Greenville Symphony Presents Year of Altruism Show

As planning began on the Year of Altruism, a year-long initiative celebrating the good of the community, co-founder Rabbi Marc Wilson knew he wanted the Greenville Symphony Orchestra to be involved.

It didn't take long for inspiration to strike Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel.

“We started talking to the maestro and five minutes into the sale's pitch, the maestro was scribbling,” Wilson said. “When I stopped for a moment, the maestro puts it down on the table and says, 'This is your concert.' He hit a home run.”

The special Greenville Symphony Orchestra program, “From Ashes to Rebirth,” will be performed on November 9, the 75th anniversary of the Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass,” generally considered the start of the Holocaust. Wilson said at the Year of Altruism's kickoff last week that the idea for a yearlong effort grew out of a Kristallnacht commemoration held five years ago.

“I and the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, we're really proud to be involved in a event of such great magnitude,” Tchivzhel said. “It's a great honor for us to participate in this commemoration.”

The title reflects the progression of the program.

“We will start with a really dark and terrifying piece called 'A Survivor from Warsaw,', a short but very dramatic work written by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg in 1947 ” Tchizhel said.

“A Survivor From Warsaw” was written for narrator, men's chorus and orchestra was written to pay tribute to victims of the Holocaust and the Third Reich, he said.

It will feature Dr. Bruce Schoonmaker from Furman University and the Furman Singers, under the direction of Hugh Floyd.

“The narration depicts the story of a survivor of the Warsaw theater in World War II and depicts the strength of the Jewish people,” Tchivzhel said.

“A Survivor From Warsaw” will be followed by lighter music, including excerpts from the film “Schindler's List,” a piece for violin originally played Ithak Perlman.

The concert will then move to pieces from the “very famous” musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tchivzhel said.

“It's not about the Holocaust, but it's about spirit, it's about surviving through joy and through faith and through traditions,” he said.

Those pieces will be followed by movements from Gustav Mahler's “Symphony No. 5.”

“He was a genius, a Jewish genius,” Tchivzhel said, adding that Mahler struggled with antisemitism throughout his life.

“Despite his incredible genius as a composer and a conductor, he was always attacked by the anti-Semitic press,” he said. “In his music, you'll find this message about overcoming struggles, tragedy and coming to a triumphal conclusion. You'll find a lot of feelings of belief in the best of humankind, about unity of all kinds. I think this musical message will be a great ending to our commemoration.”

Check back with Patch for ticket information as the show approaches.