Dominick Argento

Benjamin Britten

SYNOPSIS:
Bernstein does Becker ...

MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM:
John Becker (1886 - 1961): Symphonia Brevis (Symphony No. 3)
The Louisville Orchestra; Robert Whitney, cond.
Albany 027

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Becker in the context of American Music (recommended reading)
On Becker at St. Thomas

ALSO ON THIS DATE:
Births:
1679 —Baptismal date of Bohemian composer Jan Dismas Zelenka, in Lounovice;
1821—Hungarian composer Franz [Ferenc] Doppler, in Lemberg (now Lvov);

Deaths:
1621—Dutch composer and organist Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, age c. 59, in Amsterdam;
1750—German composer and lutenist Silvius Leopold Weiss, age 64, in Dresden;
1920—Brazilian composer Alberto Nepomunceno, age 56, in Rio de Janeiro;
1946—British composer Sir Granville Bantock, age 78, in London;

Premieres:
1893 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, in St. Petersburg (see Oct. 28);
1912 — Schoenberg: "Pierrot Lunaire," in Berlin;
1925 — R. Strauss: "Parergon to the Symphonia domestica," for piano left hand and orchestra, in Dresden, with Paul Wittgenstein the soloist;
1926 — Kodály: opera "Háry János," at the Budapest Opera;
1934 — Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 13, in Winterthur (Switzerland), by the Musikkollegium orchestra, Hermann Scherchen conducting;
1938 — Copland: ballet "Billy the Kid," in Chicago by the Ballet Caravan Company, with pianists Arthur Gold and Walter Hendel performing a two-piano version of the score (This premiere date is persistently but incorrectly listed as Oct. 6 in many Copland biographies and standard reference works); First performance in New York City occurred on May 24, 1939, with an orchestra conducted by Fritz Kitzinger;
1942 — Copland: ballet "Rodeo," in New York City by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo;
1960 — Messiaen: "Chronochromie," in Donaueschingen, Germany;
1969 — Leon Kirchner: "Music" for orchestra, by the New York Philharmonic, with the composer conducting;
1976 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Five Klee Pictures" for orchestra, in London at St. John's Smith Square, by the Young Musicians' Symphony, James Blair conducting;
1988 — Stephen Paulus: "Five for the Flowers Near the River," for viola and piano, by Cynthia Phelps and Warren Jones, in Minneapolis; A revised version of this piece, re-titled "Seven for the Flowers Near the River," was premiered by the same performers at Alice Tully Hall in New York on October 24, 1988;
1992 — Joan Tower: "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman" No. 3 (dedicated to conductor JoAnn Falletta), by the Kansas City Symphony, conducted by Bill McGlaughlin;

Other:
1891—Inaugural afternoon concert of the Chicago Symphony at the Chicago Auditorium, with Theodore Thomas conducting music of Wagner("Faust" Overture), Beethoven (Symphony No. 5), Tchaikovsky (Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Rafael Joseffy), and Dvorák ("Hussite" Overture); The Symphony's first evening concert occurred the following day;
1931—American premiere of Mahler: Symphony No. 9, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting;
1958—Leonard Bernstein begins his presentation of a "major view of American music" at New York Philharmonic concerts with a Carnegie Hall concert that includes works by Wallingford Riegger, John J. Becker and Carl Ruggles.

SYNOPSIS:
Schuman starts on third ...

MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM:
William Schuman (1910 - 1992): Symphony No. 3
New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, cond.
Sony Classical 63163

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
On William Schuman

ALSO ON THIS DATE:
Births:
1892—British composer Herbert Howells, in Lydney, Gloucestershire;

Deaths:
1837—German composer and pianist Johann Nepomuk Hummel, age 58, in Wiemar;
1849 —Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, age 39, in Paris;

Premieres:
1727 — J.S. Bach: "Trauerode" (Funeral Cantata), at a memorial service for Electress Christiane Eberhardine (who died on Sept. 4);
1761 — Gluck: ballet, "Don Juan," in Vienna;
1831 — Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1 in g, Op. 25, in Munich, with the composer as soloist;
1905 — Glazunov: Violin Concerto, with soloist Mischa Elman, at Queen's Hall, London;
1941 — Wm. Schuman: Symphony No. 3, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting;
1944 — Copland: "Letter from Home," on a radio broadcast;
1958 — Stravinsky: "Epitaphium in memory of Prince Max Egon zum Fürstenberg, at the Donaueschingen Festival in Germany;
1988 — Christopher Rouse: “ Artemis” for brass quintet, at Yale University, New Haven, Conn., by The Brass Ring;
1991 — Wayne Peterson: "Face of the Night, The Heart of the Dark" for orchestra, by the San Francisco Symphony, David Zinman conducting; This work won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1992;
1996 — Peter Lieberson: "Fire" at New York Philharmonic concert conducted by Leonard Slatkin.
2000 — John Tavener: "The Bridegroom," at the South Bank Centre in London, by Anonymous 4 and the Chilingirian String Quartet;

Other:
1707—Johann Sebastian Bach (age 22) marries his cousin, Maria Barbara Bach (age 23);
1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in G, Op. 6, no. 8 (Gregorian date: Oct. 28);
1978—President Jimmy Carter presents the Congressional Medal of Honor to singer Marian Anderson

Jerome Moross

George Gershwin self portrait

Peter Mennin