Folklore Fantasy
Violinist William Hagen will perform Tchaikovsky’s legendary violin concerto.
Asheville Symphony presents an evening of Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, and Sibelius with guest violinist William Hagen.
The Asheville Symphony’s March Masterworks concert, Folklore Fantasy, features works by Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Sibelius that bring poetry to life and conjure fantastic imagery. The concert takes place Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 8 p.m. in Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at Harrah’s Cherokee Center–Asheville under the baton of ASO Music Director Darko Butorac.
“This program displays the capacity of beautiful orchestral music to tell stories that capture timeless human experiences,” said Butorac. “Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite and the two Sibelius pieces are all based on legends—they are epics in the truest sense. These are deeply evocative, passionate works with themes that have resonated with audiences for centuries.”
The program features two works from Sibelius’s Lemminkäinen Suite, including Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of Saari and The Swan of Tuonela. These evocative tone poems have their roots in Finnish oral epic poems—painting vibrant soundscapes and portraying the namesake hero’s escapades.
Between the two Sibelius works is Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Full of athletic energy and unabashed romanticism this concerto has earned its place as one of the most beloved, and difficult, in the violin repertoire, leaving the violin “black and blue.” Guest violinist William Hagen performed this formidable work at the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, earning third prize—one of the highest-ranking Americans ever in the prestigious competition.
The evening concludes with Stravinsky’s sweeping and iconic Firebird Suite, a work that gained instant success upon its premiere in 1910 and has remained the composer’s most frequently performed. Audience members may recognize the Firebird Suite from its inclusion in Disney’s film Fantasia 2000.
About Guest Artist William Hagen
The ASO welcomes guest violinist William Hagen for Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Already a seasoned international performer, Hagen has been hailed as a “brilliant virtuoso…a standout” (The Dallas Morning News) with “an intellectual command of line and score, and just the right amount of power” (violinist.com). He studied with Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho at the Juilliard School, Christian Tetzlaff at the Kronberg Academy, and studied with Robert Lipsett for 11 years both at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts and at the Colburn Conservatory of Music.
As soloist, he has appeared with the Detroit Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and regularly appears as soloist at the Aspen Music Festival. In Europe, he has soloed with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony (HR Sinfonieorchester), the Vienna Radio Symphony (ORF Radio Sinfonieorchester Wien), and the major orchestras of Belgium, including the Brussels Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, and the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. Hagen has also soloed in Japan with the Yokohama Sinfonietta and the Sendai Philharmonic.
Tickets to Folklore Fantasy start at $25 for adults, $15 for youth, and can be purchased at ashevillesymphony.org, by phone at (828) 254-7046, in person at the Asheville Symphony office at 27 College Pl., Suite 100, or at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville Box Office.
Masks will be required for entry, as well as proof of vaccination against Covid-19. For more information on the Asheville Symphony’s Covid-19 safety policies, visit www.ashevillesymphony.org/covid-19-safety-policies.
The concert is made possible by Concert Sponsor Asheville Symphony Guild and Guest Artist Sponsor Maurice and Bonnie Stone.
About the Asheville Symphony Orchestra
The Asheville Symphony Orchestra performs and promotes symphonic music for the benefit, enjoyment, and education of the people of Western North Carolina. The ASO presents concerts in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville. Learn more at ashevillesymphony.org.
