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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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May 5-11, 2008
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Monday, May 5
Britten in America ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976): Paul Bunyan Overture English Chamber Orchestra; Philip Brunelle, cond. Virgin 45093 & Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976): Sea Interludes, fr Peter Grimes, Op 33a BBC Symphony; Andrew Davis, cond. Teldec 73126 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Britten ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1819—Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko, in Ubiel, province of Minsk, Russia; 1869—German composer and conductor Hans Pfitzner, in Moscow, of German parents (Julian date: April 23); Premieres: 1726 — Handel: opera "Alessandro," in London at King's Theater in the Haymarket, with the Italian soprano Faustina Bordini marking her London debut in a work by Handel (Gregorian date: May 16); 1917 — Debussy: Violin Sonata, in Paris, by violinist Gaston Poulet with the composer at the piano (his last public appearance); 1926 — Copland: Two Pieces ("Nocturne" and "Ukelele Serenade"), in Paris by violinist Samuel Dushkin with the composer at the piano; 1930 — Milhaud: opera "Christophe Colomb" (Christopher Columbus),at the Berlin State Opera; 1941 — Britten: "Paul Bunyan" (text by W.H. Auden) at Columbia University in New York City; 1945 — Barber: "I Hear an Army," "Monks and Raisins," "Nocturne,""Sure On This Shining Night," during a CBS radio broadcast, with mezzo Jennie Tourel and the CBS Symphony, composer conducting; 1946 — Douglas Moore: Symphony in A, in Paris; 1977 — George Crumb: oratorio "Star Child," by the New York Philharmonic, Pierre Boulez conducting; 1982 — Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Symphony No. 1, at Alice Tully Hall in New York, by the American Composers Orchestra, Gunther Schuller conducting; This work won the Pulitzer Prize in 1983; 1987 — John Williams: "A Hymn to New England," by the Boston Pops conducted by the composer (recorded by the Pops and Keith Lockhardt ); 1991 — Joan Tower: "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman" No. 3(dedicated to Frances Richard of ASCAP), at Carnegie Hall, by members of the Empire Brass and the New York Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta conducting; 2000 — Christopher Rouse: "Rapture" for orchestra, by the Pittsburgh Symphony, Mariss Jansons conducting; 2001 — Christopher Rouse: "Rapturedux" cello ensemble, by the Royal Northern College of Music Cellists in Manchester (U.K.); Other: 1891—Carnegie Hall opens in New York City with a concert that included Beethoven's "Leonore" Overture No. 3 conducted by Walter Damrosch, and Tchaikovsky's "Marche Solennelle" (Coronation March) conducted by its composer.
Tuesday, May 6
Rautavaara's "Angels" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Einojuhani Rautavaara (b. 1928): Angel of Dusk Olli Kosonen, double bass; Finnish Radio Symphony; Leif Segerstam, cond. Finlandia 009 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Rautavaara ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1915—American composer George Perle, in Bayonne, N.J.; 1918—Canadian composer Godfrey Ridout, in Toronto; Deaths: 1667—(on May 6 or 7) German composer and keyboard player Johann Jakob Froberger, age 50, in Hericourt, nearr Montbeliard , France; Premieres: 1897 — Leoncavallo: opera "La Boheme" in Venice; 1981 — Rautavaara: Double-bass Concerto ("Angel of Dusk"),in Helsinki, with bassist Olli Kosonen and the Finnish Radio Symphony, Leif Segerstam conducting; 1985 — Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: "Concerto for Trumpet and Five Players," by the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble; 1992 — Libby Larsen: Symphony No. 3 ("Lyric"), by the Albany Symphony (NY), Joel Revzen conducting; 1999 — Magnus Lindberg: Cello Concerto, by the Orchestre de Paris, with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting and Anssi Karttunen the soloist; 1999 — Christopher Rouse: "Seeing" (Piano Concerto), at Avery Fisher Hall in New York, by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Slatkin, with Emanuel Ax the soloist; Other: 1872—Theodore Thomas conducts the first concert of the Cincinnati Music Festival ("May Festival"); His program includes Beethoven's Fifth, Handel's "Dettingen Te Deum," a Mozart aria, and a chorus from Haydn's "Creation."
Wednesday, May 7
"Pay no attention to Beethoven (if you can)" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Symphony No. 9 in d (Choral) Wiener Singverein; Berlin Philharmonic; Herbert von Karajan, cond. DG 453 701 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Beethoven's life and career On some of Beethoven's least familiar works ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1833—German composer Johannes Brahms, in Hamburg; 1840—Russian composer Pyotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, in Votkinsk, district of Viatka (Julian date: April 25); 1850—Hungarian conductor Anton Seidl, in Budapest; He was Wagner assistant at the first Bayreuth Festival performances of the "Ring" operas in 1876-79, was engaged to conduct the German repertory at the Metropolitan Opera in 1885, and in 1891 as the permanent conductor of the New York Philharmonic; He conducted the American premieres of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" in 1886 and the world premiere of Dvorák's "New World" Symphony in 1893; He died of ptomaine poisoning in 1898; Deaths: 1793—Italian composer and violinist Pietro Nardini, age 71, in Florence; 1818—Bohemian composer Leopold (Jan Antonín, Ioannes Antonius)Kozeluch (Kotzeluch, Koželuh), age 70, in Vienna; 1825—Italian composer Antonio Salieri, age 74, in Vienna; Premieres: 1824 — Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 ("Choral") at the Kärntnertor Theater in Vienna, with the deaf composer on stage beating time, but with the performers instructed to follow the cues of Beethoven's assistant conductor, Michael Umlauf; 1888 — Lalo: "Le Roi d'Ys" (The King of Ys) at the Opéra Comique, in Paris; 1926 — Milhaud: opera "Les malheurs d'Orphée" (The Sorrows of Orpheus), in Brussels at the Théatre de la Monnaie; 1944 — Copland: "Our Town" Film Music Suite (revised version), by the Boston Pops conducted by Leonard Bernstein; An earlier version of this suite aired on CBS Radio on June 9, 1940, with the Columbia Broadcasting Symphony conducted by Howard Barlow; 1947 — Virgil Thomson: opera "The Mother of Us All," at Columbia University in New York City; 1985 — David Ward-Steinman: "Chroma" Concerto for multiple keyboards, percussion, and chamber orchestra, in Scottsdale, Ariz., by the Noveau West Chamber Orchestra conducted by Terry Williams, with the composer and Amy-Smith-Davie as keyboard soloists; 1988 — Stockhausen: opera "Montag von Licht" (Monday from Light), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; 1988 — Michael Torke: ballet "Black and White," at the New York State Theater, with the NY City Ballet Orchestra, David Alan Miller conducting; 1993 — Harrison Birtwistle: "Five Distances for Five Instruments," in London at the Purcell Room, by the Ensemble InterContemporain; 1998 — Joan Tower: "Tambor," by the Pittsburgh Symphony, Mariss Jansons conducting; 1999 — Robert X. Rodriguez: "Bachanale: Concertino for Orchestra," by the San Antonio Symphony, Wilkins conducting; Other: 1747—J.S. Bach (age 62) visits King Frederick II of Prussia at his court in Potsdam on May 7-8; Bach improvises on a theme submitted by the King, performing on the King's forte-piano; In September of 1747 Bach publishes a chamber work based on the royal theme entitled "Musical Offering." 1937—The RKO film "Shall We Dance?" is released, with a filmscore by George Gershwin; This film includes the classic Gershwin songs "Beginner's Luck," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "They Can't Take That Away from Me" and an instrumental interlude "Walking the Dog" (released as a solo piano piece under the title "Promenade").
Thursday, May 8
Tan Dun scores it big in America ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Tan Dun (b. 1957): Marco Polo Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra; Tan Dun, cond. Sony 62912 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Tan Dun ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1745—Baptismal date of Bohemian violinist and composer Carl Philipp Stamitz, in Mannheim; He was the son of the composer JohannWenzel Anton Stamitz (b. 1717), and the brother of composer Johann Anton Stamitz (b. 1750); 1829—American pianist and composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk, in New Orleans; 1945—American pianist and composer Keith Jarrett, in Allentown, Pa.; Deaths: 1829—Italian composer and guitar virtuoso Mauro Giuliani, age 47, in Naples; 1944—British composer and women's rights advocate Dame Ethel Smyth, age 86, in Woking; 1960—Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén, age 88, in Falun; Premieres: 1720 — Handel: opera "Radamisto" (1st version) (Julian date: April 27); 1736 — Handel: anthem "Sing unto God" (Julian date: April 27); 1749 — Handel: "Music for the Royal Fireworks" (Julian date: April 27); 1924 — Honegger: "Pacific 231," in Paris at a Koussevitzky Concert; 1938 — Stravinsky: "Dumbarton Oaks" Concerto, at Dumbarton Oaks, conducted by Nadia Boulanger; 1939 — Persichetti: Piano Sonata No. 1, at Philadelphia Conservatory, composer performing; 1946 — Menotti: "The Medium," at Columbia University in New York City; 1958 — Ligeti: String Quartet No. 1 ("Metamorphoses nocturnes"), in Vienna, by the Ramor Quartet; 1962 — Sondheim: Broadway premiere of musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"; Near-disasterous trial run performances in Washington DC and other cities preceded the show's Broadway premiere; This was the first major musical for which Sondheim wrote both the lyrics and the music; It won several Tony Awards in 1962, including "Best Musical"; 1965 — Rochberg: "Zodiac" (orchestral version), by Cincinnati Symphony, Max Rudolf conducting; 1970 — Gunther Schuller: children's opera "The Fisherman and His Wife," in Boston; 1973 — Rochberg: "Imago Mundi," by Baltimore Symphony, Sergiu Commisiona conducting; 1979 — Andrew Lloyd-Webber: musical "Evita," in Los Angeles; The musical opened on Broadway on September 25, 1979; 1985 — Frank Zappa: "Time's Beach" for winds, at Alice Tully Hall in New York, by the Aspen Wind Quintet; 1996 — Lowell Liebermann: opera "The Picture of Dorian Gray," at the Monte Carlo Opera, with tenor Jeffrey Lentz in the title role and Steuart Bedford conducting; The American premiere of this opera was staged in Milwaukee, Wis., by the Florentine Opera in Feb. of 1999; 1998 — Saariaho: Cello Octet, at the Beauvais Cello Festival in Beavais, France; Other: 1747—J.S. Bach performs an organ recital at the Heiligeistkirche in Potsdam; 1821 —Earliest documented American performance Beethoven's Symphony No. 2, in Philadelphia at Washington Hall, by the Musical Fund Society, Charles Hupfeld conducting; The finale only was performed by the Philharmonic Society in New York on December 16, 1824 and repeated at Castle Garden on April 21, 1825; The first complete performance in New York was apparently given on April 22, 1843, at the Apollo Room during the first season of the New York Philharmonic with George Loder conducting; 1874 —American premiere of J.S. Bach's "St. Matthew Passion," at the Music Hall in Boston, by the Handel and Haydn Society, Carl Zerrahn conducting; The performing forces included a chorus of 600, and orchestra of 90, and a 60-voice boy's choir; For this performance, the first 12 numbers of Part II were omitted; The complete Passion was not performed by the Society until 1879; About half of Bach's Passion was given its New York City premiere at St. George's Church on March 17, 1880, by the New York Oratorio Society under Leopold Damrosch; Theodore Thomas conducted the next documented performance in Cincinnati on May 17, 1882, during that city's May Festival; 1945—Aaron Copland's Pulitzer Prize for Music for his "Appalachian Spring" ballet score is announced on V-E Day (the day the Allied Forces won the war in Europe).
Friday, May 9
Ravel plays "guess who" in Paris ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Maurice Ravel: : Valses nobles et sentimentales Minnesota Orchestra; Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, cond. Analogue 007 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Ravel ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1740—Italian composer Giovanni Paisiello, in Roccaforzata, near Taranto; 1814—German pianist and composer Adolph von Henselt, in Schwabach,Bavaria; Deaths: 1707—German organist and composer Dietrich Buxtehunde, age c. 70, in Lübeck; 1770—(on May 9 or 10) English composer, conductor and writer on music Charles Avison, age 61, in Newcastle upon Tyne ; 1791—American statesman and songwriter Francis Hopkinson, age 53, in Philadelphia; He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and dedicated a book of his songs to George Washington; 1799—French composer Claude Balbastre, age c. 72, in Paris; Premieres: 1812 — Rossini's opera "La Scala di seta" (The Silken Ladder), in Venice; 1868 — Bruckner: Symphony No. 1, in Linz, composer conducting; 1893 — Rachmaninoff: opera "Aleko," in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theater (Julian date: April 27); 1924 — R. Strauss: ballet "Schlagobers" (Whipped Cream), in Vienna; 1940 — The film "Our Town" opens in Hollywood at Grauman's Chinese Theater; The film was based on the play of the same name by Thorton Wilder, and featured a filmscore by Aaron Copland; Copland arranged a suite of music from his filmscore, which premiered on CBS Radio on June 9, 1940; A revised version of the suite was given its first public performance by the Boston Pops conducted by Leonard Bernstein on May 7, 1944; 1981 — Christopher Rouse: "The Infernal Machine" for orchestra (Movement II of Rouse's "Phantasmata"), at the Evian Festival, France, by the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Gustav Meier conducting; 1986 — Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: "Concerto Grosso" (after Handel's Sonata in D), by the Handel Festival Orchestra of Washington, Stephen Simon conducting; 1988 — Bernstein: "Arias and Barcarolles," at Equitable Center Auditorium in New York City, by vocalists Louise Edeiken, JoyceCastle, John Brandstetter, and Mordechai Kaston, with the composer and Michael Tilson Thomas at the piano; An orchestrated version of this work prepared by Bright Sheng premiered on September 22, 1989, at the Tilles Center of Long Island University with the New York Chamber Symphony conducted by Gerard Schwarz and featuring vocalists Susan Graham and Kurt Ollmann; 1990 — John Harbison: "Words from Patterson" (to texts by William Carlos Williams), at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with baritone William Sharp and the members of the New Jersey Chamber Music Society; 1998 — John Tavener: "Wake Up and Die," for solo cello and orchestral cello section, at the Beauvais Cello Festival in Beavais , France; 1999 — Zwillich: "Upbeat!" by National Symphony, Anthony Aibel conducting; Other: 1863—American premiere of Berlioz's "Harold in Italy," by the Theodore Thomas Orchestra in New York.
Saturday, May 10
Alfven defines musical Sweden ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Hugo Alfven (1872 - 1960): Swedish Rhapsody No. 1, Op. 19 (A Midsummer Vigil) Iceland Symphony; Petri Sakari, cond. Chandos 9313 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Hugo Alfven ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1697—French violinist and composer Jean Marie Leclair, in Lyons; 1888—Austrian-born American film composer Max Steiner, in Vienna; 1894—Russian-born American film composer, Dimitri Tiomkin, in St. Petersburg; 1916—American composer Milton Babbitt, in Philadelphia; Deaths: 1760—German composer Johann Christoph Graupner, age 77, in Darmstadt; Premieres: 1876 — Wagner: "Festival March" (commissioned for the American Centennial), at the opening of the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, conducted by Theodore Thomas; 1894 — R. Strauss: opera "Guntram," in Weimar at the Hoftheater, with the composer conducting; 1904 — Alfvén: "Midsommarvaka" (Midsummer Vigil), in Stockholm; 1907 — Dukas: opera "Ariane et Barbe-Blue" (Ariane and Bluebeard),in Paris; 1954 — Rautavaara: "A Requiem in Our Time," in Cincinnati, with Cincinnati Brass Choir, Ernest N, Glover, conducting; This work had won First Prize in the Thor Johnson Composition Contest that year; 1957 — Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2, in Moscow, by the USSR State Symphony, Nikolai Anosov conducting, with the composer's son, Maxim, as the soloist; 1964 — Roy Harris: "Epilogue to ‘Profiles in Courage'" for orchestra, in Los Angeles; 1985 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise" for orchestra with bagpipe solo, ay Boston's Symphony Hall, by the Boston Pops conducted by John Williams; 1985 — Michael Torke: "Ecstatic Orange," at the Cooper Union in New York, by the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Lukas Foss conducting; 1997 — Philip Glass: opera "The Marriage Between Zones Three, Four and Five" (based on the sci-fi novel by Doris Lessing), at the State Theater in Heidelberg (Germany); Other: 1824—American premiere of Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro" (sung in English ) at the Park Theater in New York.
Sunday, May 11
Offenbach in America ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Jacques Offenbach (1819 - 1880): American Eagle Waltz Gulbenkian Orchestra; Michel Swierczewski, cond. Nimbus 5303 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Offenbach ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1791—Bohemian composer Jan Václav (Johann) Voríšek(Worzischek), in Vamberk; 1855—Russian composer Anatoly Liadov, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: April 29); 1888—American popular song composer Irving Berlin (Isidore Balin) inTemun, Russia (Julian date: April 29); 1895—American composer William Grant Still, in Woodville, Miss.; 1954—Scottish composer Judith Weir, in Aberdeen; Deaths: 1849—German composer Otto Nicolai, age 38, in Berlin; 1916—German composer, Max Reger, age 43, in Leipzig; 1947—Swedish composer Ture Rangström, age 62, in Stockholm; Premieres: 1728 — Handel: opera "Tolomeo, re d'Egitto" (Julian date: April 30); 1917 — Busoni: opera "Arlecchino" (Harlequin) and "Turandot" in Zürich at the Stadttheater; 1945 — Bernstein: "Hashkiveinu" (text from the Sabbath Evening Service) for Cantor, Choir and Organ, at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City, by Cantor David Puttterman, Max Heffman conducting; 1948 — Cowell: "Hymn, Chorale, and Fuguing Tune" No. 8 for strings, at Florida State University Recital Hall by the School of Music Faculty String Quartet; 1955 — Bliss: Violin Concerto, in London; 1963 — William Grant Still: opera "A Southern Interlude," by the University of Miami Opera; This opera was later revised as "Highway 1, U.S.A."; 1966 — Andrew Imbrie: Symphony No. 1, by the San Francisco Symphony; 1981 — Andrew Lloyd-Webber: musical "Cats" (after T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats") in London at the New London Theatre; This enormously popular and long-running musical opened on Broadway on October 7, 1982; 1984 — John Harbison: "Ulysses' Bow," by the New Haven Symphony, Murry Sidlin conducting; 1995 — John Adams: musical "I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky"at the Zellerbach Playhouse in Berkeley, California, with the Paul Dresher Ensemble conducted by Grant Gershon; 2000 — Colin Matthews: "Pluto The Renewer" (as a new contribution to Gustav Holst's "The Planet"), in Manchester, by the Hallé Orchestra, Kent Nagano conducting; 2002 — Kenneth Frazelle: "Concerto for Chamber Orchestra," in Glendale, Calif., by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Kahane conducting. |
