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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive Your purchase from Public Radio Market helps support the American Composers Forum and Composers Datebook.  |
January 27-February 2, 2003
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Monday, January 27
Creston's Saxophone Concerto ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Paul Creston (1906 - 1985): Saxophone Concerto, Op. 26 James Abato, saxophone; Hollywood Bowl Symphony; Leopold Stokowski, cond. Archival broadcast recording (August 26, 1945) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Paul Creston More on Creston ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1756—Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in Salzburg; 1806—Spanish composer Juan Crisostomo Arriage, in Rigoitia; 1823—French composer Edouard Lalo, in Lille; 1885—American composer Jerome Kern, in New York City; Deaths: 1901—Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi, age 87, in Milan; Premieres: 1726 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 72 ("Alles nur nach Gottes Willen") performed on the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27); 1733 — Handel: opera "Orlando" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket(Gregorian date: Feb. 7); 1844 — Erkel: opera "Hunyady László," considered the first national Hungarian opera, in Budapest; 1849 — Verdi: opera "La battaglia di Legnano" (The Battle of Legnano), in Rome at the Teatro Argentina; 1874 — Mussorgsky: opera "Boris Godunov", in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 8); 1944 — Paul Creston: Saxophone Concerto, in New York; 1947 — Stravinsky: Concerto in D, in Basle (Switzerland), by the Basle Chamber Orchestra conducted by Paul Sacher (who commissioned the work); 1955 — Tippett: opera "The Midsummer Marriage," in London at the Royal Opera House, with John Pritchard conducting (and soprano Joan Sutherland in the cast); 1967 — Leon Kirchner: Quartet No. 3 for strings and electronic tape, in New York City, by the Beaux Arts Quartet; This work was awarded the 1967 Pulitzer Prize for Music; 1991 — Off-Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical "Assassins."
Tuesday, January 28
Handel vrs. Swift ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: George Frederic Handel (1685 - 1757): Messiah Oregon Bach Festival; Helmuth Rilling, cond. Hännsler 98.198 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Handel's life and works On Jonathan Swift in Ireland ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1791—French opera composer Louis Joseph F. Herold, in Paris; 1898—Italian-American composer Vittorio Rieti, in Alexandria, Egypt; 1944—British composer Sir 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: 1725 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 92 ("Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn") performed on Septuagesimae Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1828 — Schubert: Piano Trio in Bb, Op. 99 (D. 898), at a private performance by Ignaz Schuppanzigh (violin), Josef Linke (cello), and Carl Maria von Bocklet (piano); 1830 — Auber: opera "Fra Diavolo" in Paris at the Opéra-Comique; 1876 — Tchaikovsky: "Serenade mélancolique" for violin and orchestra, in Moscow (Julian date: Jan. 18); 1897 — Glazunov: Symphony No. 5, in London; 1915 — Ravel: Piano Trio in a, in Paris, by Gabriel Wilaume (violin), Louis Feuillard (cello), and Alfredo Casella (piano); 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 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; 1995 — Elinor Armer: “Island Earth” (to a text by Sci-Fi writer Usula K. Le Guin), at the University of California, Berkeley, by the various San Francisco choirs and the Women’s Philharmonic, conducted by JoAnn Falletta; On the same program were the premiere performance’s of Chen Yi’s “Antiphony” for orchestra and Augusta Read Thomas’s “Fantasy” for piano and orchestra (with piano soloist Sara Wolfensohn); 1997 — Morten Lauridsen: “Mid-Winter Songs” (final version) for chorus and orchestra, by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, John Currie conducting; Earlier versions of this work with piano and chamber orchestra accompaniment had premiered in 1981, 1983, and 1985 at various Californian venues; 2000 — André Previn: "Diversions," in Salzburg, Austria, by the Vienna Philharmonic, the composer conducting; Other: 1742—Jonathan Swift, Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin (and the author of "Gulliver's Travels"), objects to the cathedral singers taking part in performances of Handel's works while the composer is in that city (Gregorian date: Feb. 8); Rehearsals for the premiere performance of Handel's "Messiah" would begin in April of that year, involving the choirs of both Christ Church and St. Patrick's Cathedrals in Dublin; 1971—William Bolcom completes his "Poltergeist" Rag (dedicated to Teresa Sterne, a one-time concert pianist who was then a producer for Nonesuch Records); According to the composer's notes, the "Poltergeist" Rag was written "in a converted garage next to a graveyard in Newburgh, N.Y."
Wednesday, January 29
Mozart at his happiest? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Wolfgang Mozart (1756 - 1791): Idomeneo Overture Bavarian Radio Symphony; Sir Colin Davis, cond. Philips 422 537 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Wolfgang Mozart On Mozart's "Idomeneo" ALSO ON THIS DATE: 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 Fritz (Frederick) Delius, in Bradford, Yorkshire; 1876—English composer Havergal Brian, in Dresden, Staffordshire; 1924—Italian composer Luigi Nono, in Venice; Deaths: 1946—British composer Sydney Jones, age 84, in London, age 84; 1962—Austrian composer and violinist Fritz Kreisler, age 86, in New York City; Premieres: 1728 — Gay & Pepusch: ballad-opera, “The Beggar’s Opera,” at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London; This work, mounted by the London impresario John Rich, proved so popular that it was staged 62 times that season; As contemporary wags put it, the wildly successful work “made Gay Rich and Rich Gay&rdquo(Gregorian date: Feb. 9); 1781 — Mozart: opera, "Idomeneo" in Munich at the Hoftheater; 1826 — Schubert: String Quartet in D minor, "Death and the Maiden," as a unrehearsed reading at the Vienna home of Karl and Franz Hacker, two amateur musicians; Schubert, who usually played viola on such occasions, could not perform since he was busy copying out the parts and making last-minute corrections; 1882 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera "The Snow Maiden," in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 10); 1892 — Chadwick: “A Pastoral Prelude,” by the Boston Symphony. Arthur Nikisch conducting; 1916 — Prokofiev: "Scythian" Suite ("Ala and Lolly"), Op. 20, at the Mariinsky Theater in Petrograd, with the composer conducting (Julian date: Jan. 16); 1932 — Gershwin: "Second Rhapsody" for piano and orchestra, in Boston, with the Boston Symphony conducted by Serge Koussevitzky and the composer as soloist; 1936 — Constant Lambert: "Summer's Last Will and Testament" for chorus and orchestra, in London; 1981 — John Williams: first version of Violin Concerto (dedicated to the composer's late wife, actress and singer Barbara Ruick Williams), by Mark Peskanov and the St. Louis Symphony conducted by Leonard Slatkin; Williams subsequently revised this work in 1998; This premiere date is listed (incorrectly) as Jan. 19 in the DG recording featuring Gil Shaham;
Thursday, January 30
Larsen's symphonies ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Libby Larsen (b. 1950): Symphony: Water Music The Minnesota Orchestra/ Sir Neville Marriner, cond. Nonesuch 79147 & Libby Larsen (b. 1950): Solo Symphony Colorado Symphony; Marin Alsop, cond. Koch 7520 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Libby Larsen Libby Larsen on MPR's "The Composer's Voice" ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1697—German composer and flutist Johann Joachim Quantz, in Oberscheden, Hannover; 1861—French-born American composer Charles Martin Loeffler, in Alsace; 1862—German-born American composer and conductor, Walter Damrosch, in Breslau; Deaths: 1963—French composer Francis Poulenc, age 64, in Paris; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 81 ("Jesus schläft, was soll ich hoffen?") performed on the 4th Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1735 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 14 ("Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit") performed in Leipzig on the 4th Sunday after Epiphany; 1892 — Rachmaninoff: “Trio élégiaque” No. 1 in G minor (Gregorian date: Feb. 11); 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; 1920 — ; Frederick Converse: Symphony in c, by the Boston Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting; 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; 1959 — Hindemith: "Pittsburgh Symphony," by the Pittsburgh Symphony, conducted by the composer; 1970 — William Schuman: "In Praise of Shahn," in New York; 1985 — Libby Larsen: Symphony ("Water Music"), by the Minnesota Orchestra, Sir Neville Marriner conducting.
Friday, January 31
Maslanka for winds ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: David Maslanka (b. 1943): Wind Quintet No. 2 Manhattan Wind Quintet Albany 246 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On David Maslanka ALSO ON THIS DATE: 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: 1727 — Handel: opera "Admeto" in London at the Haymarket Theater in London; This premiere was scheduled for earlier in the month, but was delayed awaiting the arrival in London of the Italian castrato Senesino, who was recovering from an illness (Gregorian date: Feb. 11); 1925 — Vladimir Dukelsky(a.k.a. Vernon Duke): ballet "Zéphir et Flore" in Paris; 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; 1959 — Martinu: “Fantasia concertante” for piano and orchestra, in Berlin, with Margrit Weber the soloist; 1986 — Joan Tower: Piano Concerto ("Homage to Beethoven"), by the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra conducted by Imre Pallo, with piano soloist Jacquelyn M. Helin; 1987 — David Maslanka: Wind Quintet No. 2 at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in New York, by the Manhattan Quintet.
Saturday, February 1
The Tales of Offenbach? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Jacques Offenbach (1819 - 1880): Tales of Hoffmann Suite Detroit Symphony; Paul Paray, cond. Mercury 434 332 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Offenbach On the different versions of "The Tales of Hoffmann" ALSO ON THIS DATE: 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; 1869—Russian composer and violinist Julius Conus ((Yuly Konyus), in Moscow; Under the Julian "Old Style" calendar still in use in Russia in that year, this date would be listed as Jan. 20; 1907—Hungarian-born Swiss composer Sándor Veress, in Kolozsvár; 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: 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; 1947 — Hindemith: "Sinfonia Serena" by the Dallas Symphony, Antal Dorati conducting; 1982 — Tobias Picker: Violin Concerto, by the American Composers Orchestra, Paul Dunkel conducting, with Rolf Schulte the soloist; 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 Hance Felty and the ensemble Collage, Gunther Schuller conducting; The original voice and piano version of this work premiered in Boston on Nov. 15, 1983; 1996 — George Walker: "Lilacs" for voice and orchestra, by soprano Faye Robinson and the Boston Symphony, Seiji Ozawa conducting; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music; 2002 — Michael Torke: "An American Abroad" for orchestra, in Edinburgh, Scotland, by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Marin Alsop conducting; Other: 1881—After a private performance of the late Jacques Offenbach's final work, "The Tales of Hoffmann," at the Opéra Comique in Paris, runs longer than anticipated, extensive cuts and alterations are made to the score before its first public staging. 1862—American premiere of Brahms's Serenade No. 2 in A, at Irving Hall in New York, by the New York Philharmonic, Carl Bergmann conducting; The world premiere performance of this work had occurred in Hamburg, Germany, on Feb. 10, 1860, with the composer conducting; 1864 —First documented American performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto, at Milwaukee's Music Hall, by the Musical Society under Frederick Abel, with three unnamed soloists;
Sunday, February 2
Maxwell Davies tackles the Symphony ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): Symphony No. 1 Berlin Philharmonic; Herbert von Karajan, cond. DG 447 408 & Peter Maxwell Davies (b. 1934): Symphony No. 1 BBC Philharmonic; Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, cond. Collins Classics 14352 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Sir Peter Maxwell Davies On traditional symphonic form ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1669—French composer and organist Louis Marchand, in Lyons; 1813—Russian composer Alexander Dargomizhsky (Gregorian date: Feb. 14); 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 68, in Rome; 1789—French composer, organist and harpsichordist Armand-Louis Couperin, age 61, in Paris; 1934—Brazilian composer and pianist Ernesto Nazareth, age 70, in Rio de Janeiro; 1974—Belgian composer Jean Absil, age 80, in Brussels; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 83 ("Erfreute Zeit im neuen Bunde") performed on the Feast of the Purification as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1725 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 125 ("Mit Fried und Frued ich fahr dahin") performed on the Feast of the Purification as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1795 — Haydn: Symphony No. 102, in London at the King's Theater, with the composer conducting; 1884 — Loeffler: "Fantastic Concerto," by the Boston Symphony, Emil Paur conducting; 1890 — Dvorák: Symphony No. 8, Op. 88, in Prague, with the composer conducting; 1900 — Chadwick: "Adonais" (Elegiac Overture), by the Boston Symphony, Wilhelm Gericke 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; 1978 — Peter Maxwell Davies: Symphony No. 1, in London at Royal Festival Hall, by the Philharmonia Orchestra, Simon Rattle conducting. |
