GRIEG & MENDELSSOHN
Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 25, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Peace Concert Hall
Edvard Tchivzhel, conductor
Maxim Lando, piano
Maxim Lando appears by arrangement with Young Concert Artists, Inc. www.yca.org
E. GRIEG Piano Concerto
(1843 - 1907)
F. MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 1
(1809 - 1847)
Guest artist and piano sponsored by
Dr. John M. Humeniuk and Mrs. Karen Humeniuk
This General Operating Support Grant program is funded in part
by the Metropolitan Arts Council with grants received from the City of Greenville, the South Carolina Arts Commission whichreceives support from the National Endowment for the Arts and private donations.
This organization is funded in part by the
South Carolina Arts Commissionwhich receives support
from the National Endowment for the Arts.
‘Grieg and Mendelssohn’
Program Notes by Paul Hyde
Piano Concerto in A minor
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Grieg’s only concerto has become one of the most popular works in the classical repertoire. It is a product of youth, hope and happiness, and it overflows with an abundance of rich melody.
Grieg, at age 25, spent the summer of 1868 with his wife and baby daughter in a secluded cottage in Denmark. This tuneful concerto seems to evoke that bucolic, romantic setting.
The score helped establish Grieg on the international music scene as the “Chopin of the North.” Grieg was a devoted composer of songs, and his love for singing melody can be heard throughout the piece.
Edvard Tchivzhel, the Greenville Symphony Orchestra’s music director, has a special connection with Grieg. Tchivzhel’s father so loved the Norwegian composer that he named his son “Edvard.”
The work is written in the traditional three movements:
I. A roll of the timpani ushers in the familiar piano fanfare, descending downward. The woodwinds then introduce the sprightly main theme, which is repeated and embellished by the piano soloist. A warm, singing second subject is introduced by the cellos, answered by sighing woodwinds and then taken up by the soloist and extensively developed. The two themes form the core of the movement. Near the end, a dazzling cadenza test’s the soloist’s virtuosity.
II. The tender, pensive slow movement opens with muted strings. The piano introduces the main theme. The nocturne-like music provides a gentle respite before the rousing finale, which follows without pause.
III. The opening theme of the energetic finale is a Norwegian folk dance, the halling. This main subject, a rondo refrain, will be heard several times in the movement, alternating with other material. A slower middle section features an ethereal melody for flute, expressively developed by the soloist. At the end, this second theme returns triumphantly in brassy splendor for a brilliant conclusion.
Symphony No. 1 in C minor
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Mendelssohn’s First Symphony continues this program’s theme of works by young composers. The German composer was only 15 when he wrote the symphony. Its first performance, in 1824, took place at a private gathering in honor of the 19th birthday of his sister, Fanny Mendelssohn, also a composer.
Like Mozart, Mendelssohn seemed to be a young man in a hurry, writing his first orchestral works at age 12. Also like Mozart, Mendelssohn left behind a considerable body of work despite health problems that cut his life short at age 38.
In his First Symphony, Mendelssohn, even at a young age, demonstrates a mature grasp of melodic invention and orchestration. At the same time, the work bespeaks a young composer who hopes to make a mark on the world. The opening movement is full of swirling energy and dramatic fire. By sharp contrast, the slow second movement strikes a bucolic note, bringing to mind the gracefulness of Haydn’s slow movements. That’s followed by a robust minuet; a contrasting middle section brings forth placid woodwinds before the vigorous minuet returns. The finale (with a hint of the fourth movement of Mozart’s 40th Symphony) returns the work to the fiery spirit of the opening movement.
Of an 1829 performance of the First Symphony with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Mendelssohn wrote: “It went well and strong. After every movement the audience applauded and so did the orchestra (by tapping their bows against their instruments and stamping their feet). I must have shaken 200 hands — it was one of my happiest moments. All those strangers became acquaintances and friends within a half hour.”
Paul Hyde, a longtime Upstate journalist, is the public information coordinator for the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities at Clemson University. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter: @PaulHyde7.
VIOLIN
Xiaoli Saliny,
Concertmaster
Leila Cunningham Roe Endowed Chair
Sarah Land,
Assistant Concertmaster
Uwe Diestel Endowed Chair
Jonathan Urizar
James R. Johnston
Carol Roosevelt
Felix Farrar
David Strassberg
VIOLIN
Joanna Mulfinger,
Principal
David Edwards,
Assistant Principal
Catherine Hazan
Emily Kirkpatrick
Catherine H. Crowe
Kathleen S. Robinson
Elizabeth Fee
VIOLA
Arthur Ross III,
Principal
Erika and Chuck Riddiford Endowed Chair
John Young Shik Concklin,
Assistant Principal
Alvoy Bryan, Jr.
Carolyn Alford
CELLO
Ismail Akbar,
Principal
Guild of the Greenville Symphony Endowed Chair
Ryan Knott,
Assistant Principal
David Saliny
Dusan Vukailovic
DOUBLE BASS
Tim Easter,
Principal
Anonymous Endowed Chair
Ian Bracchitta,
Assistant Principal
Maurice Bell
FLUTE
Caroline Ulrich,
Principal
Alice and Jerry Lenz Endowed Chair
Esther Waite
OBOE
Virginia Zeblisky Metzger,
Principal
Guild of the Greenville Symphony Endowed Chair
Kelly Mozeik
CLARINET
Anthony Marotta,
Principal
Harriet and Jerry Dempsey Endowed Chair
Taylor Massey
BASSOON
Lauren Piccirillo Waid,
Principal
Anonymous Endowed Chair
Stephanie Lipka
HORN
Anneka Zuehlke-King,
Principal
Charles W. Wofford and Nancy B. Thomas Endowed Chair
Elizabeth Regas
Darian Washington
Christina Cornell
TRUMPET
Phillip Elkins,
Co-Principal
Beverley and Jim Whitten Endowed Chair
Kevin Lyons,
Co-Principal
Gary Malvern,
Assistant Principal
TROMBONE
Stephen Wilson,
Co-Principal
Michael Hosford,
Co-Principal
Richard deBondt
TUBA
Don Strand,
Principal
TIMPANI
Daniel Kirkpatrick,
Principal
Nancy B. Stanton Endowed Chair
PERCUSSION
Gary Robinson,
Principal
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Laura Auvil
PRINCIPAL LIBRARIAN
John Wickey
