Beloved Works by Berlioz and Mozart

Pianist Shen Lu
Pianist Shen Lu

Asheville Symphony Performs March 12, 2016.

The scintillating music of Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet and a beloved Mozart piano concerto will be on display Saturday, March 12, as the Asheville Symphony presents its fifth Masterworks concert of the season.

The concert, under the director of Music Director Daniel Meyer, will begin at 8 p.m. in Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.

“Hector Berlioz wanted to retell Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet,” Meyer said. “We will present the orchestral portions of this fascinating work, including the famous Scene d’Amour, the Queen Mab Scherzo, and Romeo at the Tomb of the Capulets.”

Shen Lu, Cleveland Institute of Music student and Hilton Head International Piano Competition winner, joins the ASO for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, one of the most well-known and best-loved piano concertos. Lu also won First Prize in the Hong Kong Open Piano Competition.

He has appeared as guest soloist with the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and New England Conservatory Philharmonic Orchestra. His performance with the Central Conservatory of Music Youth Orchestra was broadcast on CCTV, the largest national television network in China.

The program will open with two works by Edward Elgar, Chanson de matin and Chanson de nuit.

“Elgar is revered for his orchestral masterpieces, including two grand symphonies,” Meyer said. “He also mastered the miniature, and this concert begins with two such appetizers performed in tandem: Chanson de matin and Chanson de nuit.”

Single tickets for all concerts are $22 – $62 depending on seating section; reduced youth pricing is available. Single tickets and season ticket packages can be purchased at www.ashevillesymphony.org, by calling (828) 254-7046, or in person at the U.S. Cellular Center box office at 87 Haywood Street.

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 in Asheville’s U.S. Cellular Center.

Related organizations include the Asheville Symphony Guild, Asheville Symphony Chorus, Asheville Symphonettes, and education initiatives such as the Asheville Buncombe Youth Orchestra, Music in the Schools, MusicWorks!, Spotlight on Young Musicians, Symphony Talk and pre-concert lectures.

Romeo and Juliet, Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $22 – $62 (prices vary depending on seating section); reduced youth and student pricing available. Info/Tickets: Symphony Office (828) 254-7046, www.ashevillesymphony.org. Tickets available in person at the U.S. Cellular Center box office at 87 Haywood St. Concert held at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in downtown Asheville.