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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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April 24-30, 2006
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Monday, April 24
A Hymn by Paulus ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Stephen Paulus (b. 1949): Pilgrims' Hymn, from The Three Hermits Dale Warland Singers American Choral Catalog 123 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Stephen Paulus ALSO ON THIS DATE: Deaths: 1921—Dutch composer Alfons Diepenbrock, age 58, in Amsterdam; 1948—Mexican composer Manuel Ponce, age 65, in Mexico City; 1998—American composer Mel Powell, age 75, in Sherman Oaks, Calif.; He won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1990; Premieres: 1742 — Handel: oratorio, "Messiah" (Julian date: April 13); 1801 — Haydn: oratorio "The Seasons," in Vienna; 1950 — Bernstein: incidental music "Peter Pan" (play by J.M. Barrie) at the Imperial Theater in New York City, conducted by Ben Steinberg; 1957 — Ives: String Quartet No. 1, in New York City (This music was completed in 1896); 1988 — Anthony Davis: "Notes from the Underground" (dedicated to Ralph Ellison), at Carnegie Hall in New York by the American Composers Orchestra, Paul Lustig Dunkel conducting; 1990 — Bright Sheng: "Four Movemenets" for piano trio, at Alice Tully Hall in New York City , by The Peabody Trio; 1992 — Joan Tower: Violin Concerto, with soloist Elmar Oliveira and the Utah Symphony, Joseph Silverstein conducting; 1997 — Stephen Paulus: opera "The Three Hermits," at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, Minn., with Thomas Lancaster conducting;
Tuesday, April 25
Beethoven waits for Liszt ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886): Reminiscences de Robert le Diable Leslie Howard, piano Hyperion 66861 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Franz Liszt ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1690—Baptismal date of German composer and organist Gottlieb Muffat, in Pasau; He was the son of German composer Georg Muffat (1653-1704); 1840—Russian composer Pyotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky (Gregorian date: May 5); Deaths: 1906—American composer John Knowles Paine, age 67, in Cambridge, Mass.; At Harvard, he created the first Music Department of any American university, and was the teacher there of a number of other American composers, including John Alden Carpenter, Arthur Foote, E.B. Hill, F.S. Converse, and D.G. Mason; Premieres: 1881 — Gilbert Sullivan: operetta "Patience," in London; 1918 — Schreker: opera "Die Gezeichneten" (The Branded), in Frankfurt at the Opernhaus; 1926 — Puccini: opera "Turandot," in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala, with Arturo Toscanini conducting; The final scene of this opera, left unfinished at the time of Puccini's death, was completed by Alfano; 1929 — Roussel: "Psalm 80" for tenor, chorus and orchestra, in Paris; 1931 — Prokofiev: String Quartet No. 1 in b, Op. 50, at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, by the Brosa Quartet; 1963 — Hindemith: Organ Concerto, for a jubilee concert of the New York Philharmonic, with the composer conducting and Anton Heiller the soloist; 1980 — Rochberg: "Octet - A Grand Fantasia," at Alice Tully Hall, by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; 1999 — André Previn: Bassoon Sonata, in New York, with Nancy Goeres and the composer at the piano; Other: 1841—At a fund-raising concert in Paris for the Beethoven monument to be erected in Bonn, Franz Liszt performs Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto with Berlioz conducting; Richard Wagner reviews the concert for the Dresden Abendzeitung; The following day, Chopin gives one of his rare recitals at the Salle Pleyel, and Liszt writes a long and glowing review for the Parisian Gazette Musicale; 1865—Pope Pius IX confers on composer Franz Liszt the title of "Abbé".
Wednesday, April 26
Gabrieli and Harbison ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Giovanni Gabrieli (1553 - 1612): Canzon Duodecimi Toni No. 2 London Symphony Brass; Eric Crees, cond. Naxos 8.554129 & John Harbison (b. 1938): Concerto for Double Brass Choir and Orchestra Los Angeles Philharmonic; Andre Previn, cond. New World 80395 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On John Harbison ALSO ON THIS DATE: Deaths: 1951—American composer John Alden Carpenter, age 75, in Chicago; 1991—French-born American composer and arranger Leo (Noël) Arnaud, age 86, in Los Angeles; His tune "Bugler's Dream" (written for a Felix Slatkin LP) became used as a familiar theme for the Olympic Games; Premieres: 1738 — Handel: opera "Serse," (Julian date: April 15); 1899 — first version of Sibelius: Symphony No. 1, by the Helsinki Philharmonic, with the composer conducting; A revised, final version of this symphony was performed by the same orchestra on tour in Stockholm on July 4, 1900, conducted by Robert Kajanus; 1915 — Hindemith: String Quartet No. 1 in C, Op. 2, at Dr. Hoch's Conservatory in Frankfurt; 1959 — John Cage: "Fontana Mix," in New York City; 1965 — Ives: Symphony No. 4, at Carnegie Hall by the American Symphony Orchestra, with Leopold Stokowski (assisted by David Katz and José Serebrier); 1970 — Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical 'Company"; A trial-run in Boston preceded the Broadway premiere; 1990 — John Harbison: Concerto for Double Brass Choir and Orchestra, in Los Angeles, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, André Previn conducting; 2002 — Michael Hersch: Symphony No. 2, by the Pittsburgh Symphony, Mariss Jansons conducting; Other: 1891—Tchaikovsky arrives in New York to take part in the May 5, 1891, opening concert at New York's newly-constructed "Music Hall"(later known as "Carnegie Hall”). 1926—American premiere of Monteverdi's 1642 opera "L'Incoronazione di Poppea" (The Coronation of Poppea), at Smith College in Northampton, Mass.
Thursday, April 27
Stravinsky goes dancing ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971): Apollon musagete Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, cond. London 448 142 & Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971): Jeu de Cartes Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, cond. Chandos 9014 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Igor Stravinsky On George Balanchine ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1812—German opera composer Friedrich von Flotow, in Toitendorf (Teutendorf) estate, near Neu-Sanitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin; 1894—Russian-born America composer and famous musical lexicographer Nicolas Slonimsky, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: April 15); Deaths: 1871—German composer and piano virtuoso Sigismond Thalberg, age 59, in Posillipo, Italy; 1915—Russian composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin, age 43, in Moscow (Julian date: April 14); 1992—French composer, organist and teacher Olivier Messiaen, age 83, in Paris; Premieres: 1720 — Handel: opera "Radamisto" (1st version), in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket, during the first season of operas presented by the Royal Academy of Music (Gregorian date: May 8); The performance is attended by King George I and the Prince of Wales (Handel dedicates the score to the King); The singer Margherita Dursastanti appears in a Handel work for the first time in London; 1735 — Handel: opera "Alcina" (Julian date: April 16); 1736 — Handel: anthem "Sing unto God," in London at the German Chapel of St. James's Palace, during the wedding of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Augusta, Princess of Saxe-Gotha (Gregorian date: May 8); 1749 — Handel: "Music for the Royal Fireworks" performed during fireworks display in London (Gregorian date: May 8); 1867 — Gounod: opera "Romeo and Juliet," in Paris at the Théatre-Lyrique; 1877 — Massenet: opera "Le Roi de Lahore" (The King of Lahore"), in Paris; 1893 — Rachmaninoff: opera "Aleko," in Moscow (Gregorian date: May 9); 1907 — Stravinsky: Symphony in Eb, at a private performance in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: May 10); The first public performance took place in St. Petersburg on January 23, 1908, conducted by F. Blumenfield (Gregorian date: Feb 5); 1927 — Weinberger: opera "Schwanda the Bagpiper," in Prague at the National Theater; 1928 — Stravinsky: ballet, "Apollon musagète," in Washington, D.C., choreographed by Adolf Bohm; The European premiere of this ballet occurred on June 12 in Paris, choreographed by Georges Balanchine; 1937 — Stravinsky: ballet, "Jeu de cartes" (Card Game), by the American Ballet at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, with the composer conducting; This work was part of a Stravinsky-Balanchine matinée consisting of "Apollon musagète," "Le Baiser de la fée," and the premiere of "Jeu de cartes"; 1987 — Daniel Pinkham: Sonata No. 3 for Organ and Strings, at St. Peter's Church in Osterville, Mass., by organist Richard Benefield, with a string quartet conducted by the composer; 1992 — George Tsontakis: "Perpertual Angelus" (No. 2 of "Four Symphonic Quartets" after poems by T.S. Eliot), by the Tuscaloosa Symphony, Ransom Wilson conducting;
Friday, April 28
Meyerbeer's "African Maid" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791 – 1864): O paradis, from L'Africaine Ben Heppner, tenor; London Symphony; Myung-Whun Chung, cond. DG 471 372 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Meyerbeer and his operas ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1892—American folksinger and folksong collector John Jacob Niles, in Louisville, Ky.; Premieres: 1865 — Meyerbeer: opera "L'Africaine" (The African Woman), at the Paris Opéra; 1892 — Dvorák: "In Nature's Realm" Overture, Op. 91, in Prague; 1892 — Sibelius: symphonic poem/oratorio "Kullervo" for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, in Helsinki, with the composer conducting; 1928 — Cowell: "Sinfonietta," in Boston, Nicholas Slonimsky conducting; 1938 — Diamond: "Elegy in Memory of Maurice Ravel," in Rochester, N.Y. 1948 — Stravinsky: ballet "Orpheus," by the American Society in New York City; 1966 — Douglas Moore: opera "Carrie Nation," in Lawrence, Kan.; 1981 — John Williams: "Pops on the March" by the Boston Pops with the composer conducting. 2005 — Arne Nordheim: “Fonos” for trombone and orchestra, in Bergen, Norway, by the Bergen Philharmonic.
Saturday, April 29
Irving Berlin ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Irving Berlin (1888 – 1989): That Mesmerizing Mendelssohn Tune The Chrysanthemum Ragtime Band Omega 3011 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Irving Berlin ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1879—British conductor and occasional orchestrator-arranger of Handel scores, Sir Thomas Beecham, in St. Helens (near Liverpool); 1855—Russian composer Anatoly Liadov (Gregorian date: May 11); 1888—American popular song composer Irving Berlin (Isidore Balin) (Gregorian date: May 11); 1885—American composer Wallingford Riegger, in Albany, Ga.; 1899—American composer and jazz band leader, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, in Washington, D.C.; 1920—American composer Harold Shapero, in Lynn, Mass.; 1929—Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe, in Launeceston; Deaths: 1712—Spanish composer and organist Juan Bautista José (Juan Bautista Josep; Joan) Cabanilles (Cavanilles, Cabanillas, Cavanillas), age c. 67, in Valencia; Premieres: 1784 — Mozart: Violin Sonata in Bb, K. 454, at Vienna's Kärtnertor Theater in the presence of Emperor Joseph II, with the composer at the piano with Italian violinist Regina Strinasacchi; Mozart also performed one of his Piano Concertos, possibly the premiere performance of the Concerto No. 17 in G, K. 453 (see also June 13, 1784); 1798 — Haydn: oratorio "The Creation" at a private performance in Vienna at Schwarzenbgerg Palace; The first public performance occurred n March 19, 1799 (Haydn's nameday); 1927 — Vladimir Dukelsky (Vernon Duke): "Zephyr et Flore"ballet suite, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1928 — Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 9, in Moscow; 1929 — Prokofiev: opera "The Gambler" (sung in French) in Brussels; 1962 — Stravinsky: "Eight Instrumental Miniatures" (based on his "Five Fingers" of 1921), in Toronto by the CBC Symphony conducted by the composer; 1980 — John Williams: "The Reivers " (Suite for narrator and orchestra) with a William Faulkner, as part of the first concert Williams conducted as music director of the Boston Pops, with Burgess Meredith as narrator; 1988 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Strathclyde Concerto" No. 1 for oboe and orchestra, at Glasgow's City Hall, by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer, with soloist Robin Miller; 1990 — Philip Glass: chamber opera "Hydrogen Jukebox" (to poems by Allen Ginsberg), by the Philip Glass ensemble conducted by Martin Goldray, in a concert version presented at the American Music Theater Festival in Philadelphia; A staged production was presented at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C,, on May 26, 1990; 1993 — Michael Torke: "Run" for orchestra, by the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Slatkin conducting; Other: 1906—Victor Herbert conducts a benefit concert at the Hippodrome in New York City for victims of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; 1969—On his 70th birthday, Duke Ellington receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House from then-President Richard Nixon.
Sunday, April 30
Zwilich anniversaries ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (b. 1939): Symphony No. 1 Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra; John Nelson, cond. New World 336 & Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (b. 1939): Bass Trombone Concerto Charles Vernon, Bass Trombone; MSU Symphony; Leon Gregorian, cond. Koch 7487 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Ellen Taaffe Zwilich ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1870—Hungarian-born Austrian composer Franz Léhar, in Komorn; 1939—American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, in Miami, Fla.; She was the first female composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music (in 1983 for her Symphony No. 1); Premieres: 1728 — Handel: opera "Tolomeo, re d'Egitto" (Ptolomy, King of Egypt), in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: May 11); 1855 — Berlioz: "Te Deum," at the church of St. Eustache in Paris; 1902 — Debussy: opera "Pelléas and Mélisande," in Paris at the Opéra-Comique; 1925 — Hindemith: "Kammermusik" No. 3, Op. 36, no. 2, in Bochum, Germany, conducted by the composer with Rudolf Hindemith the cello soloist; 1934 — Stravinsky: opera "Persephone," at the Paris Opéra, with Ida Rubinsetin in the principal role (spoken part) and the composer conducting; 1973 — Lou Harrison: Concerto for Organ, at San Jose State University, with organist Philip Simpson; 1991 — Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Bass Trombone Concerto, by soloist Charles Vernon with the Chicago Symphony, Daniel Barenboim conducting; 1994 — John Harbison: String Quartet No. 3, at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., by the Lydian String Quartet; Other: 1932—Opening of the first "Yaddo" Festival of Contemporary Music at Saratoga Springs, N.Y. |
