Intermission

Tchivzhel Conducts Tchaik 4
Program Notes by Paul Hyde

Overture to William Tell
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)

Rossini’s Overture to William Tell is one of the most familiar pieces in the orchestral repertoire, a work often recognized even by those who are not avid classical music fans. It is tuneful, dramatic and soul-stirring.

The opera for which this Overture was written is the last and grandest of Rossini’s 39 works in that genre. The opera itself is rarely performed but the Overture remains a staple of the concert hall.

The Overture is divided into four distinct sections, played without pause:

1. Introduction: This part features a calm and pastoral theme, evoking the peaceful Swiss landscape where the story is set. Cellos introduce the gentle melody.
2. Storm: This section is a powerful and turbulent storm scene. It’s marked by intense rhythms and dramatic contrasts, creating a sense of chaos and turmoil.
3. Ranz des Vaches: The third part features a serene and lyrical theme that represents the Swiss cowherd’s call. It’s a beautiful, melodic section that contrasts with the previous storm segment.
4. Finale: The overture concludes with a vigorous and energetic theme, famous for its galloping rhythms. This part is often heard in popular culture, including as the theme music for The Lone Ranger radio and television series.

Capriccio espagnole
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)

Rimsky-Korsakov’s talents as a brilliant orchestrator are on full display in Capriccio espagnole, the Russian composer’s tribute to the music and spirit of Spain. The piece is cast in five short continuous sections, each representing different aspects of Spanish music and culture:

1. Alborada: This lively orchestral outburst features bright, dance-like rhythms, evoking the lively Spanish morning. Its energetic character and intricate orchestration set the tone for the suite.
2. Variazioni: The second movement is a series of variations on a theme, a showcase for different orchestral colors and textures.
3. Alborada: The tempestuous Alborada is heard again, but in a different orchestration.
4. Scene and Gypsy Music: This movement reflects the dramatic and passionate nature of Spanish gypsy music. It’s characterized by its expressive melodies and the use of rich, dramatic orchestration.
5. Fandango Asturiano: The fandango, with its syncopated rhythms, concludes the work in rousing fashion with music heard at the beginning of the piece.

Symphony No. 4
Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Tchaikovsky’s ever-popular Fourth Symphony begins in despair and concludes in a blaze of joy and exhilaration. It never fails to captivate and inspire listeners.

We need not wonder what Tchaikovsky sought to communicate in this 1878 symphony, which is at once monumental and personal. Tchaikovsky wrote at length about the work to his beloved patron, Nadezhda von Meck. The Russian composer’s comments are quoted below.

An underlying theme of the work is “Fate,” which Tchaikovsky described as “the fatal power which hinders one in the pursuit of happiness.” The symphony is cast in the traditional four movements:

1. Horns and trumpets forcefully proclaim the work’s “Fate” theme, which will be heard throughout the symphony. Tchaikovsky commented: “The introduction is the kernel, the chief thought of the whole symphony. This (opening theme) represents Fate, the fatal power which continually poisons the soul.” A melancholy theme is introduced by strings. Tchaikovsky: “Fate is invincible, and you will never overcome it. You can only reconcile yourself to it and languish fruitlessly.” A tripping clarinet episode alters the mood. Tchaikovsky: “Is it not better to turn away from reality and submerge yourself in daydreams? Some blissful, radiant human image beckons you away.” But the mood shifts again. The music grows increasingly restless until the symphony’s opening Fate theme erupts in the trumpets. Tchaikovsky: “No! These were but daydreams and Fate wakes you from them. No haven exists. Drift upon the sea until it engulfs and submerges you in its depths.”
2. “The second movement shows another phase of sadness,” Tchaikovsky said. “Here is that melancholy feeling which enwraps you when you sit at night alone in the house exhausted by work. You take a book but it falls from your hand. There comes a whole host of memories. It is both sad that so much is now past and gone, yet pleasant to recall your youth.”
3. “There is no determined feeling, no exact expression in the third movement,” Tchaikovsky said of this music, famously played pizzicato by strings. “Here are capricious arabesques, vague figures which slip into the imagination when you have drunk wine and are slightly intoxicated. This movement is made up of completely disjoined images which rush past in your head when you have fallen asleep.”
4. “If you can find no pleasure in yourself, look about you,” Tchaikovsky said of the brilliant finale. “Go to the people. See how they can enjoy life and give themselves up entirely to festivity. The picture of a folk holiday. Hardly have we had time to forget ourselves in the happiness of others when indefatigable Fate reminds us once more of its presence. The other children of men are not concerned with us. How merry and glad they all are. And do you still say that all the world is immersed in sorrow? There still is happiness, simple naïve happiness. Rejoice in the happiness of others — and you can still live.”  

Paul Hyde, a longtime Upstate journalist, is an English instructor at Tri-County Technical College. He writes regularly for the Greenville Journal, the S.C. Daily Gazette, EarRelevant, ArtsATL, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Concert Hall Series
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An American in Paris
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The Last Five Years:
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Dicey Langston: 
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Peace Center

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Peace Center

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Rhythms of the Night: A Tango Affair
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