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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.  |
February 5-11, 2007
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Monday, 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 (Julian date: 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."
Tuesday, 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.
Wednesday, 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: 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; 1953 — Martinu: "The Marriage," one-act opera (after Gogol) on the NBC TV network; One of the earliest operas specifically written for television, it is nowadays all but forgotten; 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).
Thursday, 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: 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.
Friday, February 9
Handel (and Beethoven) with horns ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: George Frederic Handel (1685 — 1759): Water Music Suite in F The King's Consort; Robert King, cond. Hyperion 66967 & Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 — 1827): Horn Sonata, Op. 17 Anthony Halstead, horn; Robert Levin, fortepiano London 455 994 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Handel's life and works A history of the French Horn A Horn website (which includes French Horn jokes) ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1834—German composer Franz Xaver Witt, in Walderbach, Bavaria; 1885—Austrian composer Alban Berg, in Vienna; 1909—German composer Harald Genzmer, in Blumenthal, near Bremen; Deaths: 1740—German composer, organist and teacher Vincent Lübeck, age c. 85, in Hamburg; 1812—German composer Franz Anton Hoffmeister, age 57, in Vienna; 1960—Hungarian composer Ernö (Ernst von) Dohnányi, age 82, in New York City; Premieres: 1722 — ; first documented concert performance of Handel: “Water Music” at the Stationer’s Hall in London (Gregorian date: Feb. 20); Handel’s “Water Music” had been premiered on July 17/28, 1717, during a famous royal barge excursion on the river Thames; 1727 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 84 ("Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke") probably performed on Septuagesimae Sunday as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27); 1728 — Gay & Pepusch: ballad-opera, “The Beggar’s Opera,” in London (Julian date: Jan. 29); 1812 — Beethoven: private premieres of "The Ruins of Athens" and "King Stephen" Overture and Incidental Music, as part of a production at the opening of a new theater in Pest, Hungary (see also Feb. 10 for offical public premiere); 1886 — Mussorgsky (arr. Rimsky-Korsakov): opera “Khovanschchina,” posthumously, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 21); 1893 — Verdi: opera, "Falstaff," in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; This was Verdi's last opera; 1909 — Albéniz: piano suite, "Iberia," in Paris; 1919 — Chadwick: symphonic poem "Angel of Death" in New York; Other: 1784—Mozart finishes his Piano Concerto No. 14 in Eb, K. 449, and enters it as the first item in his own catalogue of his compositions; The concerto may have been performed by Mozart in Vienna on March 17 that year, and also outside Vienna at the home of Barbara von Ployer, one of Mozart's pupils, for whom the work was written.
Saturday, February 10
Krenek spielt auf? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ernst Krenek (1900 — 1991): Jonny spielt auf Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Lothar Zagrosek, cond. London 436 631 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Ernst Krenek More on Krenek ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1908—Canadian composer and pianist Jean Coulthard, in Vancouver; 1929—American film score composer Jerry Goldsmith; 1939—American composer Barbara Kolb, in Hartford, Conn.; Premieres: 1744 — Handel: oratorio “Semele,” in London at the Covent Garden Theater (Gregorian date: Feb. 21); 1749 — Handel: oratorio “Susanna” in London at the Covent Garden Theater (Gregorian date: Feb. 21); 1794 — Haydn: Symphony No. 99, conducted by the composer, at the King's Theatre in London; 1812 — Beethoven: public premieres of "The Ruins of Athens" and "King Stephen" Overture and Incidental Music, as part of a production at the opening of a new theater in Pest, Hungary (see also Feb. 9); 1860 — Brahms: Serenade No. 2 in A, Op. 16, in Hamburg, with the composer conducting; 1878 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 22); 1881 — Offenbach: opera "The Tales of Hoffmann," posthumously, in Paris at the Opéra Comique; 1882 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera “The Snow Maiden” (first version), in St. Petersburg, Napravnik conducting (Julian date: Jan. 29); 1896 — Walter Damrosch: opera "The Scarlet Letter," in Boston; 1903 — Rachmaninoff: Piano Preludes Nos. 1, 2, and 5, from Op. 23 and “Variations on a Theme of Chopin” (Gregorian date: Feb. 23); 1927 — Krenek: "jazz" opera "Jonny spielt auf" (Johnny Strikes Up the Band), in Leipzig at the Stadttheater; 1934 — Howard Hanson: opera "Merry Mount," (staged premiere) at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Tulio Serafin conducting; 1949 — Antheil: Symphony No. 6, by the San Francisco Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting; 1950 — William Schuman: Violin Concerto, by Isaac Stern with the Boston Symphony with Charles Munch conducting and Isaac Stern the soloist; 1961 — Piston: Symphony No. 7, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1961; 1966 — Richard Rodney Bennett: Symphony No. 1, in London; 1976 — Ulysses Kay: "Southern Harmony," by the North Carolina Symphony; 1995 — Daniel Asia: Piano Concerto, by the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Symphony, conducted by Carl St. Clair, with André-Michel Schub the soloist; 2001 — Pierre Jalbert: "L'amour infini," (Infinite Love), by the Albany Symphony, David Alan Miller conducting; Other: 1859 —First documented complete American performance of Handel's oratorio "Israel in Egypt," at Boston's Melodeon, by the Handel and Haydn Society, Carl Zerrahn conducting; Selections from this work had been performed previously in New York and Boston; The Feb. 19 edition of Dwight's Journal enthused: "Israel at last! The great work, occasionally nibbled at, attacked in fragments, in fits of resolution few and far between, was finally essayed in earnest; and after eight more rehearsals, the giant Handel's greatest work, with the sole exception of the 'Messiah' . . . was offered to the public, and the public wouldn't have it . . . the hall was only two-thirds full"; 1921—Charles Ives hears Igor Stravinsky's "The Firebird" Ballet Suite at an all-Russian program by the New York Symphony at Carnegie Hall; Also on the program were works of Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Rachmaninoff (with Rachmaninoff as piano soloist); Walter Damrosch conducted.
Sunday, February 11
Puccini speaks! ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924): Madame Butterfly Suite Rome Symphony; Domenico Savino, cond. MCA 9834-A ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Puccini and his operas ALSO ON THIS DATE: Deaths: 1795—Swedish song composer Carl Mikael Bellman, age 55, in Stockholm; 1939—Austrian composer Franz Schmidt, age 72, in Perchtoldsdorf; Premieres: 1725 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 127 ("Herr Jesu Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott") performed on Estomihi Sunday as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1727 — Handel: opera “Admeto” in London (Julian date: Jan. 31); 1785 — Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in d, in Vienna, with the composer as soloist; 1840 — Donizetti: opera "La fille du régiment" (The Daughter of the Regiment), at the Opéra-Comique in Paris; 1843 — Verdi: opera "I Lombardi" (The Lombards) in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; 1883 — Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 (2nd and 3rd movements only), by Vienna Philharmonic, with Wilhelm Jahn conducting; Gustav Mahler led the Vienna Philharmonic on February 26, 1899, in the first, heavily cut, performance of the complete work; 1892 — Rachmaninoff: “Trio élégiaque” (Elegiac Trio) No. 1 in G minor, for violin, cello, and piano, in Moscow, with David Kreyn (violin), Anatoly Brandukov (cello), and the composer at the piano (Julian date: Jan. 30); 1903 — Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in a version prepared by Ferdinand Löwe, by the Vienna Symphony, with Löwe conducting; The original version of Bruckner's Ninth was first performed at a private concert in Munich on April 2, 1932, and then at a public Vienna Philharmonic concert conducted by Clemens Krauss on October 23, 1932; 1938 — Ernest Bloch: "Evocations" for orchestra, by the San Francisco Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting; 1949 — Stravinsky: "Orpheus" ballet (as a concert work), by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; The staged ballet had premiere in New York on April 28, 1948; 1952 — Hugo Weisgall: opera 'The Tenor," in Baltimore; 1953 — Chávez: Symphony No. 4 ("Sinfonía romantica") by the Louisville Orchestra, with the composer conducting; 1971 — Henze: "Compases para Preguntas ensimismandes" in Basel, Switzerland; 1973 — Feldman: "Voices and Instruments II," in Buffalo, N.Y.; Other: 1841—First documented American performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 at the New York's Broadway Tabernacle, by the German Society of New York, Uri Corelli Hill conducting; Three movements of Beethoven's symphony (excluding the third) were given in April 3, 1841, at Boston's Odeon by the Academy of Music, Henry Schmidt conducting; The complete symphony was included on the first program given by the New York Philharmonic on December 7, 1842; The Symphony was presented next in Philadelphia (April 3, 1848), Baltimore (March 9, 1849), Louisville (May 14, 1853), St. Louis (May 17, 1853), and Milwaukee (April 27, 1855); On March 28, 1856, 30 players of the San Francisco German Society performed Beethoven's Fifth at the Music Hall in that city, with Rudolf Herold conducting (The San Francisco Chronicle review the following day noted: "The pieces in the program are very beautiful, but it must be said that some of them appeared to be considered very tedious by the greater number of the audience. The Adagio, Scherzo and Finale of Beethoven's Symphony in C Minor, for instance, are portions of a very grand and celebrated composition, but they caused many to yawn."); The first public performance of this symphony had occurred in Vienna, with the composer conducting, on Dec. 22, 1808; 1847—American inventor Thomas A. Edison, the developer of the phonograph, is born in Milan, Ohio; 1907—Italian composer Giacomo Puccini attends the American premiere of his opera "Madama Butterfly," conducted by Arturo Toscanini at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. |
