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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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January 21-27, 2008
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Monday, January 21
The final days of John Dowland ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Dowland (1563-1626): Captaine Piper Galiard & Mistresse Nichols Almand The Dowland Consort; Jakob Lindberg, lute & cond. Bis 315 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More on John Dowland ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1899—Russian-born American composer Alexander Tcherepnin, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan. 9); Deaths: 1851—German opera composer Albert Lortzing, age 49, in Berlin; 1948—Italian composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, age 72, in Venice; Premieres: 1713 — Handel: opera "Teseo" (Julian date: Jan. 10); 1725 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 111 ("Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit") performed on the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1816 — Cherubini: "Requiem," in Paris; 1880 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera "May Night," in St. Petersburg, Napravnik conducting (Julian date: Jan. 9); 1904 — Janácek: opera "Jenufa" in Brno at the National Theater; 1927 — Roussel: Suite in F for orchestra, in Boston; 1929 — Schreker: opera "Der Schatzgräber" (The Treasure Hunter), in Frankfurt at the Opernhaus; 1930 — Shostakovich: Symphony No. 3 ("May First"), in Leningrad; 1936 — Gershwin: "Catfish Row" Suite (from the opera "Porgy and Bess"), by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Alexander Smallens conducting; 1947 — Martinu: "Toccata e due canzona" for chamber orchestra, in Basel, Switzerland; 1968 — Bernstein: song "So Pretty" (a song protesting the Vietnam War) at Philharmonic Hall (now Avery Fisher Hall) in New York City, with singer Barbra Streisand and the composer at the piano; 1968 — Allan Pettersson: Symphony No. 6, in Stockholm; 1988 — Christopher Rouse: Symphony No. 1, by the Baltimore Symphony, David Zinman conducting;
Tuesday, January 22
Richard Strauss and Terry Riley put their spin on Salome's dance ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Richard Strauss (1864-1949): Dance of the Seven Veils, from Salome Richard Strauss, piano (Welte Mignon piano-roll c. 1905) Teldec 95354 & Terry Riley (b. 1935): Good Medicine, from lome Dances for Peace Kronos Quartet Nonesuch 79217 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More on Richard Strauss More on Terry Riley ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1727—French composer Claude-Bénigne Balbastre, in Dijon; 1870—French composer and organist Charles Tournemire, in Bordeaux; 1901—Austrian composer Hans Erich Apostel, in Karlsruhe, Germany; 1903—English composer Robin Milford, in Oxford; 1916—French composer Henri Dutilleux, in Angers; 1923—American composer Leslie Bassett, in Hanford, Calif.; 1924—American jazz composer and trombonist James Louis ("J.J.") Johnson, in Indianapolis; Deaths: 1964—American composer Marc Blitzstein, age 58, from injuries suffered in a barroom fight, in Fort-de-France, Martinique; Premieres: 1723 — Handel: opera "Ottone, re di Germania" (Julian date: Jan. 12); 1859 — Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in d, Op. 15, with the Hanover Court Orchestra conducted by Joseph Joachim and the composer as the soloist; 1887 — Gilbert & Sullivan: operetta "Ruddigore" at the Svoy Theatre in London; 1894 — Glazunov: Symphony No. 4, in St.Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 3); 1908 — Stravinsky: Symphony in Eb, Op. 1, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 4): 1934 — Shostakovich: opera "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" (1st version), in Leningrad at the Maliiy Opera Theater; 1936 — Hindemith: "Trauermusik (Music of Mourning)" for Viola and String Orchestra,on a BBC memorial concert for King George V of England (who had died on January 20, 1935), with Sir Adrian Boult conducting and the composer as soloist; 1970 — Carlisle Floyd: opera "Of Mice and Men," in Seattle; According to Opera America, this is one of the most frequently-produced American operas during the past decade; 1980 — John Williams: "Cowboys Overture," by the Boston Pops, conducted by the composer; 1998 — Ned Rorem: song-cycle “Evidence of Things Not Seen,” as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City, by the New York Festival of Song; 1998 — Bright Sheng: "Postcards," in Minneapolis at the University of Minnesota, by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Hugh Wolff conducting; Other: 1575—The Protestant Queen of England, Elizabeth I, grants a license to Thomas Tallis and William Byrd (both Catholics), to print music for 22 years; 1889—Columbia Phonograph Company founded in Washington, D.C.; 1907—The Metropolitan Opera production of R. Strauss' opera "Salome," with soprano Olive Fremstad in the title role, creates a scandal; The opera is dropped after a single performance, and not staged at the Met again until the 1930s.
Wednesday, January 23
Notable Dvorak and Ellington concerts in New York ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Stephen Foster (arr. Dvorák): Old Folks at Home Eva Urbanova, sop.; Prague Radio Symphony; Vladimir Valek, cond. Clarton 00113 & Duke Ellington (1899-1974): Light, from Black, Brown and Beige Suite American Composers Orchestra; Maurice Peress, cond. MusicMasters 60176 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Dvorak On Ellington ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1752—Italian composer Muzio Clementi, in Rome; 1878—English composer Rutland Boughton, in Aylesbury; Deaths: 1837—Irish composer John Field, age 54, in Moscow (Julian date: Jan.11); 1908—American composer and pianist Edward MacDowell, age 47, in New York; 1981—American composer Samuel Barber, age 70, in New York; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 73 ("Herr, wie du willst, so schicks mit mir") performed on the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1729 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 156 ("Ich steh mit einem Fuss im Grabe") probably performed in Leipzig on the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's fourth annual Sacred Cantata cycle (to texts by Christian Friedrich Henrici, a.k.a. "Picander") during 1728/29; 1895 — MacDowell: Suite No. 2 (":Indian"), at the old Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, by the Boston Symphony, with Emil Paur conducting; On the same program, MacDowell appeared as the soloist in his own Piano Concerto No. 1; 1933 — Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 2, in Frankfurt, with Hans Robaud conducting and the composer as soloist; 1936 — Chavez: "Sinfonia India," on a radio broadcast by the Columbia Symphony, conducted by the composer; 1948 — Diamond: Symphony No. 4, by the Boston Symphony, Leonard Bernstein conducting; 1963 — Peter Mennin: Symphony No. 7, by the Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell conducting; 1973 — Elliott Carter: String Quartet No. 3, in New York City, by the Juilliard String Quartet; This work won the Pulitzer Prize for music in that year (This was Carter's second Pulitzer Prize); 1999 — Thea Musgrave: "Three Women," in San Francisco, by the Women's Philharmonic, A. Hsu conducting; Other: 1894—Czech composer Antonin Dvorák presents a concert of African-American choral music at Madison Square Concert Hall in New York, using an all-black choir, comprised chiefly of members of the St. Philip's Colored Choir; On the program was the premiere performance of Dvorák's own arrangement of Stephen Foster's "Old Folks at Home," which featured vocal soloists Sissierette Jones and Harry T. Burleigh; 1943—Duke Ellington and his orchestra present their first concert at Carngie Hall in New York, presenting the "official" premiere of Ellington's "Black, Brown and Beige" Suite (This work had received its world premiere at a trial performance the preceding day at Rye High School in Rye, New York).
Thursday, January 24
Stravinsky (and Newman) at the movies ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): Symphony in Three Movements Berlin Philharmonic; Pierre Boulez, cond. DG 457 616 & Alfred Newman (1901-1970): Song of Bernadette National Philharmonic; Charles Gerhardt, cond. RCA 184 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More on Stravinsky More on Alfred Newman ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1712—Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia, monarch, flutist and composer, in Berlin; 1776—German composer, author, conductor and music critic E. T. A. Hoffmann, in Königsberg; 1913—American composer Norman Dello Joio, in New York City; 1918—Austrian composer Gottfried von Einem, in Bern, Switzerland; 1919—American composer Leon Kirchner, in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Deaths: 1851—Italian opera composer Gaspare Spontini, age 76, in Ancona, Italy; 1883—German opera composer Friedrich von Flotow, age 70, in Darmstadt; Premieres: 1835 — Bellini: opera "I Puritani," in Paris at the Théatre-Italien; 1875 — Saint-Saëns: "Dance macabre" for orchestra, in Paris; 1885 — Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 3, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan.12); 1895 — ; Ippolitov-Ivanov: “Caucasian Sketches” (Gregorian date: Feb. 5); 1906 — Rachmaninoff: two one-act operas "The Miserly Knight" and "Francesca da Rimini" in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theater (Julian date: Jan.11); 1922 — Walton: entertainment, "Façade," with Edith Sitwell reciting her poetry; 1922 — Nielsen: Symphony No. 5, in Copenhagen, with composer conducting; 1946 — Stravinsky: "Symphony in Three Movements," by New York Philharmonic, with the composer conducting; This work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic-Society; 1957 — Piston: Wind Quintet, at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, by the Boston Woodwind Quintet; 1959 — Shostakovich: operetta "Moscow, Cheryomushki," at the Moscow Operetta Theater; 1981 — John Harbison: Violin Concerto, at Emmanuel Church in Boston, with soloist Rose Mary Harbison and the Emmanuel Chamber Orchestra, Craig Smith conducting; 1991 — George Perle: Piano Concerto No. 1, with San Francisco Symphony conducted by David Zinman, with Richard Goode the soloist; Other: 1705—Birthdate if the famous Italian castrato singer Carlo Farinelli (born Carlo Broschi), in Andria; His life is depicted in the 1994 film "Farinelli"; 1813—The Royal Philharmonic Society in formed in London.
Friday, January 25
Paul Schoenfield's "Cafe Music" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Paul Schoenfield (b. 1947): Café Music Lev Polyakin, violin; Charles Bernard, cello; Frences Renzi, piano innova 544 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Paul Schoenfield ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1851—Flemish composer Jan Blockx, in Antwerp; 1886—German composer and conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, in Berlin; 1911—American composer and pianist Julia Smith, in Denton, Texas; 1913—Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski, in Warsaw; 1921 —American composer and conductor Alfred Reed, in New York City; Premieres: 1817 — Rossini: opera, "La Cenerentola" (Cinderella), in Rome at the Teatro Valle; 1902 — Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 1, in Vienna; 1909 — R. Strauss: opera "Elektra," in Dresden at the Hofoper, conducted by Ernst von Schuch, with soprano Annie Krull in the title role; 1946 — R. Strauss: "Metamorphosen," in Zürich; 1957 — Walton: Cello Concerto, by the Boston Symphony conducted by Charles Munch, with Gregor Piatigorsky the soloist; 1963 — Karl Amadeus Hartmann: Symphony No. 8, by the West German Radio Symphony, Rafael Kubelik conducting; 1987 — Paul Schoenfield: "Café Music" for piano trio at a St. Paul Chamber Orchestra concert.
Saturday, January 26
Paine's Symphony No. 1 ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Knowles Paine (1839-1906): Symphony No. 1 in c New York Philharmonic; Zubin Mehta, cond. New World 374 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On John Knowles Paine ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1924—American composer Warren Benson, in Detroit, Michigan; Deaths: 1795—German composer Johann Christioph Friedrich Bach, age 62, in Bückeburg 1993—American composer and teacher Kenneth Gaburo, age 66, in Iowa City; Premieres: 1732 — Handel: opera "Ezio" (Julian date: Jan.15); 1790 — Mozart: opera, "Così fan tutte," in Vienna at the Burgtheater; 1873 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 7); 1882 — Borodin: String Quartet No. 2 in D, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 7); 1905 — Schoenberg: symphonic poem "Pelleas und Melisande," in Vienna, with the composer conducting; 1908 — Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 8); 1911 — Richard Strauss: opera, “Der Rosenkavalier,” in Dresden at the Hofoper, conducted by Ernst von Schuch, with vocal soloists Margarethe Siems (Marschallin), Eva von der Osten (Octavian), Minnie Nast (Sophie), Karl Perron (Baron Ochs), and Karl Scheidemantel (Faninal); 1920 — Prokofiev: "Overture on Hebrew Themes," in New York by the Zimro Ensemble, with the composer at the piano; 1922 — Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 3 "Pastoral," by the Royal Philharmonic, London, Sir Adrian Boult conducting; 1934 — Roy Harris: Symphony No. 1, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1952 — Ernst von Dohnányi: Violin Concerto No. 2, in San Antonio, Texas; 1957 — Bernstein: "Candide" Overture (concert version), by New York Philharmonic conducted by the composer; The musical "Candide" had opened at the Martin Beck Theater in New York City on December 1, 1956; 1957 — Poulenc: opera, "Les dialogues des carmélites" (The Dialogues of the Carmelites) in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala, Nino Sanzogno conducting; 1962 — Diamond: Symphony No. 7, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1966 — Dominick Argento: Variations for Orchestra and Soprano (The Masque of Night"), at the St. Paul Campus Student Center of the University of Minnesota, by the Minneapolis Civic Orchestra, Thomas Nee conducting, with soprano Carolyn Bailey; A second performance took place on Jan. 27th at Coffmann Memorial Union on the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota; 1967 — Frank Martin: Cello Concerto, in Basel, Switzerland; 1994 — Elisabetta Brusa: “La Triade” for large orchestra, by the Tirana (Albania) Radio and Television Orchestra, Gilberto Serembe conducting; 1994 — Christopher Rouse: Cello Concerto, by the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by David Zinman, with Yo-Yo Ma the soloist; 1995 — Joan Tower: "Duets for Orchestra," by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Christoph Perick conducting.
Sunday, January 27
Rorem's concerto for the "English" Horn ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ned Rorem (b. 1923): Concerto for English Horn and Orchestra Thomas Stacy, eh; Rochester Philharmonic; Michael Palmer, cond. New World 80489 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Ned Rorem ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1756—Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in Salzburg; 1806—Spanish composer Juan Crisostomo Arriage, in Rigoitia; 1823—French composer Edouard Lalo, in Lille; 1885—American composer Jerome Kern, in New York City; Deaths: 1901—Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi, age 87, in Milan; Premieres: 1726 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 72 ("Alles nur nach Gottes Willen") performed on the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27); 1733 — Handel: opera "Orlando" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket(Gregorian date: Feb. 7); 1844 — Erkel: opera "Hunyady László," considered the first national Hungarian opera, in Budapest; 1849 — Verdi: opera "La battaglia di Legnano" (The Battle of Legnano), in Rome at the Teatro Argentina; 1874 — Mussorgsky: opera "Boris Godunov", in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 8); 1944 — Paul Creston: Saxophone Concerto, in New York; 1947 — Stravinsky: Concerto in D, in Basle (Switzerland), by the Basle Chamber Orchestra conducted by Paul Sacher (who commissioned the work); 1955 — Tippett: opera "The Midsummer Marriage," in London at the Royal Opera House, with John Pritchard conducting (and soprano Joan Sutherland in the cast); 1967 — Leon Kirchner: Quartet No. 3 for strings and electronic tape, in New York City, by the Beaux Arts Quartet; This work was awarded the 1967 Pulitzer Prize for Music; 1991 — Off-Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical "Assassins." |
