Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, No. 2, Op. 83, B-flat major Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) October 16, 17 & 18, 2015 Program Notes by Dr. Joella Utley Brahms was so unhappy with the reception he received for his First Piano Concerto that he waited almost twenty years before trying again.  Sketches for the Second were made […]

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) Symphony No. 3, D minor May 7 & 8, 2016 Program Note by Paul Hyde   Mahler’s Third Symphony is the longest work in the standard orchestral repertoire. There may be longer symphonies, but they’re not played with any frequency. Actually, performances of the Third Symphony itself are somewhat rare. The work […]

Edward Elgar (1857-1934) “Enigma” Variations, Op. 36 (Variations on an Original Theme) March 12 & 13, 2016 Program Notes by Paul Hyde Elgar composed this piece in 1899 as a tribute to his friends, and it brought the English composer international fame. It remains Elgar’s second-most popular work after the “Pomp and Circumstance March No. […]

February 20 & 21, 2016 Program notes by Paul Hyde Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827) Violin Concerto, Op. 61, D major The Violin Concerto spotlights Beethoven’s genius for lyricism. The music is not heroic but rather noble and mellifluous. This is a concerto that sings. The piece is often grouped among the greatest violin concertos ever […]

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Piano Concerto in G Major September 26 & 27, 2015 Program Notes by Paul Hyde A colorful, jazzy exuberance informs Ravel’s sprightly Piano Concerto in G Major, composed in 1931. Ravel may have been inspired by George Gershwin and other jazz musicians he encountered on a trip to the United States in […]

C. Thomas Wyche (1926-2015) “Moonbeams” (world premiere arrangement by Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel) January 23 & 24, 2016 Program Notes by Paul Hyde and Edvard Tchivzhel “Moonbeams” is a short lyrical work by the late Greenville civic leader C. Thomas “Tommy” Wyche, to whom this weekend’s Greenville Symphony Orchestra program is dedicated. Wyche was well-known for […]

Symphony No. 5, B-flat, D. 485 Franz Schubert (1797-1828) April 8, 9 & 10, 2016 Program Notes by Dr. Joella Utley Franz Schubert was brought up in a musical family. He played viola, his two brothers played the violin and his father, the cello. This family quartet, combined with other local musicians, eventually grew into […]

L’Italiana in Algeri, Overture Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) February 26, 27 & 28, 2016 Program Notes by Dr. Joella Utley Gioacchino Rossini’s rise to stardom was rapid. Despite little formal training, he was writing songs and opera arias by age twelve. At age 21 he became an instant success with the comic opera, L’Italiana in Algeri, […]

The Magic Flute, K. 620, Overture Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) November 20, 21 & 22, 2015 Program Notes by Dr. Joella Utley Mozart was very busy in 1791, writing an Italian opera (La clemenza di Tito) for the coronation of Emperor Leopold, King of Bohemia, as well as his Requiem Mass.  Yet he was eager […]

Orpheus and Eurydice Overture Dance of the Blessed Spirits; Dance of the Furies Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787) September 26, 27 & 28, 2014 Program Notes by Dr. Joella Utley From the early 1600’s until the time of the Classical Era, opera developed into an ornate art form, which sought to “over-dramatize” action on the stage […]