CITIZEN-TIMES November 23, 1999 Symphony's Russian program rich in technical virtuosity ASHEVILLE - Playing the impassioned, exciting music of three great Russian composers, the Asheville Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Hart Baker was in top form Saturday evening before a large audience in Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Although Asheville audiences are overly fond of responding to even the most mediocre performance with a standing ovation, Saturday's efforts by orchestra and soloist -were richly deserving of the most emphatic accolade an audience can offer. After a spirited performance of Tchaikovsky's crowd-pleasing "Marche Slav," the orchestra and distinguished young Russian soloist Oleg Marshev presented a masterful interpretation of Sergei Prokofiev's formidable "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26." In recent years, Asheville...

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