This month, the Blue Ridge Orchestra continues its “International Studies” season with a journey from Paris to St. Petersburg. The concerts on Saturday and Sunday, March 5–6, mark the culmination of the BRO’s two-month residency at Rainbow Community School.
The orchestra has prepared a program crafted around shorter, more accessible, melodic works that will appeal to a wide range of audiences.
The concerts begin in France, where the elegant theme of Pavane by Gabriel Fauré features the BRO’s principal woodwind players. Pavane’s melodic focus will delight audiences during what season conductor Chuck Taft predicts might be “the best seven minutes of the concert.”
George Bizet’s Symphony in C Major is trimmed for this performance but it still has all the beautiful elements of classic form, including a waltz-time dance. Bizet’s symphony, which exemplifies youthful excellence, was composed as a student exercise when he was only 17 years old. This delightful romp was hailed as a masterpiece when finally performed in 1933.
The orchestra will then perform Sergei Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony. The only 20th century composition in the program, this cheery and occasionally raucous piece rebelled against the trend of its day toward Wagnerian expansiveness.
Tchaikovsky’s thrilling 1812 Overture provides an explosive end to the concert. Recounting Napoleon’s 19th century mission to conquer Moscow and dominate Russia, this audience favorite sets French and Russian themes in opposition, and features the national anthems of both powers.
The concerts (7:30 p.m. on March 5 and 3 p.m. on March 6) will be in the auditorium of the Rainbow Community School, 58 State Street in West Asheville. Tickets are $15 each ($10 for Friends of BRO and $5 for students). For tickets and additional information, visit blueridgeorchestra.org.
