering Armistice are $15 general admission, $10 Friend/veteran, $5 student. Purchase tickets or learn more at BlueRidgeOrchestra.org.
