Composers Datebook from American Public Media

Produced in association with the American Composers Forum

OUR SPONSOR:

Subscribe to the podcast To subscribe in iTunes, follow these directions:

Open the iTunes application.
Click "Advanced" from the horizontal menu at the top
Choose "Subscribe to Podcast" (third item down)
In the field marked "URL:" paste

Click the "OK" button

Your subscription is complete! You will begin downloading today's episode immediately.

COMPOSERS DATEBOOK DAILY E-MAIL:
Sign up now to receive a free daily e-mail from Composers Datebook.

Your purchase from Public Radio Market helps support the American Composers Forum and Composers Datebook.

Reminding you that all music was once new®
Playing audio requires the free Adobe Flash Player from the Adobe Flash Player Download site. More info.

Wednesday, May 16

American composer Joan Tower

SYNOPSIS:
Tower's "Concerto for Orchestra" ...

MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM:
Joan Tower (b. 1938):
Concerto for Orchestra
Colorado Symphony;
Marin Alsop, cond.
Koch 7469

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
On Joan Tower
A 1987 interview with Tower

ALSO ON THIS DATE:
Births:
1931—American composer Donald James Martino, in Plainfield, N.J.;

Deaths:
1910—Russian composer Mily Balakirev (Gregorian date: May 29);

Premieres:
1726 — Handel: opera "Alessandro" (Julian date: May 5);
1889 — Massenet: opera "Esclarmonde" at the Paris Opéra;
1948 — Quincy Porter: Viola Concerto, in New York City;
1948 — Wallingford Rieger: Symphony No. 3, in New York City;
1966 — Ralph Shapey: "Rituals," in Chicago;
1966 — Villa-Lobos: Sinfonia No. 9, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting;
1969 — Cage: "HPSCHD," for amplified harpsichord and 51 tapes, in Urbana, Ill.;
1971 — Britten: opera "Owen Wingrave," as a telecast on BBC-TV in England and NET (National Educational Television) in the United States;
1972 — Jaocb Druckman: "Windows" for orchestra, by the Chicago Symphony; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1972;
1974 — Bernstein: ballet "Dybbuk," by the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center, with choreography by Jerome Robbins and the composer conducting;
1991 — Joan Tower: "Concerto for Orchestra," by the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting;

Other:
1792—The Teatro la Fenice ("The Phoenix") opens in Venice;
1888—Emile Berliner gives the first public display of his invention, the flat gramophone disk, at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

More from this week...

Buy music played this week...

More from previous weeks:

See complete archive

Composers Datebook is produced by American Public Media in association with the American Composers Forum with support from the The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.