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February 2-8, 2004
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Monday, February 2
Kriesler in the style of Kreisler ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Fritz Kreisler (1875 — 1962): Violin Concerto (in the style of Vivaldi) Gil Shaham, violin; Orpheus Chamber Orchestra DG 439933 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Fritz Kreisler discographies and fan sites Kresiler's "Four Weeks in the Trenches" (WWI memoirs) 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.
Tuesday, February 3
Palestrina by Palestrina (and Pfiztner) ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525 — 1594): Pope Marcellus Mass Voices of Ascension; Dennis Keane, cond. Delos 3210 & Hans Pfitzner (1869 — 1949): Palestrina Berlin State Orchestra; Otmar Suitner, cond. Berlin Classics 1001 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Palestrina More on Palestrina ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1525—earliest possible birth date for the Italian composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, who was probably born between February 3, 1525 and February 2, 1526, most likely at Palestrina (near Rome); 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; 1910—Mexican composer Blas Galindo Dimas, in San Gabriel, Jalisco; 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, by the Hellmesberger Sextet; This work had received some informal performances in Zürich the preceding year; 1868 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 15); 1884 — Tchaikovsky: opera “Mazeppa” in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 15); 1894 — Glazunov: Symphony No. 4, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan. 22); 1945 — Stravinsky: "Scènes de ballet," in New York City by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by the composer; This work was commissioned by Broadway impresario Billy Rose for a 1944 revue titled "The Seven Lively Arts"; 1956 — Elie Siegmeister: Clarinet Concerto, in Oklahoma City; 1989 — Michael Torke: "Ash," in St. Paul, Minn., by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, John Adams conducting; 2002 — Philip Glass: Symphony No. 6, at Carnegie Hall, by the American Composers Orchestra conducted by Dennis Russell Davies.
Wednesday, February 4
A Hovhaness premiere ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Alan Hovhaness (1911 - 2000): Lousadzak Keith Jarrett, piano; American Composers Orcehstra; Dennis Russell Davies, cond. MusicMasters 60204 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Hovhaness ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1740—Swedish song composer Carl Michael Bellman, in Stockholm; 1892—Finnish song composer Yrjo Kilpinen, in Helsingfors; 1893—American composer Bernard Rogers, in New York; Deaths: 1781—Bohemian-born composer Josef Mysliveczek, age 43, in Rome; 1997—American composer Ross Lee Finney, age 90, in Carmel, Calif.; 2001—Romanian born, Greek-French composer and architectural engineer Iannis Xenakis, age 78, in Paris; Premieres: 1725 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 126 ("Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort") performed on Sexagesimae Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1884 — Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 2, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 16); 1908 — First public performance of Stravinsky: Symphony in Eb in St. Petersburg, conducted by Felix Blumenfeld (Julian date: Jan. 22); A private performance of two movements of this symphony had occurred on April 14/27, 1907, also in St. Petersburg; 1945 — Hovhaness: "Lousadzek" (Coming of Light) for piano and strings, in Boston, with the composer conducting from the piano; Other: 1837—Franz Liszt performs a chamber recital in Paris, featuring the then-unfamiliar Piano Trios of Beethoven; At the last minute, the performers decided to reverse the printed order of the program, performing on the first half of the concert a trio by Pixis, and a Beethoven trio on the second half; The audience (and critics) warmly applaud the Pixis, mistakenly thinking it was the Beethoven work, and react coolly to the Beethoven, assuming it was by Pixis; Among the critics, only Berlioz notices the program switch. 1854—First documented American performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G, at Boston's Odeon by the Germania Musical Society conducted by Carl Bergmann, with Robert Heller the soloist; 1887—American premiere of Bruckner: Symphony No. 7, by the Boston Symphony, Wilhelm Gericke conducting;
Thursday, February 5
Schoenberg hissed ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Arnold Schoenberg (1874 — 1951): String Quartet No 1, Op 7 Kolisch Quartet Music & Arts 1056 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Arnold Schoenberg ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1810—Norwegian composer and violinist Ole Bull, in Bergen; 1909—Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz, in Lódz; 1943—French-American composer Ivan Tcherepnin, in Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris; Deaths: 1907—German composer Ludwig Thuille, age 45, in Munich; 1962—French composer Jacques Ibert, age 71, in Paris; Premieres: 1887 — Verdi: opera "Otello," in Milan at the Teatro all Scala, with composer conducting (and cellist Arturo Toscanini in the orchestra); 1895 — Ippolitov-Ivanov: “Caucasian Sketches,” in Moscow, with the composer conducting; Under the Julian “Old Style” calendar still in use in Russia in that year, this same premiere date would be listed as Jan. 24; 1907 — Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 1 in d, Op. 7, in Vienna, by the Rosé Quartet; 1939 — Carl Orff: opera "Der Mond" (The Moon), in Munich at the Nationaltheater; 1958 — Tippett: Symphony No. 2, in London, by the BBC Symphony, with Sir Adrian Boult conducting; 1969 — Thea Musgrave: Clarinet Concerto, in London; 1970 — Elliott Carter: "Concerto for Orchestra" by the New York Philharmonic, Pierre Boulez conducting; 1995 — Olly Wilson: "Shango Memory" for orchestra, by the New York Philharmonic, Neeme Järvi conducting; 2000 — Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Symphony No. 4 ("The Gardens"), for chorus, children's chorus and orchestra, by Michigan State University ensembles conducted by Leon Gregorian. Other: 1875—American premiere of J.S. Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, with the Theodore Thomas Orchestra and soloists S.E. Jacobsohn and Richard Arnold; The same performers also gave the New York City premiere at Steinway Hall the following day; Following a Dec. 10, 1881, New York Philharmonic performance under Thomas with the same soloists, the New York Times reviewer wrote: "The concert possesses no interest to anyone but a violinist and even for a musically disposed audience is not a felicitous selection."
Friday, February 6
Rossini's first big hit ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Mauro Giuliani (1781 — 1829): Tancredi Variations, Op. 87 Ricardo Gallén, guitar Naxos 8.555284 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Brief biography (with some great quotes) A list of Rossini's operas and Rossini on food (a passion that outlasted opera) ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1941—American composer Stephen Albert, in New York; Deaths: 1497—Flemish composer Johannes Ockeghem, age c. 76, in Tours; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 144 ("Nimm, was dein ist, und gehe hin") performed on Septuagesimae Sunday as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1727 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 157 ("Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich denn") for a funeral service in Leipzig; 1813 — Rossini: opera "Tancredi," in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice; 1851 — R. Schumann: Symphony No. 3 ("Rhenish"), in Düsseldorf, conducted by the composer; 1930 — Roussel: "Petite Suite" for orchestra, in Paris; 1933 — Henry Brant: "Angels and Devils" for solo flute and flute ensemble, at a Pan-American Association of Composers concert at Carnegie Chapter Hall in New York City, with the famous French-born flautist Georges Barrère as the soloist; On the same program, Brant accompanied soprano Judith Litante at the piano in the premiere performances of three songs by Charles Ives: "Afterglow," "Ann Street," and "Like a Sick Eagle"; 1941 — Hindemith: Cello Concerto, at the Sanders Theater (Cambridge, Mass.) by the Boston Symphony conducted by Serge Koussevitzky, with Gregor Piatigorsky the soloist; 1944 — Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, by the NBC Symphony conducted by Leopold Stokowski, with Eduard Steuermann as soloist; 1959 — Poulenc: opera "La voix humaine" (The Human Voice), in Paris at the Opéra Comique; 1976 — John La Montaine: opera "Be Glad, Then, America," at University Park, Pa.; 1996 — Stephen Paulus: "Dramatic Suite," for flute, viola, cello and piano, in St. Cloud, Minn., by members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; Other: 1838—Mendelssohn finishes his String Quartet in Eb, Op. 44, no. 3.
Saturday, February 7
Zwilich times Three ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ellen Taafe Zwilich (b. 1939): Triple Concerto Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio; Florida State University; Michael Stern, cond. Koch 7537 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Ellen Taaffe Zwilich More on Zwilich ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1871—Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar, in Stockholm; 1883—American jazz pianist and song composer Eubie Blake, in Baltimore; 1897—American composer Quincy Porter, in New Haven, Conn.; 1925—Rumanian-born French composer Marius Constant, in Bucharest; Deaths: 1652—Italian composer and Papal Chapel singer Gregorio Allegri, age .c 70, in Rome; 1779—English composer and organist William Boyce, age 67, in Kensington; Premieres: 1733 — Handel: opera “Orlando” in London (Julian date: Jan.27); 1786 — Mozart: opera "Der Schauspieldirektor" (The Impressario), in Vienna at the Orangerie at Schönbrunn; 1792 — Cimarosa: opera "Il Matrimonio segreto" (The Secret Marriage), in Vienna at the Burgtheater; 1873 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 (“Little Russian”), in Moscow (Julian date: Jan. 26); 1875 — Lalo: "Symphonie espagnole" for Violin and Orchestra, in Paris, Edouard Colonne conducting, with Pablo de Sarasate the soloist; 1882 — Borodin: String Quartet No. 2 in D, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan.26); 1893 — Brahms: Capriccio in d, No. 7 from "Fantasies" for Piano, Op. 116, in Vienna; 1908 — Chadwick: "Symphonic Sketches," by the Boston Symphony, with Karl Muck conducting; 1907 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera “Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh,” in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 20); 1922 — Stenhammar: incidental music for Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," at the Lorensberg Theater in Gothenburg, Sweden; 1931 — Deems Taylor: opera "Peter Ibbetson" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York; 1941 — first public performance of Barber: Violin Concerto, by Philadelphia Orchestra, with Eugene Ormandy conducting and Albert Spalding the soloist; 1941 — Hindemith: Cello Concerto, Op. 7, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting with Gregor Piatigorsky the soloist; 1957 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 7 (arr. Bogatiiryov), in Moscow; This arrangement uses sketches for Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 3 and for another unfinished work for piano and orchestra as the basis for a "new" symphonic work by the late composer; 1964 — Sessions: Symphony No. 5, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1988 — Tan Dun: "Out of Peking Opera" for violin and orchestra, at Lincoln Center, with soloist Vera Weiling Tsu and the New York City Symphony, David Eaton conducting; 1996 — Zwilich: Triple Concerto for violin, cello, piano and orchestra, by the Minnesota Orchestra, Zdenek Macal conducting, with the Kalichstein/Laredo/Robinson Trio as the soloists; Other: 1973—On his 90th birthday, Jazz pianist and song composer Eubie Blake, the son of former slaves, is honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
Sunday, February 8
Harrison's Symphony "on" G ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Lou Harrison (1917 — 2003): Symphony on G Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Gerhard Samuel, cond. CRI 715 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Lou Harrison More on Harrison The "American Mavericks" interview with Lou Harrison (audio version also available) ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1741—Belgian-born French composer André Grétry, in Liège; 1932—American composer and conductor John Williams, in New York City; Deaths: 1709—Italian composer Giuseppe Torelli, age 50, in Bologna; 1909—Polish composer Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, age 32, near Zakopane, Tatra Mountains; Premieres: 1874 — Mussorgsky: opera “Boris Godunov”, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, with bass Ivan Melnikov in the title role, and Eduard Napravnik conducting; This was the composer’s own revised, nine-scene version of the opera, which originally consisted of just seven scenes (Julian date: Jan.27); 1897 — Kalinnikov: Symphony No. 1 (Gregorian date: Feb. 20); 1904 — Sibelius: Violin Concerto (first version), in Helsinki, by the Helsingsfors Philharmonic conducted by the composer, with Victor Novácek as soloist; The revised and final version of this concerto premiered in Berlin on October 19, 1905, conducted by Richard Strauss and with Karl Halir the soloist; 1907 — Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 in Vienna, with the Rosé Quartet and members of the Vienna Philharmonic; 1908 — Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in St. Petersburg, with the composer conducting (Julian date: Jan. 26); 1909 — Liadov: “Enchanted Lake” (Gregorian date: Feb. 21); 1910 — Webern: Five Movements, Op. 5, for string quartet, in Vienna; 1925 — Cowell: "Ensemble" (original version for strings and 3 "thunder-sticks"), at a concert sponsored by the International Composers' Guild at Aeolian Hall in New York, by an ensemble led by Vladimir Shavitch that featured the composer and two colleagues on "thunder-sticks" (an American Indian instrument also known as the "bull-roarer"); Also on program was the premiere of William Grant Still's "From the Land of Dreams" for three voices and chamber orchestra (his first concert work, now lost, dedicated to his teacher, Edgard Varèse); 1925 — Miaskovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 7, in Moscow; 1934 — Virgil Thomson: opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" (libretto by Gertrude Stein), in Hartford, Conn.; 1942 — Stravinsky: "Danses concertantes," by the Werner Janssen Orchestra of Los Angeles, with the composer conducting; 1946 — Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3 (completed by Tibor Serly after the composer's death), by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting and György Sándor as the soloist; 1959 — Elie Siegmeister: Symphony No. 3, in Oklahoma City; 1963 — Benjamin Lees: Violin Concerto, by the Boston Symphony, with Erich Leinsdorf conducting and Henryk Szeryng the soloist; 1966 — Lou Harrison: "Symphony on G" (revised version), at the Cabrillo Music Festival by the Oakland Symphony, Gerhard Samuel condicting; 1973 — Crumb: "Makrokosmos I" for amplified piano, in New York; 1985 — Earle Brown: "Tracer," for six instruments and four-track tape, in Berlin; 1986 — Daniel Pinkham: Symphony No. 3, by the Plymouth (Mass.) Philharmonic, Rudolf Schlegel conducting; 2001 — Sierra: "Concerto for Orchestra," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting; Other: 1875—American composer Edward MacDowell admitted to the Paris Conservatory; 1877—German-born (and later American) composer Charles Martin Loeffler admitted to the Paris Conservatory; 1880—German opera composer Richard Wagner writes a letter to his American dentist, Dr. Newell Still Jenkins, stating "I do no regard it as impossible that I decide to emigrate forever to America with my latest work ["Parsifal"] and my entire family" if the Americans would subsidize him to the tune of one million dollars. |
