By Gina Malone
Internationally renowned pianist Martina Filjak joins the Asheville Symphony in February for Masterworks 4: Ciao Italia. Performances will be held at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 15, at the First Baptist Church of Asheville. In addition, and in the same venue, Filjak will perform a solo recital on Tuesday, February 11, at 7 p.m., and join ASO music director Darko Butorac for Symphony Talk, free and open to the public, on Thursday, February 13, at 3 p.m.
Martina Filjak. Photo by Romano Grozich
“Martina Filjak is Croatia’s preeminent pianist who regularly performs across Europe’s prestigious halls,” says Butorac. “She is a virtuoso who is not afraid of putting forward a very personal, subjective interpretation. I know our audience will be thrilled to hear her.” Garnering the Gold Medal, the 1st Prize and the Beethoven Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition in 2009 brought Filjak, based in Berlin, international attention and she has since performed with orchestras and at venues in the US and around the world.
Camille Saint-Säens’ Piano Concerto No. 2, one of the selections for Masterworks 4, offers audiences a different piano concerto experience. “The amazing and very inspiring situation is that the first movement is the slow and elegiac one, followed by two very virtuoso and exciting movements that guarantee pianistic and orchestral fireworks,” says Filjak. Rounding out the program are Hector Berlioz’s Le carnaval romain Overture; Gustave Charpentier’s Impressions d’Italie, IV. Sur les cimes; and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, Italian.
Filjak’s solo recital will present a journey through the history of the piano and some of the music that she finds beautiful. “Two pieces on the program aren’t even written for the piano as we know it today,” she says. “However, they do present themselves as a true source of eternal inspiration and something that connects the keyboard through centuries.”
In spite of Western North Carolina’s setbacks after Hurricane Helene, Daniel Crupi, executive director of the Asheville Symphony, says that the 2024-2025 season is off to a dynamic start. “We’ve seen steady growth in our general patrons and our subscriber base, with each concert bringing in more audience members who are eager to engage with live orchestral music,” he says. “Our last three Masterworks performances of Handel’s Messiah were sold out, which speaks to the community’s enthusiasm for the arts and for its orchestra. We are so grateful for Asheville’s overwhelming support and look forward to continuing this exceptional season alongside our community.”
Learn more and purchase tickets at AshevilleSymphony.org or by phone at 828.254.7046. The First Baptist Church of Asheville is located at 5 Oak Street, Asheville.
