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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.  |
January 7-13, 2008
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Monday, January 7
Pop music by Rimsky-Korsakov and Michael Daugherty ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908): Song of India, from Sadko (arr Kreisler) Gil Shaham, vn; Akira Eguchi, p. DG 447 640 & Michael Daugherty (b. 1954): Candelabra Rhumba, from Le tombeau de Liberace Paul Crossley, piano; London Sinfonietta; Markus Stenz, cond. Argo 458 145 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Rimsky-Korsakov On Michael Daugherty ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1899—French composer and pianist Francis Poulenc, in Paris; 1917—American composer Ulysses Kay, in Tucson, Ariz.; Deaths: 1964—American composer Colin McPhee, age 62, in Los Angeles; Premieres: 1725 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 124 ("Meinen Hesum lass ich nicht") performed on the 1st Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1857 — Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 in A, in Weimar, with the composer conducting and his pupil, Hans von Bronsart, the soloist; 1895 — Brahms: Two Sonatas for clarinet and piano (Op. 120, no. 1 in f & No. 2 in Eb), in Vienna at a private performance for members of the Tonkünstler Society, with clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld and the composer at the piano; The first public performances of these pieces took place at the Rosé Quartet's chamber concert series on Jan. 8 (Sonata No. 2) and Jan. 11 (Sonata No. 1); See also Jan. 8 & 11 below for more information on early performances of these two sonatas; 1897 — Loeffler: “The Death of Tintagiles” for orchestra, by the Boston Symphony, Emil Paur conducting; 1898 — Glazunov: ballet "Raymonda" (Gregorian date: Jan. 19); 1898 — Rimsky-Korsakov: "Sadko," in Moscow at the Solodovnikov Theater, Esposito conducting (Julian date: Dec. 26, 1897; 1933 — Gruenberg: opera "Emperor Jones" (after the play by Eugene O'Neill), at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City; 1942 — Copland: "Statements" for Orchestra, at Carnegie Hall by New York Philharmonic conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos; 1952 — Gail Kubik: "Symphonie-Concertante" in New York City; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1952; 1955 — Martinu: Symphony No. 6 ("Fantaisies symphoniques"), by the Boston Symphony, with Charles Munch conducting; 2000 — Danielpour: "The Night Rainbow," in Santa Anna, Calif., by the Pacific Symphony, Carl St. Clair conducting; Other: 1955—Marian Anderson makes her Metropolitan Opera debut as Ulrica in Verdi's "Un Ballo in Mascera" (A Masked Ball); She is the first African-American singer to perform as an opera soloist on the Met stage; Subsequent distinguished African-American singers who performed as members of the Met company included Robert McFerrin, Sr. (Bobby McFerrin Jr.’s father), Leontyne Price, Martina Arroyo, Kahtleen Battle and Jessye Norman.
Tuesday, January 8
Fateful anniversaries for Lully and Shostakovich ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687): Galliarde, from Trios pour le coucher du Roi Chicago Baroque Ensemble Cedille 043 & Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975): Symphony No. 15 in A, Op. 141 London Symphony; Maxim Shostakovich, cond. Collins 1206 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More on Shostakovich More on Lully ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1792—American composer and educator Lowell Mason, in Medford, Massachusetts; 1812—Swiss composer and pianist Sigismond Thalberg, in Pâquis, near Geneva; 1896—Czech composer Jaromir Weinberger, in Prague; 1899—Russian-born American composer Alexander Tcherepnin (Gregorian date: Jan. 21); 1905—Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi, in La Spezia; 1924—Russian-American composer Benjamin Lees (née Lysniansky), in Harbin, Manchuria; 1924—Austrian-born American composer Robert Starer, in Vienna; 1935—The charismatic rock 'n' roll performer Elvis Presley is born in Tupelo, Miss.; 1937—American composer Robert Moran, in Denver; Deaths: 1713—Italian composer and violinist Arcangelo Corelli, age 59, in Rome; 1831—Moravian-born composer and violinist Franz Krommer, age 71, in Vienna; 1998—British composer Sir Michael Tippett, age 93, in London; Premieres: 1705 — Handel: opera "Almira" in Hamburg; This was Handel's first opera (see also Dec. 5 & 30 for related contemporary incidents); 1720 — Handel: opera "Radamisto" (2nd version), in London (Julian date: Dec. 28, 1720); 1735 — Handel: opera "Ariodante" in London at the Covent Garden Theater (Gregorian date: Jan. 19); 1843 — Schumann: Piano Quintet in Eb, Op. 44, at Leipzig Gewandhaus with pianist Clara Schumann; 1895 — Brahms: Clarinet Sonata, Op. 120, no. 1 (first public performance), in Vienna, by clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, with the composer at the piano, as part of the Rosé Quartet's chamber music series; The first performance ever of this work occurred on September 19, 1894, at a private performance in the home of the sister of the Duke of Meiningen at Berchtesgaden, with the same performers; Brahms and Mühlfeld also gave private performances of both sonatas in Frankfurt (for Clara Schumann and others) on November 10-13, 1894; at Castle Altenstein (for the Duke of Meiningen) on Nov. 14, 1894; and on Jan. 7, 1895 (for members of the Vienna Tonkünstler Society); 1911 — Florent Schmitt: "La tragédie de Salomé" for orchestra, in Paris; 1927 — Berg: "Lyric Suite" for string quartet, in Vienna, by the Kolisch Quartet; 1928 — Hindemith: "Kammermusik" No. 7, Op. 46, no. 2, in Frankfurt, with Ludwig Rottenberg conducting and Reinhold Merten the organist; 1940 — Roger Sessions: Violin Concerto, by the Illinois Symphony conducted by Izler Solomon, with Robert Gross as soloist; The work was to have been premiered by Albert Spalding with the Boston Symphony under Koussevitzky in January of 1937, but did not take place); 1963 — Shostakovich: opera "Katerina Izmailova" (2nd version of "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District"), in Moscow at the Stanislavsky-Nemirovich-Dachenko Music Theater; 1971 — Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15, in Moscow, by the All-Union Radio and Television Symphony, with the composer's son, Maxim, conducting; 1987 — Christopher Rouse: "Phaethon" for orchestra, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti conducting; 1988 — Schwantner: "From Afar . . . " (A Fantasy for Guitar and Orchestra), by guitarist Sharon Isbin with the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting; Other: 1923—First broadcast in England of an opera direct from a concert hall, Mozart's "The Magic Flute" via the BBC from London;
Wednesday, January 9
Opposite-coast bouquets and brickbats for Weill and Sessions ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Roger Sessions (1896-1985): Symphony No. 2 San Francisco Symphony; Herbert Blomstedt, cond London 443 376 & Kurt Weill (1900-1950): Act 1 Introduction, from Street Scene Scottish Opera Orchestra; John Mauceri, cond. London 433 371 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Kurt Weill On Roger Sessions More on Sessions ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1839—American composer John Knowles Paine, in Portland, Maine; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 154 ("Mein liebster Jesus ist verloren") performed on the 1st Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1880 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera "May Night," in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Jan. 21); 1904 — Debussy: "Estampes," by Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes, in Paris; 1909 — Ravel: "Gaspard de la Nuit," by Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes, in Paris; 1937 — Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 4, in Los Angeles, by the Kolisch Quartet; 1939 — Bartók: "Rhapsody" (two movements) for clarinet, violin, and piano, in New York City, with clarinetist Benny Goodman, violinist Joseph Szigeti, and the composer at the piano; For the 1940 recording session of this work, commissioned by Goodman, Bartók added a middle movement and changed the title to "Contrasts"; 1947 — Roger Sessions: Symphony No. 2, by the San Francisco Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting; 1947 — Kurt Weill: opera "Street Scene," in New York City at the Adelphi Theater; 1948 — Walter Piston: Symphony No. 3, Serge Koussevitzky conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1948; 1976 — William Bolcom: "Seasons" for guitar, in New York City; 1987 — Joan Tower: "Silver Ladders," by the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting; 1988 — Alvin Singleton: "After Fallen Crumbs" for orchestra, by the Atlanta Symphony, Michael Palmer conducting.
Thursday, January 10
A Kernis premiere wins the Pulitzer ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Aaron Jay Kernis (b. 1960): String Quartet No. 2 (musica instrumentalis) The Lark Quartet Arabesque 6727 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Aaron Jay Kernis ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1910—French composer and conductor Jean Martinon, in Lyons; 1916—American composer Milton Babbitt, in Philadelphia; Deaths: 1895—French composer Benjamin Godard, age 45, in Cannes; 1941—British composer Frank Bridge, age 61, in Eastbourne; Premieres: 1676 — Lully: opera "Atys," in St. Germain; 1713 — Handel: opera "Teseo" at the Queen's Theater in London; On the second night of the performance, the theater manager, a certain Owen Swiney, flees to Italy with the box office receipts (Gregorian date: Jan. 21); 1867 — Verdi: opera "Don Carlos" (2nd Italian-language version in 4 acts), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; 1886 — first performance with orchestra of Bruckner: "Te Deum" in Vienna; 1897 — d'Indy "Istar" for orchestra, simultaneously by Willem Mengelberg in Amsterdam and Eugène Ysayë in Brussels; 1928 — Gershwin (and Sigmund Romberg): musical "Rosalie" at the New Amsterdam Theater in New York City; This show included the classic Gershwin songs "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "Say So!"; 1931 — Ives: “Three Places in New England,” in New York City, by the Chamber Orchestra of Boston, Nicholas Slonimsky conducting; 1934 — Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 4, by Vienna Symphony, Oswald Kabasta conducting; 1960 — Stravinsky: "Movements," at Town Hall in New York, by pianist Margit Weber during a Stravinsky Festival, with the composer conducting; 1978 — Dutilleux: "Timbres, espaces, mouvement" for orchestra, in Washington, D.C.; 1987 — Joan Tower: "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman" No. 1 (later dedicated to Marin Alsop), by the Houston Symphony, Hans Vonk conducting; 1998 — Kernis: String Quartet No. 2, at Merkin Concert Hall in New York, by the Lark Quartet; This work won that year's Pulitzer Prize for Music; Other: 1710—Handel's music is performed in London for the first time, when orchestral works from his opera "Rodrigo" are performed as incidental music during a revival performance of Ben Jonson's play "The Alchymist" (Gregorian date: Jan. 21).
Friday, January 11
A John Adams Christmas oratorio ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Adams (b. 1947): excerpts from El Niño soloists; Kent Nagano, cond. Nonesuch 79634 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More on John Adams ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1856—Norwegian composer Christian Sinding, in Kongsberg; 1875—Russian composer Reinhold Glière, in Kiev, Ukraine (Julian date: Dec. 30, 1874); 1902—French composer and organist Maurice Duruflé, in Louviers; 1944—German composer York Höller, in Leverkusen; Deaths: 1801—Italian composer Domenico Cimarosa, age 51, in Venice; 1901—Russian composer Vassili Sergeievitch Kalinnikov, age 34, in Yalta (Julian date: Dec. 29, 1900); 1954—Austrian composer Oscar Straus, age 83, in Bad Ischl; Premieres: 1754 — Rameau: opera "Castor and Pollux" (2nd version), in Paris at the Palais Royal Opéra; 1895 — Brahms: Clarinet Sonata, Op. 120, no. 1 (first public performance), in Vienna, by clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, with the composer at the piano, as part of the Rosé Quartet's chamber music series; The first performance ever of this work occurred on September 19, 1894, at a private performance in the home of the sister of the Duke of Meiningen at Berchtesgaden, with the same performers; Brahms and Mühlfeld also gave private performances of both sonatas in Frankfurt (for Clara Schumann and others) on November 10-13, 1894; at Castle Altenstein (for the Duke of Meiningen) on Nov. 14, 1894; and on Jan. 7, 1895 (for members of the Vienna Tonkünstler Society); 1906 — Rachmaninoff: two one-act operas "The Miserly Knight" and "Francesca da Rimini" in Moscow (Gregorian date: Jan. 24); 1925 — Copland: Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, at Aeolian Hall in New York City by New York Symphony conducted by Walter Damrosch, with Nadia Boulanger the soloist; 1940 — Prokofiev: ballet, "Romeo and Juliet," in Leningrad; 1968 — Shchedrin: "Chimes" by the New York Philharmonic; 1976 — Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical "Pacific Overtures"; 1992 — John Harbison: song "The Flute of Interior Time" (text by Kabir, translated by Robert Bly), at the Shauspielhaus in Berlin, by baritone William Parker and pianist Allan Marks; This song became part of "The AIDS-Quilt Songbook" compiled by the late William Parker; 1997 — Henze: opera "Venus and Adonis," in Munich at the Bavarian State Opera; 2001 — American premiere of John Adams: oratorio "El Niño" at Davies Hall, San Francisco with Kent Nagano conducting the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Symphony Chorus, the Piedmont Children's Choir and the same soloists as the Paris world premiere performance at. Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris on December 15, 2000. Other: 1946—German composer Paul Hindemith becomes a U.S. citizen.
Saturday, January 12
Dvorak's "American" Quintet ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Antonin Dvorák (1841-1904): String Quintet in Eb, Op. 97 Smetana Quartet; Josef Suk, vla Denon 72507 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Dvorák Dvorák in the Midwest ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1715—French composer Jacques Duphly, in Rouen; 1876—Italian opera composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, in Venice; 1921—American composer and pianist Leo Smit, in Philadelphia; 1926 —American composer Morton Feldman, in New York City; 1927—American composer Salvatore Martirano, in Yonkers, N.Y.; Deaths: 1674—Italian composer Giacomo Carissimi, age 68, in Rome; 1958—American composer Arthur Shepherd, age 77, in Cleveland; Premieres: 1723 — Handel: opera "Ottone, re di Germania" (Otto, King of the Germans), in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket, with the debut London performance of the Italian soprano Francesca Cuzzoni in a work by Handel (Gregorian date: Jan. 23); It was during a rehearsal of this opera with Cuzzoni in late Dec. of 1722 that the famous incident between Handel and Cuzzoni took place during which the composer supposedly said “Madam, I know you are a veritable devil, but I would have you know that I am Beelzebub, the chief of the devils!”; 1864 — Brahms: "Variations on a Theme by R. Schumann," Op. 23 for piano four-hands, in Vienna; 1883 — Chadwick: “Thalia” Overture, by the Boston Symphony, with the composer conducting; 1885 — Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 3, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Jan. 24); 1894 — Dvorák: String Quintet in Eb, Op. 97 (“American”), in New York, by the Kneisel Quartet (and violist M Zach); 1918 — George Templeton Strong, Jr.: tone-poem “Le Roi Arthur” (King Arthur), in Geneva, Switzerland, with Ernest Ansermet conducting the orchestra which would be named the Orchestra of the Suisse Romande ater that same year; 1934 — Bloch: "Sacred Service," in Turin, Italy; 1942 — Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 22 in Tbilisi; 1964 — Cowell: "Concerto Grosso," for chamber orchestra, in Miami Beach by the Miami Symphony Orchestra, Fabien Sevitzky, conducting; 2002 — Athena Adamopoulos: "Soliloquy" for cello and piano, at a "From the Top" recording session for Public Radio International at Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, by cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Christopher O'Riley; Ms. Adamopoulos was 15 years old at the time; Their performance was broadcast nationwide in early February, 2002; Other: 1910 —Radio pioneer Lee De Forest experiments with live broadcasting from the Metropolitan Opera in New York; The signal was relayed from a rooftop transmitter at the Met to wireless installations, then by land lines to telephone receivers, and reportedly reached a few hundred listeners as far away as Newark, New Jersey; These were the first occasions on which a Met performance was heard live by audiences not present at the actual performance; De Forest’s 1910 “broadcasts” included part or all of Acts II and III of the Jan. 12th performance of “Tosca” (with soprano Olive Fremstad in the title role) and the following day’s double-bill of “Cavalleria Rusticana” (with soprano Emmy Destinn as Santuzza) and “Pagliacci”; Riccardo Martin sang the lead tenor roles in “Tosca” and “Cavalleria Rusticana,” Enrico Caruso in the “Pagliacci” performance; The first in the continuing series of complete live radio broadcasts from Met occurred on Christmas Day in 1931, when “Hansel and Gretel” was aired on the NBC network.
Sunday, January 13
Prokofiev takes the Fifth in Moscow ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Symphony No. 5 in Bb, Op. 100 St. Petersburg Philharmonic;Yuri Temirkanov, cond. RCA/BMG 60984 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Prokofiev On Prokofiev under the Soviet regime ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1690—German composer Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, in Grünstadtl; 1866—Russian composer Vassili Sergeievitch Kalinnikov, in Voin (Julian date: Jan 1.); 1904—British composer Richard Addinsell, in London; Deaths: 1864—American composer Stephen Foster, age 37, in Bellevue Hospital, New York; 1980—Russian-born American conductor and arranger André Kostelanetz, age 78, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Premieres: 1726 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 32 ("Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen") performed on the 1st Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27); 1775 — Mozart: opera "La finta giardiniera" (The Feigned Gardener), in Munich at the Opernhaus St. Salvator; 1873 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera "The Maid of Pskov" (first version) in St. Petersburg, Napravnik conducting; This was Rimsky-Korsakov’s first opera (Julian date: Jan.1); 1904 — Bartók: tone-poem “Kossuth,” in Budapest; Bartók’s parody of the German national hymn in this work caused an uproar at the work’s premiere; 1944 — Stravinsky: "Circus Polka" (concert version) and "Four Norwegian Moods," in Cambridge at the Garden Theatre, with the Boston Symphony conducted by the composer; 1945 — Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5, by the Moscow State Philharmonic, with the composer conducting; 2000 — Danielpour: "Voices of Remembrance" for string quartet and orchestra, in Washington, D.C. with the Guarneri String Quartet and the National Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting. Other: 1910—Lee De Forest relays experimental Met Opera performances via a radio transmitter (see also Jan. 12). |
