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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.  |
November 20-26, 2006
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Monday, November 20
Meredith Monk ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Meredith Monk (b. 1942): Atlas Meredith Monk Ensemble; Wayne Hankin, cond. ECM 1491 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Meredith Monk ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1873—American composer Daniel Gregory Mason, in Brookline, Massachusetts; 1942—American composer and singer Meredith (Jane) Monk, in Lima, Peru; Deaths: 1518—French-Flemish composer Pierre de la Rue, age ca. 66, in Courtrai (Kortrijk); 1758—Swedish composer Johan Helmich Roman, age, near Kalmar; 1894—Russian composer Anton Rubinstein, age 64, in age 64; Peterhof (now Petrodvorets), near St. Petersburg (Julian date: Nov. 8); 1927—Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar, age 56, in Stockholm; 1950—Italian opera composer Francesco Cilea, age 84, in d'Varazze, near Savona; Premieres: 1805 — Beethoven: opera "Fidelio" (1st version, with the "Leonore" Overture No. 2), in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien; 1866 — Brahms: String Sextet in G, Op. 36, in Zürich, Swizterland (European premiere); The Brahms biographer and scholar Jan Swafford says the work's world premiere public performance occurred a few days earlier in Boston, at a concert by the Mendelssohn Quintet Club on November 11 that same year; 1889 — Mahler: Symphony No. 1, by the Budapest Philharmonic, with the composer conducting; 1891 — Loeffler: “Les Veilees d l’Ukraine” Suite, by the Boston Symphony, Arthur Nikisch conducting; 1911 — Mahler: "Das Lied von der Erde"(posthumously) in Munich, conductor Bruno Walter; 1925 — Copland: "Music for the Theatre," by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1949 — Vaughan Williams: "An Oxford Elegy," in Dorking; 1952 — Roy Harris: Symphony No. 7 (first version), by the Chicago Symphony, with Rafael Kubelik conducting; 1964 — Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 9 and 10, in Moscow, by the Beethoven Quartet; 1986 — Michael Torke: “Green,” by the Milwaukee Symphony, Lukas Foss conducting; 1987 — John Harbison: String Quartet No. 2, at Jordan Hall in Boston, by the Emerson String Quartet;
Tuesday, November 21
Harbison’s “Flight into Egypt” ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Harbison (b. 1938): Flight into Egypt The Cantata Singers and Ensemble; David Hoose, cond. New World 80395 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On John Harbison ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1852—Spanish guitarist and composer Francisco Tárrega, in Villarreal, Castellon; 1877—German composer and organist Sigfrid Karg-Elert, in Oberndorf-am-Neckar; 1931—Australian composer Malcolm Williamson, in Sydney; Deaths: 1695—English composer Henry Purcell, age 36, in Westminster, London; 1710—Italian composer Bernardo Pasquini, age 72, in Rome; 1938—Polish-born American piano virtuoso and composer Leopold Godowsky, age 68, in New York City; 1974—Swiss composer Frank Martin, age 84, in Naarden, Holland; Premieres: 1723 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 70 ("Wachet! Betet! Betet! Wachet!") performed on the 26th Sunday after Trinity as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1831 — Meyerbeer: opera, "Robert le Diable," at the Paris Opéra; 1896 — Dvorák: symphonic poem "The Noonday Witch," Op. 108, in London; 1901 — R. Strauss: opera "Feuersnot" (Fire Famine), in Dresden at the Hofoper, conducted by Ernst von Schuch; 1935 — Stravinsky: Concerto for Two Pianos, the composer and his son as soloists; 1937 — Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5, by Leningrad Philharmonic, Yevgeny Mravinsky conducting; 1939 — Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6, by Leningrad Philharmonic, Yevgeny Mravinsky conducting; 1941 — Hindemith: Symphony in Eb, by the Minneapolis Symphony, Dimtri Mitropoulos conducting; 1945 — Britten: String Quartet No. 2 in C, Op. 36, in London, by the Zorian Quartet; 1947 — Persichetti: Symphony No. 3, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1974 — Peter Mennin: Symphony No. 8, Daniel Barenboim conducting New York Philharmonic; 1984 — Gunther Schuller: "Concerto Quarterino" for flute, oboe, trumpet & orchestra, Zubin Mehta conducting New York Philharmonic, which commissioned it; 1986 — John Harbison: cantata "The Flight into Egypt," at the New England Conservatory of Music, with soprano Lorraine Hunt, baritone John Osborne, and the Camerata Singers, David Hoose conducting; This work won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1987; 1989 — Michael Torke: “Rust” for piano and winds, at the Huddersfield (U.K.) Contemporary Music Festival, by the Orkest de Volharding; 1996 — George Perle: "Transcendental Modulations," Jahja Ling conducting New York Philharmonic, a 150th anniversary commission;
Wednesday, November 22
(St. Cecilia's Day)
Music for St. Cecilia’s Day ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695): Hail Bright Cecilia! Gabrieli Consort; Paul McCreesh Archiv 445 882 & George Frederic Handel (1685 – 1759): Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day The English Concert and Choir; Trevor Pinnock, cond. Archiv 419 220 & Benjamin Britten (1913 –1976): Hymn to St. Cecilia The London Sinfonietta Voices Virgin 90728 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More on St. Cecelia’s Day ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1709—Baptism of Bohemian composer Frantisek Benda, in Staré Benátky; In 1763 Benda wrote his autobiography, an important source of information on music and musicians of the period; 1710—German composer Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (eldest son of J. S.), in Weimar; 1780—German composer Conradin Kreutzer, in Messkirch, Baden; 1899—American pianist and songwriter Hoagy Carmichael, in Bloomington, Ind.; 1901—Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo, in Sagunto; 1913—English composer Benjamin Britten, in Lowestoft, Suffolk; 1925—American composer, conductor, professional French horn player, and author Gunther Schuller, in New York; 1936—German composer and conductor Hans Zender, in Wiesbaden; Deaths: 1900—English composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, in London, age 58; 1955—French composer Guy Ropartz, age 91, in Lanloup; Premieres: 1712 — Handel: opera “Il pastor fido,” at the Queen’s Theater in London (Gregorian date: Dec. 3); 1727 — Handel: opera “Riccardo Primo” in London (see Julian date: Nov. 11); 1739 — Handel: “Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day,” in London at Lincoln’s Inn Field (Gregorian date: Dec. 3); 1740 — Handel: opera “Imeneo” in London at Lincoln’s Inn Fields (Gregorian date: Dec. 3) ; This work was billed as an “operetta”; 1872 — Dvořák: Piano Quintet in A, Op. 5 (original version), at the Konvikt Hall in Prague; Dvořák revised this early chamber work in 1887; 1895 — Rachmaninoff: “Caprice bohémien” (Capriccio on Gypsy Themes) (Gregorian date: Dec. 4); 1907 — Charles Martin Loeffler: "A Pagan Poem," Karl Muck conducting Boston Symphony Orchestra; 1928 — Ravel: ballet "Bolero," danced by Ida Rubinstein, at the Paris Opéra; 1931 — Ferde Grofé: "Grand Canyon" Suite, in Chicago, by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra;
Thursday, November 23
Short (but tough) Copland ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Aaron Copland (1900 – 1990): Short Symphony (Symphony No. 2) San Francisco Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, cond. BMG 68541 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: MPR’s Copland Centennary webpage ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1876—Spanish composer Manuel de Falla, in Cádiz; 1878—French composer, conductor and arranger André Caplet, in Le Havre; 1928—American musical composer Jerry Bock, in New Haven, Conn.; 1933—Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, in Debica; Deaths: 1585—English composer and organist Thomas Tallis, age c. 80, in Greenwich; This date is not certain (Nov. 20 is also cited as a possibility); Premieres: 1834 — Berlioz: "Harold in Italy," by the Paris Conservatory Orchestra, with Narcisse Girard conducting and Chrétien Urhan the soloist; 1850 — George Loder: overture, "Marmion," composer conducting Philharmonic Society of New York; 1867 — Brahms: Ballad No. 1 ("Edward"), from Op. 10, in Vienna; 1890 — Dvorák: Piano Quartet No. 2 in Eb, Op., 87, in Prague; 1899 — Dvorák: opera "The Devil and Kate," in Prague; 1921 — Janácek: "Kátya Kabanová," in Brno at the National Theater; 1928 — Daniel Gregory Mason: "Chanticleer (Festival Overture)", in Cincinnati; 1931 — Bartók: ballet, "The Wooden Prince," in Budapest; 1934 — Copland: "Short Symphony" in Mexico City, by the Orquestra Sinfonica de Mexico, with Carlos Chávez conducting; Subsequent scheduled performance by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Boston Symphony had to be cancelled, as the work was considered too difficult to prepare in the available time; 1940 — Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in g, in Moscow, by the Beethoven Quartet, with the composer at the piano; 1963 — Daniel Pinkham: Symphony No. 2 in Lansing, Michigan; 1985 — Michael Torke: “Bright Blue Music,” at Carnegie Hall in New York, by the New York City Youth Symphony, David Alan Miller conducting; Other: 1885—Austro-Hungarian conductor Anton Siedl, a Wagner protégé, makes his American debut conducting "Lohengrin" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York; 1903—Italian tenor Enrico Caruso debuts at New York's Metropolitan Opera in Verdi's "Rigoletto"; He would sing a total of 607 performances with the Met, the last occurring on December 24, 1920 (an evening performance of Halevy's "La Juive");
Friday, November 24
Diamond’s “Rounds” ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: David Diamond (b. 1915): Rounds Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; Gerard Schwarz, cond. Nonesuch 79002 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: David Diamond ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1897—American jazz pianist and composer Willie ("The Lion") Smith, in Goshen, N.Y.; 1911—Finnish composer Erik Bergman, in Uusikaarlepyy; 1927—American composer Emma Lou Diemer, in Kansas City, Missouri; 1934—Russian composer Alfred Schnittke, in Engels, near Saratov; 1953—American composer, conductor and cellist Tod Machover, in New York City; 1960—American composer and double-bass virtuoso, Edgar Meyer; Premieres: 1726 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 52 ("Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht") performed on the 23rd Sunday after Trinity as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27); 1839 — Berlioz: dramatic symphony, "Romeo and Juliet," at the Paris Conservatory; 1874 — Dvorák: opera "King and Collier," in Prague; 1876 — Tchaikovsky: opera “Vakula the Blacksmith,” in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Dec. 6); 1886 — Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 2 in F, Op. 99, in Vienna; 1888 — Tchaikovsky: symphonic fantasy overture “Hamlet” (after Shakespeare), in Moscow (see Julian date: Nov. 12); 1932 — Hilding Rosenberg: opera "Voyage to America," in Stockholm; 1944 — David Diamond: "Rounds" for string orchestra, by the Minneapolis Symphony, Dimtri Mitropoulos conducting; 1945 — Elie Siegmeister: "Western Suite," by the NBC Symphony, Arturo Toscanini conducting; 1949 — Carl Ruggles: "Organum" for large orchestra, by the New York Philharmonic, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1984 — Christopher Rouse: “The Surma Ritornelli “ for chamber ensemble, by the Syracuse (N.Y.) Society for New Music; 1987 — Michael Torke: “Adjustable Wrench” for chamber ensemble, at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival by the Lontano ensemble, Odaline de la Martinez conducting; Other: 1859—The legendary American soprano Adelina Patti makes her operatic debut at age 16 in New York City, singing in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor"; 1963—Leonard Bernstein conducts New York Philharmonic in Mahler's Symphony No. 2 as JFK Memorial Concert telecast on CBS-TV;
Saturday, November 25
Bach’s “wake up” call? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: J.S. Bach (1685 – 1750): Cantata No. 140 (Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme) Bach Ensemble; Helmuth Rilling, cond. Laudate 98.857 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More on Bach’s life and music & a story on Bach’s bible ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1785—Austrian composer Franz Gruber, in Unterwweizberg; In 1818 he wrote the famous Christmas carol "Silent Night"; 1856—Russian composer Sergei Taneyev, in Dyud'kovo , near Moscow (see Julian date: Nov. 13); 1896—American composer and music critic Virgil Thomson, in Kansas City, Mo.; 1924—American jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond, in San Francisco; Desmond and composer Dave Brubeck co-wrote the popular piece entitled “Take Five” for Brubeck’s famous 1959 Columbia LP entitled “Time Out”; Deaths: 1640—Burial date of English Renaissance composer Giles Farnaby, age c. 77, in London; 1755—German violinist and composer Johann Georg Pisendel, age 67, in Dresden; 1901—German composer and organist Josef Rheinberger, age 62, in Munich; Premieres: 1731 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 140 ("Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme") performed in Leipzig on the 27th Sunday after Trinity; 1847 — Flowtow: opera "Martha," in Vienna; 1865 — Brahms: "Variations on a Theme of Paganini," Op. 35, for piano, in Zürich, Switzerland; 1882 — Gilbert and Sullivan: operetta "Iolanthe" at the Savoy Theater in London; 1898 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera “Mozart and Salieri,” in Moscow (Gregorian date: Dec. 7); 1901 — Mahler: Symphony No. 4, by the Kaim Orchestra of Munich, with soprano soloist Margarete Michalek and the composer conducting; 1951 — Lou Harrison: "Seven Pastorales, in New York City, by the Collegium Musicum, Fritz Rikko conducting; 1954 — Prokofiev: opera "The Fiery Angel" (sung in French), in a concert performance in Paris; 1955 — Piston: Symphony No. 6, by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting; 1958 — John La Montaine: Piano Concerto No. 1, in Washington, D.C.; This work won the Pulizter Prize in 1959; 1960 — Mussorgsky: opera "Khovanscchina" (in the arrangement by Shostakovich), in Leningrad at the Kirov Theater; 1978 — H.K. Gruber: "Frankenstein!" a "pan-demonium" for baritone and orchestra, by the Liverpool Philharmonic, with Simon Rattle conducting and the composer as the vocal soloist; A revised chamber version of this work premiered on Sept. 30, 1979, in Berlin, with the composer conducting; 1992 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Strathclyde Concerto" No. 7 for double bass and orchestra, at Glasgow's City Hall, by the Scottish Chamber Orcherstra conducted by the composer, with soloist Duncan McTier; Other: 1720—Handel’s Keyboard Suites, First Collection), is published in London (see Julian date: Nov. 14); 1835—Scottish-born American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, is born in a small weaver’s cottage in Dumfemline, Fife (Scotland); He funded the creation of a concert hall in New York that opened on May 5, 1891, and now bears his name; The building was originally called the “Music Hall,” but the earlier title was deemed to have too many associations tied to the “lower class” vaudeville acts typical of the British “music hall,” and was eventually changed to “Carnegie Hall,” in honor of its funder; 1934—Conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler's article "The Hindemith Case" defending Hindemith's music appears in several German newspapers; A response attacking both Hindemith and Furtwängler appears in the Nazi newspaper "Der Angriff" on November 28; Furtwängler resigns all his official German posts on December 4 and leaves Berlin for several months; On December 6 Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels denounces Hindemith as an "atonal noisemaker" during a speech at the Berlin Sport Palace.
Sunday, November 26
A belated Schumann premiere ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856): Violin Concerto in D Minor Gidon Kremer, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra; Riccardo Muti, cond. EMI 69334 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Robert Schumann ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1932—Amnerican composer and teacher Alan Stout, in Baltimore; Deaths: 1959—British light-music composer Albert W. Ketèlbey, age 84, on the Isle of Wight; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 116 ("Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ") performed on the 25th Sunday after Trinity as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1887 — Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 4 (“Mozartiana”), on an all Tchaikovsky program in Moscow conducted by the composer (see Julian date: Nov. 14); 1937 — R. Schumann: Violin Concerto in d (composed 1853 for the great violinist Joseph Joachim, who never performed it in public), in Berlin, by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Karl Boehm, with Georg Kulenkampff as soloist; 1948 — Virgil Thomson: "Louisiana Story" Suite, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1954 — Lutoslawski: "Concerto for Orchestra," in Warsaw; 1993 — Stanislaw Skrowaczewski: Chamber Concerto ("Ritornelli poi Ritornelli") in St. Paul, Minn., by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, with the composer conducting; 1997 — Corigliano: "The Red Violin (Chaconne for Violin and Orchestra), by soloist Joshua Bell with the San Francisco Symphony, Robert Spano conducting; Other: 1760—Franz Joseph Haydn (age 28) marries Maria Anna Keller (age 31) in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna; Ms. Keller was the daughter of the wigmaker Johann Peter Keller, who is said variously to have assisted Haydn in his years of poverty or employed him as a music teacher. |
