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March 3-9, 2008
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Monday, March 3
"Please don't have Carmen die at the end, I pray you . . ." ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Georges Bizet (1838-1875): Carmen Suite Orchestre de la Bastille; Myung-Whun Chung, cond. DG 431 778 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Bizet ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1891—Spanish composer Federico Moreno Torroba, in Madrid; Deaths: 1768—Italian composer Nicola Porpora, age 81, in Naples; 1824—Italian composer and violin virtuoso Giovanni Battista Viotti, age 68, in London; 1932—British-born German composer and pianist Eugène d'Albert, age 67, in Riga; Premieres: 1793 — Haydn: Symphony No. 101 ("The Clock"), conducted by the composer, at the Hanover-Square Concert Rooms in London; 1842 — Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 ("Scotch"), by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, with the composer conducting; 1853 — revised version of R. Schumann: Symphony No. 4, with the Düsseldorf Municipal Orchestra, conducted by the composer; An earlier version of this symphony premiered in Leipzig in 1841 as Schumann's Symphony "No. 2," but the composer withdrew the score and composed and premiered a new Symphony No. 2 and Symphony No. 3 before revising and reintroducing this symphony as "No. 4"; 1870 — Brahms: "Alto Rhapsody," by the singer Pauline Viardot-Garcia, in Jena, Germany; 1875 — Bizet: opera "Carmen," in Paris at the Opéra-Comique; 1893 — George Templeton Strong, Jr.: Symphony No. 2 ("Sintram"), at a public afternoon rehearsal by the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, with Anton Seidl conducting; The "official" premiere concert took place the following evening; 1899 — R. Strauss: tone-poem "Ein Heldenleben" (A Hero's Life), in Frankfurt, with Strauss conducting; 1918 — Bartók: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 17, in Budapest, by the Waldbauer Quartet; 1944 — Barber: Symphony No, 2, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1951 — Otto Luening: "Kentucky Concerto" by the Louisville Orchestra, with the composer conducting; 1959 — Cowell: Symphony No. 13 ("Madras") in Madras, India; 1963 — Menotti: television opera "Labyrinth," broadcast over the NBC network; Other: 1886—American premiere (in a concert version) of Wagner's "Parsifal" at the Old Metropolitan Opera House, by the New York Symphony and Oratorio Society conducted by the 24-year old Walter Damrosch; The soloists included soprano Marianne Brandt, who had alternated the role of Kundry with soprano Amalie Materna in the premiere staged performances of the opera in Bayreuth in July of 1882; The first fully staged presentation of "Parsifal" in the U.S. did not occur at the Met until Dec. 24, 1903; 1922—U.S. premiere of concert version of Stravinsky's ballet score, "The Rite of Spring," in Philadelphia, with Leopold Stokowski conducting.
Tuesday, March 4
Happy Birthday, Antonio Vivaldi ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741): The Four Seasons Enrico Onofri, violin; Il Giardino Armonico; Giovanni Antonini, cond. Teldec 97671 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Antonio Vivaldi ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1678—Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, in Venice; 1915—Spanish-born American composer Carlos Surinach, in Barcelona; 1928—German-born American composer Samuel Adler, in Mannheim; Deaths: 1925—German-born composer Moritz Moszkowski, age 70, in Paris; Premieres: 1791 — Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27 in Bb, K. 595, in Vienna with the composer as soloist; 1870 — 1870–Tchaikovsky: fantasy-overture "Romeo and Juliet" (first version) in Moscow, with Nicolas Rubinstein conducting (Gregorian date: Mar. 16); 1877 — Tchaikovsky: ballet "Swan Lake," at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow (Julian date: Feb. 20); 1885 — R. Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1, by the Meiningen Orchestra conducted by Hans von Bülow, with Gustav Leinhos, that orchestra's principal horn, as the soloist; 1895 — movements 1-3 only of Mahler: Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection"), by Berlin Philharmonic, with Mahler conducting; The first complete performance, also with the composer conducting the Berlin Philharmonic, took place on December 13 that same year; 1905 — Glazunov: Violin Concerto, in St. Petersburg, with violinist Leopold Auer as the soloist (Julian date: Feb. 19); 1921 — Daniel Gregory Mason: "Prelude and Fugue" for piano and orchestra, in Chicago; 1988 — Argento: "Te Deum" for chorus and orchestra, by the Buffalo (N.Y.) Philharmonic Orchestra and Schola Cantorum, Thomas Swan conducting; 1995 — Christopher Rouse: Symphony No. 2, by the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Christoph Eschenbach conducting; Other: 1801—The U.S. Marine Band performed for Thomas Jefferson's inaugural; Jefferson, an avid music lover and amateur violinist, gave the Marine Band the title "The President's Own." Since that time, the band has played for every presidential inaugural; 1809—The U.S. Marine Band performed for James Madison's Presidential inaugural ball, the first ever held. The President, First Lady Dolly Madison, and their guests were serenaded by popular songs and dances of the period; 1965—American premiere of Ligeti: "Poème symphonique" for 100 metronomes, in Buffalo, N.Y.
Wednesday, March 5
MacDowell and the fickle finger of fame ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Edward MacDowell (1860-1908): Piano Concerto No. 2 in d André Watts, piano; Dallas Symphony; Andrew Litton, cond. Telarc 80429 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On MacDowell On the MacDowell Colony 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.
Thursday, March 6
Sleep on it, Giuseppe ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901): La Traviata Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Sir Georg Solti, cond. London 448 119 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Verdi On Verdi's opera 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; This premiere was under-rehearsed and poorly performed (the Quartet had only received the music two weeks earlier), and Beethoven arranged for a second performance by a quartet led by violinist Joseph Boehm on March 26, which was better rehearsed and better received; 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.
Friday, March 7
A hostess with the most-est nabs Ravel AND Gershwin ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: George Gershwin (1898-1937): Rhapsody in Blue Alicia Zizzo, piano Carlton 66005 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Maurice Ravel On George Gershwin 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.
Saturday, March 8
Bolcom's Bicentennial send-up ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: William Bolcom (b. 1938): Piano Concerto William Bolcom, piano; Rochester Philharmonic; Sydney Hodkinson, cond. Vox Box 7509 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On William Bolcom 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.
Sunday, March 9
Mahler's musical love-letter? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony No. 5 Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, cond. London 458 860 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Gustav Mahler International Mahler Society website 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," (after Shakespeare's play "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. |
