Bolcom's "Ghost" Rags . . .

William Bolcom (b. 1938): Poltergeist and Graceful Ghost
Paul Jacobs, piano
Nonesuch79006

On William Bolcom
http://www.bolcomandmorris.com/bolcom.html

Births:
1791—French opera composer Louis Joseph F. Herold, in Paris;
1898—Italian-American composer Vittorio Rieti, in Alexandria, Egypt;
1944—British composer John Tavener, in London;

Deaths:
1935—Russian composer Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, age 75, in Moscow;
1947—Venezuelan-born French composer Reynaldo Hahn, age 72, in Paris;

Premieres:
1830—Auber: opera "Fra Diavolo" in Paris at the Opéra-Comique;
1916—Granados: opera "Goyescas," at the Metropolitan Opera in New York;
1927—Copland: Piano Concerto, by the Boston Symphony conducted by Serge Koussevitzky, with the composer as soloist;
1941—Copland: "Quiet City," at Town Hall in New York City by the Saidenberg Little Symphony conducted by Daniel Saidenberg; This music is based on incidental music Copland wrote for Irwin Shaw's play of the same name produced by the Group Theater in New York in 1939;
1944—Bernstein: Symphony No. 1 ("Jeremiah"), at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh by the Pittsburgh Symphony conducted by the composer, with mezzo-soprano Jennie Tourel as vocal soloist;
1972—Scott Joplin: opera "Treemonisha" (orchestrated by T.J. Anderson), in Atlanta;
1990—Joan Tower: Flute Concerto, at Carnegie Hall in New York, with soloist Carol Wincenc and the American Composers Orchestra, Hugh Wolff, conducting;
2000—André Previn: "Diversions," in Salzburg,Austria,by the Vienna Philharmonic, the composer conducting;

John Williams in the concert hall . . .

John Williams (b. 1932): Violin Concerto
Gil Shaham, violin;
Boston Symphony; John Williams, cond.
DG 471 326

On John Williams
http://www.johnwilliams.org/

Births:
1715—Austrian composer Georg Christoph Wagenseil, in Vienna;
1782—French composer Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, in Caen;
1852—British composer Frederic Hymen Cowen, in Kingston, Jamaica;
1862—English composer Frederick Delius, in Bradford, Yorkshire;
1876—English composer Havergal Brian, in Dresden, Staffordshire;
1924—Italian composer Luigi Nono, in Venice;

Deaths:
1962—Austrian composer and violinist Fritz Kreisler, in New York Citiy, age 86;

Premieres:
1728—Gay & Pepusch: opera, "The Beggar's Opera," at Lincoln's Inn Fields, London;
1781—Mozart: opera, "Idomeneo" in Munich at the Hoftheater;
1826—Schubert: String Quartet in D minor, "Death and the Maiden";
1936—Constant Lambert: "Summer's Last Will and Testament" for chorus and orchestra, in London

Notable American composer-conductors, Walter Damrosch and Charles Martin Loeffler. . .

Charles Martin Loeffler (1861-1935): A Pagan Poem, Op. 14
Robert Hunter, piano;
orchestra; Leopold Stokowski , cond.
EMI 65074

As a German-American, Damrosch took a balanced approach to nationality. On the one hand, he spoke out against jingoism, as when many people objected to performances of works by German composers at the outbreak of World War I. In a speech before the first concert of the season in 1917, Damrosch asked that Bach, Beethoven and Brahms not be thought of as enemy aliens, and that their music should continue to be played in the U.S.

On the other hand, he had to admonish some of the German-born players in his orchestra, as he described in a letter to his wife the same year: "I gave the men a lecture... on their patriotic duties toward the country in which they made their living. The last was necessary because a few German members objected to being made to play ‘America' so often, ‘as if they were an American orchestra.' I told them plainly that that was just what they were!"

Births:

1697—German composer and flutist Johann Joachim Quantz, in Oberscheden, Hannover;

Deaths:
1963—French composer Francis Poulenc, age 64, in Paris;

Premieres:
1893—Brahms: Fantasies for piano Nos. 1-3, from Op. 117 and Intermezzo No. 2, from Op. 117, in Vienna
1917—Zemlinsky: opera "A Floretine Tragedy," in Stuttgart at the Hoftheater;
1942—Copland: Orchestral Suite from "Billy the Kid" ballet, by the Boston Symphony;
1948—Harold Shapero: "Symphony for Classical Orchestra," by the Boston Symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein;
1958—Walton: "Partita" for orchestra, in Cleveland;
1970—William Schuman: "In Praise of Shahn," in New York;

The music of Vladimir Dukelsky (and Vernon Duke) . . .

Vladimir Dukelsky (1903-1969): Zephyr et Flore Ballet
Hague Residentie Orchestra; Gennady Rozhdestvensky, cond.
Chandos 9766

Births:
1759—French composer a François Devienne, in Joinville;
1797—Austrian composer Franz Schubert, in Lichtenthal near Vienna;
1906—English composer Benjamin Frankel, in London;
1937—American composer and performer Philip Glass, in Baltimore, Maryland;
1960—English composer and pianist George Benjamin, in London;

Premieres:
1723—Handel: opera "Admeto" at the Haymarket Theater in London; During this season, Handel applied for British citizenship;
1935—Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Cello Concerto, by the New York Philharmonic, with Gregor Piatigorsky as the soloist;
1943—R. Strauss: "Divertimento on pieces by Couperin," in Vienna;
1952—Leon Kirchner: "Sinfonia" in New York City;
1953—Vittorio Giannini: opera "The Taming of the Shrew" (in concert form) in Cincinnati;
1986—Joan Tower: Piano Concerto ("Homage to Beethoven"), by soloist Jacquelyn M. Helin and the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Imre Pallo conducting;

American composer George Walker Photo: courtesy Albany Records

George Walker's Pulitzer Prize ...

George Walker (b. 1922): Lilacs
Faye Robinson, sop.;
Arizona State University Symphony; Timothy Russell, cond.
Summit 274

For a transcription of a PBS-TV Jim Lehrer interview with George Walker about winning the Pulitzer:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/pulitzer_music_4-11.html

Births:
1690 - Italian composer Francesco Maria Veracini, in Florence;
1701—Swedish composer Johan Joachim Agrell, in Löth;
1859—Irish-born American composer and cellist Victor Herbert, in Dublin;
1928—German-born American composer Ursula Mamlok, in Berlin;

Deaths:
1824—Austrian composer and pianist Maria Theresia von Paradis, age 64, in Vienna;
1875—British composer Sir William Sterndale Bennett, age 58, in London;
1981—German composer Ernst Pepping, age 79, in Berlin;.
1981—Norwegian composer Nils Geirr Tveitt, age 72, in Oslo;

Premieres:
1827—Mendelssohn: "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Overture, in Stettin (first public performance), with Karl Loewe conducting;
1893—Puccini: opera, "Manon Lescaut," in Turin at the Teatro Regio;
1896—Puccini: opera "La Bohème," in Turin at the Teatro Regio, with Arturo Toscanini conducting;
1916—Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 ("The Inextinguishable") with the orchestra of the Copenhagen Music Society, the composer conducting;
1918—Lehar: operetta "Wo die Lerche singt" (Where the Lark Sings) in Budapest;
1930—Schoenberg: opera "Von Heute af Morgen" (From One Day to the Next), at the Frankfurt Opera;
1984—John Harbison: chamber orchestra version of "Mirabai Songs" (to poems of Mirabai, translated by Robert Bly), at Sanders Theater in Cambridge, Mass., with mezzo-soprano Janice Felty and the ensemble Collage, Gunther Schuller conducting;
2002 (scheduled)—Benjamin Gutierrez: "Pavana Para Cuerdas" (Pavane For Strings), by the San Antonio Symphony, Giancarlo Guerrero conducting;

Haydn's "real" Miracle Symphony . . .

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony No. 96 in D
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Sir Colin Davis, cond.
Philips 442 611

The whole story of the "Miracle" Symphony mix-up is recounted in Michael Steinberg's excellent survey: "The Symphony: A Listener's Guide" [ISBN #0-19-512665-3]

Births:
1669—French composer and organist Louis Marchand, in Lyons;
1873—Austrian operetta composer Leo Fall, in Olmütz;
1875—Austrian-American composer and violinist Fritz Kreisler, in Vienna;

Deaths:
1594—Italian composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, age c. 68, in Rome;
1934—Brazilian composer and pianist Ernesto Nazareth, age 70, in Rio de Janeiro;

Premieres:
1890—Dvorák: Symphony No. 8, Op. 88, in Prague, with the composer conducting;
1900—Gustave Charpentier: opera, "Louise," in Paris at the Opéra-Comique;
1920—Stravinsky: ballet, "The Song of the Nightingale," at the Paris Opéra, with choreography by Massine;
1921—Bretan: opera "Luceafarul" (The Evening Star), in Cluj, Romania;
1926—Cowell: String Quartet No. 1 ("Quartett Pedantic"), at Aeolian Hall in New York City by the Ralph Henkle String Quartet;
1977—Ned Rorem: "A Quaker Reader" for organ, in New York City;

Mexico's Blas Galindo Dimas ...

Blas Galindo Dimas (1910-1993): Sones de mariachi
Mexico City Philharmonic; Enrique Batiz, cond.
EMI 49785

On Blas Galindo Dimas and Mexican symphonic music:
http://www.guildmusic.com/catalog/gui7211z.htm

Births:
1809—German composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, in Hamburg;
1842—American poet, flutist and composer Sidney Lanier, in Macon, Ga.;
1904—Italian composer Luigi Dallapiccola, in Pisino, Istria;
1911—French composer and organist Jehan Alain, in Paris;

Deaths:
1814—Bohemian composer Johann Antonin Kozeluch, age 75, in Prague;

Premieres:
1823—Rossini: opera "Semiramide," in Venice at the Teatro la Fenice;
1844—Berlioz: "Roman Carnival" Overture, in Paris at the Salle Herz, with the composer conducting;
1867—Brahms: String Sextet No. 2, Op. 36, in Vienna;
1945—Stravinsky: "Scènes de ballet," in New York City by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by the composer;
1956—Elie Siegmeister: Clarinet Concerto, in Oklahoma City;
2002 (scheduled)—Philip Glass: Symphony No. 6, at Carnegie Hall, by the American Composers Orchestra conducted by Dennis Russell Davies;
2002 (scheduled)—Libby Larsen: "Patterns" for orchestra, by the Minnesota Orchestra, Scott Terrell conducting;