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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.  |
March 5-11, 2007
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Monday, March 5
Shostakovich and his "Leningrad" Symphony ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975): Symphony No. 7 (Leningrad) Kirov Orchestra & Rotterdam Philharmonic; Valery Gergiev, cond. Philips 376-02 ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1853—American composer Arthur Foote, in Salem, Mass.; 1887—Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, in Rio de Janeiro; Deaths: 1778—British composer Thomas Arne, age 67, in London; 1947—Italian composer Alfredo Casella, age 63, in Rome; 1953—Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, age 61, in Moscow (the same day that Joseph Stalin died); Premieres: 1735 — Handel: Organ Concertos Op. 4, nos. 2-3, in London as intermission features during a revival performance of Handel's oratorio "Esther" at the Covent Garden Theater (Gregorian date: March 16); 1818 — Rossini: opera "Mosè in Egitto" (Moses in Egypt) (1st version in Italian), in Naples at the Teatro San Carlo; 1868 — Boito: opera "Mefistofele," at the Teatro della Scala in Milan; 1889 — MacDowell: Piano Concerto No. 2, with the composer as soloist, in New York City; 1892 — Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Gregorian date: Mar. 17); 1904 — Liadov: symphonic poem "Baba Yaga" (Gregorian date: Mar. 18); 1904 — Ravel: String Quartet, in Paris, by the Heymann Quartet; 1905 — Frederick S. Converse: "The Mystic Trumpeter" by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Fritz Scheel conducting; 1933 — Barber: "Dover Beach" for medium voice and string quartet, at the French Institute in New York City, by mezzo-soprano Rose Bampton and the New York Art Quartet; 1933 — Malipiero: Violin Concerto No. 1, by the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orcherstra with Pierre Monteux conducting and Viola Mitchell the soloist; 1940 — Copland: "John Henry," on a CBS "School of the Air" radio broadcast, by the Columbia Broadcasting Symphony conducted by Howard Barlow; 1942 — Cage: "The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs" (text by James Joyce) for voice and piano, in New York; 1942 — Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 ("Leningrad") by the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, conducted by Samuel Abramovitch Samosud, in Kuibyshev (the temporary Soviet capital where the orchestra and Shostakovich had been evacuated); 1944 — Piston: Symphony No. 2, in Washington, D.C., by the National Symphony, Hans Kindler conducting; 1965 — Piston: Symphony No. 6, by the Boston Symphony; 1990 — David Ward-Steinman: "Intersections II: Borobudur," for percussion and "fortified" piano, at the Canberra Institute of the Arts in Australia, by percussionist Daryl Pratt and the composer at the piano; 2003 — Bright Sheng: Tone Poem for Pipa, Sheng, Cello, Piano, and Orchestra ("Song and Dance of Tears") with Wu Man (pipa, Wu Tong (sheng), Yo-Yo Ma (cello) and Emanuel Ax (piano), with the New York Philharmonic, David Zinman conducting.
Tuesday, March 6
Ruder's "The Handmaid's Tale" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Poul Ruders (b. 1949): The Handmaid's Tale Royal Danish Orchestra; Michael Schonwandt, cond. DaCapo 9.224165-66 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Poul Ruders More on "The Handmaid's Tale" ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1844—Russian composer Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Gregorian date: Mar. 18); 1870—Austrian operetta composer Oscar Straus, in Vienna; Deaths: 1932—American composer and bandleader John Philip Sousa, age 77, in Reading, Pa.; 1967—Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály, age 84, in Budapest; Premieres: 1791 — Beethoven: "Ritterballett" (Knightly Ballet), in Bonn; 1825 — Beethoven: String Quartet in Eb, Op. 127, in Vienna, the Schuppanzigh Quartet; 1831 — Bellini: opera "La Sonnambula" (The Sleepwalker), in Milan at the Teatro Carcano; 1853 — Verdi: opera "La Traviata" (The Lost One), in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice; 1896 — Arthur Foote: Suite in d, by the Boston Symphony, Emil Paur conducting; 1917 — Rachmaninoff: "Etudes-tableaux," Op. 39 (first complete performance of the set of nine), in Petrograd (St. Petersburg), by the composer (Julian date: Feb. 21); 1926 — Hindemith: "Concerto for Orchestra," by the Boston Symphony with Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1927 — Prokofiev: Quintet for winds and strings, Op. 39, in Moscow; 1933 — Varèse: "Ionisation," in New York City, with Nicholas Slonimsky conducting; 1934 — Piston: "Concerto for Orchestra," in Cambridge, Mass.; 1947 — Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 25, at the Moscow Conservatory by the USSR State Symphony, Alexander Gauk conducting; 1984 — John Harbison: "Ulysses' Raft," by the New Haven Symphony, Murray Sidlin conducting; 2000 — Poul Ruders: opera "The Handmaid's Tale," in Copenhagen, by the Royal Danish Theater, Mark Schönwandt conducting; 2003 — John Harbison: "Requiem," by vocal soloists Christine Brewer, Margaret Lattimore, Paul Groves, and Jonathan Lemalu, with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and the Boston Symphony conducted by Bernard Haitink.
Wednesday, March 7
Brahms in Vienna ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): Symphony No 4 in e Vienna Philharmonic; Carlos Kleiber, cond. DG 457 706 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Johannes Brahms More on Brahms ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1574—Baptism of English madrigalist John Wilbye, in Diss (Norfolk); 1875—French composer Maurice Ravel, in Ciboure; 1887—Estonian composer Heino Eller, in Tartu; Deaths: 1786—Bohemian-born composer and violinist Franz [František] Benda, age c. 77, in Nowawes, near Potsdam; He was active at the court of King Frederich II of Prussia; 1809—Austrian composer and organist Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, age 73, in Vienna; 1979—Norwegian composer Klaus Egge, age 72, in Oslo; Premieres: 1711 — Handel: opera, "Rinaldo," in London (Julian date: Feb. 24); 1730 — Handel: opera "Partenope," in London (Julian date: Feb. 24); 1819 — Rossini: opera "Mosè in Egitto" (Moses in Egypt) (2nd version in Italian), in Naples at the Teatro San Carlo; 1867 — Brahms: Scherzo in eb, Op. 4, for piano, in Vienna; 1883 — Balakirev: symphonic poem "Tamara" (Gregorian date: Mar. 19); 1884 — Chadwick: "Scherzo" in F (from Chadwick's Symphony No. 2, a work in progress), by the Boston Symphony, George Henschel conducting; The entire symphony was premiered by the same orchestra on Dec. 10, 1886, with the composer conducting; 1892 — Tchaikovsky: "The Nutcracker" Suite, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Mar. 19); 1896 — Gilbert & Sullivan: operetta "The Grand Duke" at the Savoy Theatre in London; 1899 — d'Indy: "Chansons et danses" for winds, in Paris; 1953 — Persichetti: "Pageant" for band, in Miami; 1958 — Piston: Viola Concerto, by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting; 1965 — Easley Blackwood: Symphony No. 3, in Chicago; 1971 — Menotti: opera "The Most Important Man," at the New York City Opera; 1980 — Daniel Pinkham: "Serenades" for trumpet and winds, at Harvard University's Sanders Theater in Cambridge, Mass., by trumpeter Rolf Smedvig and the Harvard Wind Ensemble conducted by Thomas Everett; 2001 — Harbison: "Partita (Concerto for Orchestra)," in Minneapolis, by the Minnesota Orchestra, Yan Pascal Tortelier conducting; 2002 — Colgrass: "Crossworlds" (Concerto for Flute, Piano and Orchestra), commissioned by the Boston Symphony for flutist Marina Piccinini and pianist Andreas Haefliger, with Hans Graf conducting; Other: 1897—Johannes Brahms attends his last concerts and hears his Symphony No. 4 conducted by Hans Richter.
Thursday, March 8
Enescu's Greatest Hits ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Georges Enescu (1881 - 1955): Romanian Rhapsody No 1 Dallas Symphony; Eduardo Mata, cond. RCA/BMG 63586 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On George Enescu ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1714—German composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (the third son of J.S. Bach), in Weimar; 1904—Greek composer Nikos Skalkottas, on the island of Euboca; 1911—American composer Alan Hovhaness, in Somerville, Mass.; Deaths: 1869—French composer Hector Berlioz, age 62, in Paris; 1957—Swiss composer Othmar Schoeck, age 70, in Zurich; 1961—British conductor and arranger Sir Thomas Beecham, age 81, in London; 1983—English composer and conductor Sir William Walton, age 80, in Ischia; Premieres: 1752 — Handel: oratorio "Jephtha," in London (Julian date: Feb. 26); 1896 — Rachmaninoff: symphonic fantasy "The Rock," in Moscow (Gregorian date: Mar. 20); 1898 — R. Strauss: tone-poem "Don Quixote," in Cologne, Wüllner conducting; 1902 — Sibelius: Symphony No. 2, by the Helsinki Philharmonic, with the composer conducting; 1903 — Enescu: "Rumanian Rhapsodies" Nos. 1 and 2, in Bucharest, with the composer conducting; 1934 — Piston: "Concerto for Orchestra," by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1954 — Stravinsky: "Three Songs from William Shakespeare," at an "Evenings on the Roof" concert in Los Angeles conducted by Robert Craft; 1956 — David Diamond: Symphony No. 6, by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting; 1957 — Xenakis: "Pithoprakta," in Munich; 1979 — Rihm: opera "Jakob Lenz," in Hamburg at the Opera stabile (Staatsoper); 1991 — Daniel Asia: "At the Far Edge" for orchestra, by the Seattle Youth Symphony, Ruben Gurevich conducting; 2000 — Karen Tanaka: "At the Grave of Beethoven" for string quartet, in London, by the Brodsky Quartet; 2000 — John Tavener: "The Lord's Prayer," in Guildford (England), by the Tallis Scholars.
Friday, March 9
Pachelbel and his "Canon" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: George Rochberg (b. 1918): Variations on the Pachelbel Canon Concord String Quartet RCA/BMG 60712 ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1737—Bohemian composer Josef Mysliveczek, in Ober-Sarka; He was a friend and colleague of Mozart; 1839—Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (Gregorian date: Mar. 21); 1910—American composer Samuel Barber, in West Chester, Pa.; 1930—American composer and jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman, in Forth Worth, Texas; Deaths: 1706—Burial date of German composer Johann Pachelbel, age c. 52, in Nuremberg; Premieres: 1740 — Handel: oratorio "L'Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato," and Organ Concerto in Bb, Op. 7, no. 1, in London (Julian date: Feb. 27); 1748 — Handel: oratorio "Joshua," in London at the Covent Garden Theater; The event possibly included the premiere of Handel's "Concerto a due cori" No. 1 as well (Gregorian date March 20); 1842 — Verdi: opera "Nabucco" (Nabucodonosor), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; 1844 — Verdi: opera "Ernani," in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice; 1849 — Nicolai: opera "Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor" (after Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor"), in Berlin at the Königliches Opernhaus; 1868 — Thomas: opera "Hamlet," at the Paris Opéra; 1877 — Tchaikovsky: symphonic-fantasy "Fancesca da Rimini," in Moscow (Julian date: Feb. 25); 1924 — Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 5 (first version), in Paris, by the composer; A revised version of this sonata premiered in Alma-Ata (USSR) on February 5, 1954, by Anatoli Vedernikov; 1930 — Weill: opera "Die Aufsteig und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny" (The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny), in Leipzig at the Neues Theater; 1941 — Cowell: Symphony No. 2 ("Antropos"), in Brooklyn; 1951 — Honegger: Symphony No. 5 ("Di tre re"), by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting; 1980 — Earle Brown: "Caldar Piece," for percussionists and mobile, in Valencia, Calif.; 1982 — Berio: opera "La vera storia" (The True Story), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; Other: 1831—Italian violin virtuoso Nicolo Paganini makes his Parisian debut a the Opéra; Composers in the audience include Meyerbeer, Cherubini, Halvéy; and Franz Liszt (who transcribes Pagnini's showpiece "La Campanella" for piano); Also in attendance are the many famous novelists and poets, including George Sand, Victor Hugo, Alfred de Mussset and Heinrich Heine.
Saturday, March 10
Paine in Boston ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Knowles Paine (1839 - 1906): Symphony No. 2 New York Philharmonic; Zubin Mehta, cond. New World 350 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On John Knowles Paine ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1839—American composer and organist Dudley Buck, in Hartford, Conn.; 1844—Spanish composer and violinist Pablo de Sarasate, in Pamplona; 1892—French composer Arthur Honegger, in Le Harve; 1903—American composer and jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, in Davenport, Iowa; Deaths: 1832—Italian-born composer Muzio Clementi, age 80, in Evesham, England; 1870—Czech-born composer and pianist Ignaz Moscheles, age 75, in Leipzig; 1910—German composer Carl Reinecke, age 85, in Leipzig; 1991—American composer Elie Siegmeister, age 82, in Manhasset, N.Y.; Premieres: 1785 — Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, K. 467, at the Burgtheater in Vienna, with the composer as soloist; 1837 — Mercadante: opera "Il Giuramento" (The Oath), in Milan; 1875 — Goldmark: opera "Die Königin von Saba" (The Queen of Sheba), in Vienna at the Court Opera (Hofoper); 1877 — Borodin: Symphony No. 2, in St. Petersburg, by the Russian Musical Society, Eduard Nápravik conducting (Julian date: Feb. 26); 1880 — Paine: Symphony No. 2 ("Spring"), at Sanders Theater in Boston, by the Boston Philharmonic, Bernard Listermann conducting; The following day, the orchestra of the Harvard Musical Association performed the same work downtown at Boston's Musical Hall, with Carl Zerrahn conducting; 1888 — Franck: symphonic poem "Pysché," in Paris; 1912 — Gliere: Symphony No. 3 ("Ilya Murometz") in Moscow (Gregorian date: Mar. 23); 1916 — Granados: "Intermezzo & Epilogue," from "Goyescas," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1922 — Loeffler: "Irish Fantasies" (Nos. 2, 3 & 5 only) for voice and orchestra, by the Boston Symphony, with Pierre Monteux conducting and tenor John McCormack the soloist; 1932 — Wallingford Riegger: "Dichotomy" for orchestra, in Berlin; 1952 — David Diamond: Quintet for clarinet and strings, at Town Hall in New York City, by clarinetist David Oppenheim, Nathan Gordon and Lillian Fuchs (violins), and Aaron Twerdowsky and Bernard Greenhouse (cellos); 1963 — Henze: opera "Il re cervo" (The Stag King), in Kassel at the Staatstheater; This is the 2nd version of Henze's opera "König Hirsch" which was first staged in an abridged version in Berlin on September 24, 1956; The complete original version of the opera was eventually staged in Stuttgart on May 7, 1985; 1964 — John Harbison: "Sinfonia," in Cambridge, Mass., with violinist Rose Mary Harbison and the Bach Society Orchestra of Harvard, Gregory Biss conducting; 1977 — John Harbison: "Diotima" for orchestra, in Boston, with the Boston Symphony, Joseph Silverstein conducting; Other: 1937—Frank Capra's film "The Lost Horizon" opens at the Four Stars Theater in Los Angeles, featuring a classic film score composed by Dmitri Tiomkin (and conducted by Max Steiner).
Sunday, March 11
Haydn encored ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Franz Josef Haydn (1732 - 1808): Symphony No. 92 (Oxford) Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra; Adam Fischer, cond. Nimbus 5269 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Haydn Norton "Notes" on Haydn and his music ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1876—American composer Carl Ruggles, in Marion, Mass.; 1897—American composer Henry Cowell, in Menlo Park, Calif.; Premieres: 1791 — Haydn: Symphony No. 92, conducted by the composer, at the first of his London concerts; Haydn had composed this symphony at the request of a French count in 1788-89, and presumably its first performance took place in Paris around that time; The symphony's nickname, "Oxford," derives from a July 7, 1791, performance conducted by Haydn at the Sheldonian Theater at Oxford University, where Haydn was awarded an honorary degree; 1830 — Bellini: opera "I Capuleti e I Montecchi" (The Capulets and Montagues), in Venice at the Teatro la Fenice; 1851 — Verdi: opera "Rigoletto," in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice; 1867 — Verdi: opera "Don Carlos" (1st French-language version in 5 acts) at the Paris Opéra; 1886 — Tchaikovsky: "Manfred" Symphony (after Byron), in Moscow (Gregorian date: Mar. 23); 1888 — Dvorak: Symphony No. 2 in Bb, in Prague; This symphony was composed in 1865; 1915 — Ravel: ballet "Ma Mère l'Oye" (Mother Goose), at the Paris Opéra; This orchestral score is based on an earlier Ravel work of the same name for two pianos; 1917 — Respighi: tone-poem "The Fountains of Rome," in Rome; 1929 — Colin McPhee: Concerto for Piano with Wind Octet, in Boston; 1999 — Corigliano: "A Dylan Thomas Trilogy," at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with soloists and the National Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting; Other: 1829—Mendelssohn conducts a revival performance of J.S. Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" in Berlin. |
