Egmont, Op. 84 by Ludwig van Beethoven, is a set of incidental music pieces for the 1787 play of the same name by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It consists of an overture followed by a sequence of nine pieces for soprano, male narrator, and full symphony orchestra. The male narrator is optional; he is not used in the play and does not appear in some recordings of the complete incidental music. Beethoven wrote the music between October 1809 and June 1810. The work premiered on June 15, 1810. We are only playing the overture today.

BEETHOVEN VIOLIN CONCERTO (2nd movement)

Our Concert Master, Daniel Allen is the featured performer on the 2nd movement of the Beethoven Violin Concerto. 

The Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1806. Its first performance by Franz Clement was unsuccessful and for some decades the work languished in obscurity, until revived in 1844 by the then 12-year-old violinist Joseph Joachim with the orchestra of the London Philharmonic Society conducted by Felix Mendelssohn. Joachim would later claim it to be the greatest German violin concerto. Since then, it has become one of the best-known and regularly performed violin concertos.

The concerto movement will segue into “Romance in G Major”.

ROMANCE IN G MAJOR FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA

(Daniel is also soloing on this work).

The Romance for violin and orchestra No. 1 in G major, Op. 40, was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven, one of two such compositions, the other being Romance No. 2 in F major, Op. 50. It was written about 1801, after the second Romance, and was published 1803, two years before the publication of the second. Thus, this romance was designated as Beethoven’s first. The Romance, Op. 40, is scored for violin solo and an orchestra of strings, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns and flute.

INTERMISSION

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 8

The Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93 is a symphony in four movements composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1812 and his penultimate and shortest symphony. Beethoven fondly referred to it as “my little Symphony in F”, distinguishing it from his Sixth Symphony, a longer work also in F. The Eighth Symphony is generally light-hearted, though not lightweight, and in many places loud, with many accented notes. Various passages in the symphony are heard by some listeners to be musical jokes. As with various other Beethoven works such as the Opus 27 piano sonatas and the later Ninth Symphony, the symphony deviates from Classical tradition in making the last movement the weightiest of the four.

I. Allegro vivace e con brio (F major); II. Allegretto scherzando quasi andante (B♭ major); III. Tempo di menuetto (F major); IV. Allegro vivace (F major).

THANK YOU for coming to our concert today. You can see more information about our season at columbiacco.org

Our next concert is a joint concert with the Kiokee Baptist Church Choir on Sunday, June 28, 2026 in the evening. We will be celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary as a nation. Please make plans to join us in this celebration. You can go to our website for more information about this.

The Columbia County Orchestra has been in existence ever since February 2008. Dr. Rob Nordan has served as the Founder, Executive and Musical Director. Even though he is retiring from vocational employment in May, 2026, he will continue to serve as the Executive and Musical Director for years to come. Thank you for joining us today. Your attendance and generous financial contributions make it possible for us to offer FREE concerts to our community. There will be collection boxes throughout the auditorium today to receive your financial contributions. We also accept financial contributions on-line through our website. THANK YOU.