Entertainment and Music Lifestyle

Asheville Symphony Presents Bach, Beethoven and Brahms in Masterworks 2: Legacy

November performance of Handel’s Messiah. Photo by Ezekiel Coppersmith

Join the Asheville Symphony under the direction of music director Darko Butorac for Masterworks 2: Legacy, on Saturday, January 18. Performances for this program originally planned for October but delayed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene will be held at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Asheville.

The program comes on the heels of three sold-out performances in November of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah, attesting to the community’s recognition of music’s ability to heal and to create a sense of community after tragedy. “We’ve faced challenges before, from the closures during the pandemic, to losing our venue in 2023, to navigating this year’s hurricane disruptions,” says executive director Daniel Crupi. “But the Symphony’s determination coupled with the unwavering support of our community have been extraordinary.”

The concert opens with the Symphony in D Major by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, a composer working during a time of transition from Baroque style to Classical. He influenced many composers who came after him, including Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.

Acclaimed pianist Terrence Wilson will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor, as the centerpiece for Masterworks 2: Legacy. In 2011, Wilson was nominated for a GRAMMY in the category Best Instrumental Soloist with an Orchestra for a recording with the Nashville Symphony of Deus ex Machina, a piece written for Wilson by Michael Daugherty in 2007. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Wilson has performed as a soloist with orchestras in the US and abroad, and has received numerous awards during his career.

Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, a piece that pays homage to Beethoven and was considered by some at the time it was published in 1884 to be artistically perfect, closes the Masterworks 2 program.

Learn more and purchase tickets at AshevilleSymphony.org or by phone at 828.254.7046. Tickets may also be purchased at the box office at 27 College Street, Suite 100, Asheville, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets for Masterworks 2: Legacy start at $25 for adults and $15 for youth. The First Baptist Church of Asheville is located at 5 Oak Street, Asheville.

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