Season Finale: Beethoven and Brazil
Program Notes by Paul Hyde
Starburst
Jessie Montgomery (Born 1981)
Jessie Montgomery is an acclaimed composer, violinist and educator. Her piece Starburst blends classical traditions with a modern sensibility. Composed in 2012, the dynamic work evokes ideas of light and energy with its fast-moving, swirling textures and intense rhythmic drive.

The pieces boasts a wide array of orchestral colors, with sections of the orchestra playing in contrasting, sometimes dissonant, harmonies to create a sense of tension and release.

Starburst highlights the percussion and string sections of the orchestra, utilizing lively, fast-paced motifs and rapid changes in dynamics. The piece also incorporates elements of folk music and American vernacular traditions, which is characteristic of Montgomery’s compositional style. Her work often combines classical techniques with influences from jazz, folk, and other genres, giving her music a unique and accessible quality.

Overall, Starburst is a powerful, exhilarating work that emphasizes motion, texture, and color, leaving listeners with a sense of energy and excitement, much like the burst of light that its title suggests.

Cinco Poemas de Vinicius de Moraes (Five Poems by Vinicius de Moraes)
João Guilherme Ripper (Born 1959)
João Guilherme Ripper’s Cinco Poemas de Vinicius de Moraes is a set of vocal works featuring the poetry of the renowned Brazilian poet and lyricist Vinicius de Moraes. Composed in 1999, Ripper’s Cinco Poemas represents an urban sensibility to complement Beethoven’s pastoral emphasis.

Cinco Poemas reflects the composer’s deep appreciation for both the Brazilian classical music tradition and the rich cultural nuances found in Brazilian poetry.

The work is made up of five distinct pieces, each setting one of de Moraes’ poems to music. Ripper uses his sophisticated harmonic language and vivid orchestration to complement the emotional depth and lyrical beauty of the poems, often evoking the mood of the words through the interplay between voice and instruments.

The vocal lines are expressive, ranging from delicate and intimate to powerful and dramatic. Ripper’s treatment of the voice allows for a wide range of expressive possibilities, and the music brings out the longing, melancholy and romantic themes of the poetry.

Ripper often blends traditional Brazilian rhythms with more contemporary harmonic structures, incorporating elements of bossa nova, samba, and other Brazilian musical styles. This gives the work a distinctive Brazilian flavor, while also maintaining the sophistication and innovation of a classical work.

In sum, Cinco Poemas de Vinicius de Moraes brings together the power of poetry, the intricacies of classical music, and the cultural richness of Brazil, offering a deeply emotional listening experience.

Symphony No. 6, Pastoral
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, commonly known as the Pastoral Symphony, is one of the German composer’s most beloved and picturesque works. Composed in 1808, it stands apart from much of Beethoven’s symphonic output due to its programmatic nature, evoking scenes of nature and rural life.

Beethoven’s Fifth and Seventh symphonies are celebrated for their rhythmic vitality. The Sixth Symphony, by contrast, spotlights an abundance of gentle, lyrical melody.

The Pastoral Symphony is divided into five movements, each with its own distinct character, and the work as a whole paints a vivid musical portrait of country life:

• First Movement: "Awakening of Cheerful Feelings upon Arrival in the Countryside"
  This movement opens with a serene and flowing theme in the strings, immediately establishing a sense of peace and calm. The movement is marked by a steady, pastoral rhythm, and the music seems to express the joy of arriving in the countryside, with rolling melodies evoking a sense of tranquility and contentment.
• Second Movement: "Scene by the Brook"
  This movement is a beautiful, lyrical depiction of nature, with the gently flowing melodies in the strings and woodwinds evoking the image of a stream. The peaceful, contemplative character of the movement evoke the quiet rhythms of nature, with occasional ripples of excitement in the form of bird calls and soft orchestral swells.
• Third Movement: "Merry Gathering of Country Folk"
  The lively, dance-like character of this movement conveys a festive mood, capturing the energy and joy of a rural celebration. With its buoyant rhythms and spirited themes, this movement evokes a gathering of villagers celebrating together in a carefree atmosphere.
• Fourth Movement: "Thunderstorm"
  As the most dramatic movement of the symphony, the brief Thunderstorm brings a sudden shift in mood. The movement opens with rumbling timpani and an unsettling atmosphere, building to a powerful depiction of a thunderstorm. Beethoven’s orchestration becomes more intense, with sharp contrasts in dynamics, evoking the force and violence of a storm — which gradually subsides.
• Fifth Movement: "Shepherd's Song: Happy and Thankful Feelings after the Storm"
  After the intensity of the previous movement, the final movement returns to a glorious sense of serenity and gratitude — as if the sun is bursting through the clouds. The theme of a shepherd’s song is introduced, and the music depicts the countryside, imbued with a sense of peace and beauty.

Overall, Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony is a celebration of nature and rural life, full of lush melodies, rich textures, and a sense of joy and serenity. It is one of Beethoven’s most accessible and enduring works, and its themes of nature and the human connection to it continue to resonate with audiences today. The symphony’s programmatic nature, depicting scenes in the countryside, marked a new direction in symphonic music and influenced future composers in their exploration of the relationship between music and the natural world.

Paul Hyde, a longtime Upstate arts 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. Readers may write to him at pah598@g.harvard.edu.

Concert Hall Series
Saturday performances at 7:30
Sunday at 3:00 pm

Opening Night: Hollywood Retrospective
October 4 & 5

An American in Paris
November 22 & 23

Dvořák’s Cello Concerto
February 7 & 8

Grand Canyon Suite + Rachmaninoff 2
March 14 & 15

West Side Story Symphonic Dances 
+ Fanfare for the Common Man
April 11 & 12

Season Finale: Porgy and Bess
May 16 & 17

Gunter Theatre Series
Peter and the Wolf
November 1 at 3:00 pm
November 2 at 3:00 pm

Dvořák’s American String Quartet
February 14 at 7:30 pm 
February 15 at 3:00 pm

The Last Five Years:
American Music Now
March 28 at 7:30 pm
March 29 at 3:00 pm

Dicey Langston: 
The South Carolina Girl Who Defied an Army
April 25 at 3:00 pm
April 26 at 3:00 pm

Special Concerts
Holiday at Peace
December 12 at 7:00 pm
December 13 at 7:00 pm
December 14 at 2:00 pm
Peace Center

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire™ in Concert
January 10 at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm 
January 11 at 2:00 
Peace Center

Chamber Music Series
American Echoes: from Apollo to Bluegrass
September 23 at 5:30 pm, Warehouse Theatre
September 24 at 7:00 pm, Hotel Hartness

Rhythms of the Night: A Tango Affair
February 24 at 5:30 pm, Centre Stage

Details and tickets available at greenvillesymphony.org