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June 18-24, 2007

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Monday, June 18
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Photo
Ignaz Pleyel
SYNOPSIS:
Pleyel in the Old World (and the New) ...

MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM:
Ignaz Pleyel (1757 – 1831): Symphony in G, Op. 68
London Mozart Players; Matthias Bamert, cond.
Chandos 9525

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
On Pleyel

ALSO ON THIS DATE:
Births:
1757—Austrian-born composer and piano maker Ignaz Joseph Pleyel, in Ruppertsthal, near Vienna; He studied with Haydn and was one of the older composer's favorite pupils;
1904—Birth of French composer and conductor Manuel Rosenthal, in Paris; His ballet arrangement of Offenbach melodies, "Gaîté Parisienne," is his best-known work;
1843—Austrian cellist and composer David Popper, in Prague;
1905—Estonian-born Swedish composer Eduard Tubin, in Kalaste, near Tartu (Dorpat) (Julian date: June 5);
1942—English singer, composer and former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, in Liverpool;

Deaths:
1726—French composer Michel-Richard de Lalande (La Lande, Delalande), age 68, at Versailles;

Premieres:
1821 — Weber: opera "Der Freischütz" (The Freeshooter), in Berlin at the Königliches Schauspielhaus;
1923 — Gershwin: musical revue, "George White's Scandals of 1923" at the Globe Theater in New York City;
1958 — Britten: opera "Noye's Fludde," in Orford Church, near Aldeburgh;
1980 — Persichetti: "Three Toccatinas" for Piano, by contestants in the International Piano Festival and Competition at the University of Maryland;
1992 — Anthony Davis: opera "Tania" at the American Music Theater Festival in Philadelphia;

Other:
1837—Mendelssohn finishes his String Quartet in e, Op. 44, no. 2, in Freiburg (Germany), while on his honeymoon.


Tuesday, June 19
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Photo
19th century music critic Dwight
SYNOPSIS:
A Monster Concert for Peace ...

MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM:
Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791 -1864): Coronation March, from Le Prophète
New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, cond.
Sony 46709
&
Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901): Anvil Chorus, from Il Trovatore
Chicago Symphony and Chorus; Sir Georg Solti, cond.
London 466 075

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
On "Dwight's Journal"
On Mr. Dwight himself

ALSO ON THIS DATE:
Births:
1717—Baptismal date of Bohemian violinist and composer Johann Wenzel Anton Stamitz, in Nemecký Brod (Deutsch-Brod, now Havlíckuv Brod);
1842—Austrian operetta composer Carl Zeller, in St. Peter in der Au;
1854—Italian opera composer Alfredo Catalani, in Lucca;

Deaths:
1915—Russian composer Sergei Taneyev, age 58, in Dyud'kovo, near Zvenigorod (Julian date: June 6);

Premieres:
1899 — Elgar: "Enigma Variations," in London, Queen's Hall, Hallé Orchestra conducted by Hans Richter;
1915 — Saint-Saëns: choral work, "Hail California," in San Francisco, composer conducting;
1926 — Antheil: "Ballet Mécanique," in Paris;
1984 — Bernstein: opera "A Quiet Place" (revised version), by La Scala Opera, John Mauceri conducting; The first version of this opera premiered at Houston Grand Opera on June 17, 1983, conducted by John DeMain.

Other:
1869—final concert of a five-day "Great National Peace Jubilee" involving an orchestra of 1000 and a chorus of 10,000 organized by bandmaster Patrick Gilmore performing in a specially-constructed hall in Boston’s Back Bay;


Wednesday, June 20
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Photo
Osvaldo Golijov
SYNOPSIS:
Anderson and Golijov for the record ...

MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM:
Leroy Anderson (1908 - 1975): Clarinet Candy
Decca studio orchestra; Leroy Anderson, cond.
MCA 9815
&
Osvaldo Golijov (b. 1960): Rocketekya
David Krakauer, clarinet; ensemble
Naxos 8.559403

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
On Leroy Anderson
On Golijov

ALSO ON THIS DATE:
Births:
1756—German-Swedish composer Joseph Martin Kraus, in Miltenberg, near Mainz;
1819—German-born French cellist and operetta composer Jacques Offenbach, in Cologne;
1931—Norwegian composer Arne Nordheim, in Larvik;

Deaths:
1787—German-born, London-based composer, gamba virtuoso and concert impresario Carl Friedrich Abel, age 63, in London; He was a friend and associate of Johann Christian Bach (the "London" Bach);
1940—French organ composer Jehan Alain, age 29, killed in action at Petits-Puis, near Saumur;

Premieres:
1716 — Handel: Concerto Grosso in F, Op. 3, no. 4a, at the King's Theater in London, performed between the acts of Handel's opera "Amadigi di Gaula" (Gregorian date: July 1);
1901 — Elgar: "Cockaigne Overture: In London Town," at a London Philharmonic concert;
1938 — Jerome Moross: ballet, "Frankie and Johnny," by the Page-Stone Ballet at the Great Northern Theater in Chicago; This production was part of the Federal Theater Project;
1947 — Britten: opera "Albert Herring," at the Glyndebourne Opera;
1952 — Hindemith: opera "Cardillac" (2nd version) in Zürich at the Stadttheater;
1961 — Paul Creston: "Dance Variations" for soprano and orchestra, at Lewisohn Stadium by the Stadium Symphony (New York Philharmonic), Pierre Monteux conducting and Roberta Peters the vocal soloist;
1962 — Leroy Anderson: "Clarinet Candy" at a Decca recording session in New York City, with the composer conducting; The four clarinet soloist for this classic recording were Vincent Abato, Herbert Blayman, Roger Hiller and Bernard Portnoy;
1969 — Penderecki: opera "The Devils of Loudun," in Hamburg at the Staatsoper;

Other:
1948—At the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, Edward Wallerstein conducts the first public demonstration of the revolutionary Columbia Records 33-rpm "Long Playing" (LP) discs for fifty-odd members of the press.


Thursday, June 21
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Photo
Poster for Cocteau's film Beauty and the Beast
SYNOPSIS:
Cocteau and Glass ...

MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM:
Philip Glass (b. 1937): Beauty and the Beast
Philip Glass Ensemble; Michael Riesman, cond.
Nonesuch 79347

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
On Cocteau
More on Cocteau
On Philip Glass

ALSO ON THIS DATE:
Births:
1732—German composer Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (9th son of J.S.), in Leipzig;
1862—American pianist and composer Henry Holden Huss, in Newark, N.J.;
1892—Swedish composer Hilding Rosenberg, in Bosjökloster (Ringsjon, Skane);
1932—Argentinian-born American composer Lalo Schifrin, in Buenos Aires; He wrote the famous "Mission Impossible" TV theme;

Deaths:
1908—Russian composer Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, age 64, in Lyubensk, near St. Petersburg (Julian date: June 8);
2000 —American composer Allan Hovhaness, age 89, in Seattle;

Premieres:
1868 — Wagner: opera "Die Meistersinger von Nürenberg" (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg), in Munich at the Hofoper;
1890 — R. Strauss: tone-poem "Death and Transfiguration" and "Burleske" for Piano and Orchestra, in Eisenach, at a convention of the General German Music Association, with the composer conducting and Eugen d'Albert as the piano soloist in the "Burleske";
1898 — Fauré: incidental music, "Pelléas et Mélisande," in London;
1980 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Farwell to Stromness" for piano, at the St. Magnus Festival in Orkney, performed by the composer;
1980 — Persichetti: "Mirror Etudes," in Lawton, Oklah., by pianist Virginia Sircy;
1985 — Rautavaara: "Thomas," in Joensuu, Finland.
1994 — Philip Glass: opera "La Belle et la Bête" (Beauty and the Beast) based on the film by Jean Cocteau), by the Philip Glass Ensemble, in Gibellina, Italy;


Friday, June 22
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Photo
American conductor Theodore Thomas
SYNOPSIS:
Wagner in New York (and Philadelphia) ...

MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM:
Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883): American Centennial & Imperial Marches
Hong Kong Philharmonic; Varujan Kojian, cond.
Naxos 8.555386

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
On Richard Wagner
On Theodore Thomas

ALSO ON THIS DATE:
Births:
1763—French composer Étienne-Nicola Méhul, in Givet, Ardennes;

Deaths:
1974—French composer Darius Milhaud, age 81, in Geneva;

Premieres:
1911 — Elgar: "Coronation March," at coronation of King George V and Queen Mary;
1926 — Walton: "Portsmouth Point" Overture, in Zurich, at Festival of the International Society for Contemporary Music;
1938 — Krenek: opera "Karl V," in Prague at the New German Theater.

Other:
1871 —Wagner: "Kaiser March" at a Theodore Thomas Orchestra concert at Central Park Garden in New York City.


Saturday, June 23
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Photo
Soviet composer Reinhold Glière
SYNOPSIS:
Reinhold Gliere ...

MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM:
Reinhold Glière (1875 – 1956): Russian Sailors' Dance, from The Red Poppy
Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, cond.
BMG 63313
&
Reinhold Glière (1875 – 1956): Symphony No. 3 (Ilya Murometz)
London Symphony; Leon Botstein, cond.
Telarc 80609

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
On Glière

ALSO ON THIS DATE:
Births:
1824—German pianist and composer Carl Reinecke, in Altona;

Deaths:
1956—Soviet composer Reinhold Glière, age 80, in Moscow;

Premieres:
1972 — David Ward-Steinman: "Sonata for Piano Fortified," by Gary Wolf at the University of South Florida, Tampa;
1982 — Persichetti: Harpsichord Sonata No. 2, in Cleveland, by harpsichordist Elaine Comparone.


Sunday, June 24
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Photo
American composer Harry Partch
SYNOPSIS:
Harry Partch and Terry Riley ...

MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM:
Harry Partch (1901 – 1974): Delusion of the Fury
Ensemble of Unique Instruments; Danlee Mitchell, cond.
innova 406
&
Terry Riley (b. 1935): In C
SUNY at Buffalo ensemble; Terry Riley, cond.
CBS 7178

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
On Harry Partch
On the Partch instruments
On Terry Riley

ALSO ON THIS DATE:
Births:
1901—American composer, performer and instrument inventor Harry Partch, in Oakland, Calif.;
1908—German composer and organist Hugo Distler, in Nuremberg;
1935—American composer and performer Terry Riley, in Colfax, Calif.;

Deaths:
1882—German composer Josef Joachim Raff, age 60, in Frankfurt, during the night of June 24/25;

Premieres:
1854 — Schubert: opera "Alfonso and Estrella," posthumously, in Weimar, with Franz Liszt conducting; Schubert composed this opera in 1822;
1935 — R. Strauss: opera "Die schweigsame Frau" (The Silent Woman, after the play by Ben Jonson), in Dresden, conducted by Karl Boehm, and with vocal soloists Maria Cebotari (Aminta), Friedrich Plaschke (Sir Morosus), Matthieu Ahlersmeyer (The Barber), and Martin Kremer (Henry Morosus);
1943 — Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5, at a Promenade Concert at Royal Albert Hall, with the London Philharmonic conducted by the composer.