The Greenville Symphony’s music director emeritus Edvard Tchivzhel returns to the podium after more than a year’s absence to conduct dazzling orchestra showpieces near to his heart.
Among the works the Russian-born conductor will lead are two cornerstones of the 19th century Russian orchestral repertoire: Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Capriccio espagnol” and Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony.
Opening the Jan. 25-26 concerts at the Peace Center will be Gioachino Rossini’s “William Tell” Overture, with its familiar concluding section that was famously used as the theme for “The Lone Ranger.”
“These are jewels of orchestral music by three great composers,” Tchivzhel said. “It’s a spectacular program.”
Tchivzhel led the Greenville Symphony for almost a quarter century before stepping down and being named music director emeritus in 2023.
He last conducted the orchestra in the “Holiday at Peace” concerts in December 2023. Apart from the Greenville Symphony’s regular season, Tchivzhel conducted International Ballet’s performances of “The Nutcracker” in December 2023 and “Swan Lake” in May 2024.
Popular classics
All three works on the upcoming program are among the most popular in the orchestral repertoire.
Rossini’s opera “William Tell” is rarely performed, but the 12-minute overture to that opera is an often heard curtain-raiser in the concert hall.
Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Capriccio espagnol” is a suite of five Spanish folk dances.
“Rimsky-Korsakov served as an officer in the Russian Imperial Navy before he was a composer and visited Spain where he was impressed by Spanish folk music,” Tchivzhel said.
That interest later resulted in “Capriccio espagnol,” noted for its colorful orchestration and for spotlighting several orchestral soloists.
Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, meanwhile, is a fiery romantic work with a finale generally regarded as one of the most thrilling in the orchestral repertoire.
Tchivzhel has a special personal connection to the work. Tchivzhel used the Fourth Symphony as an audition piece in the early 1970s for the legendary conductor Yevgeny Mravinsky. That successful audition led to Tchivzhel’s appointment as assistant conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, later known as the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, from 1974 to 1977.
The Jan. 25-26 concerts will be dedicated to Tim Easter, the longtime principal bass player with the Greenville Symphony. Easter, 61, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 7.
Want to go?
What: Greenville Symphony Orchestra: “Tchivzhel Conducts Tchaik 4”
When: Jan. 25, 7:30 p.m.; Jan. 26, 3 p.m.
Where: Peace Center Concert Hall
Tickets: $20-$90
Info: 864-467-3000 or peacecenter.org
