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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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September 15-21, 2008
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Monday, September 15
Henry Brant, "Marxist?" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Henry Brant (1913-2008): Hommage aux Frères Marx (Three Faithful Portraits) Boston Musica Viva Newport 85588 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Henry Brant An interview with Brant ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1863—American composer and teacher, Horatio William Parker, in Auburndale, Mass.; He became chairman of the Yale music department in 1894, where he taught the young Charles Ives; 1890—Swiss composer Frank Martin, in Geneva; 1913—American composer Henry Brant, in Montréal, Canada; Deaths: 1945—Austrian composer Anton von Webern, age 61, accidentally shot by an American soldier in Mittersill, Austria; Premieres: 1946 — Cowell: "Hymn and Fuguing Tune" No. 5 (string orchestra arrangement), at the Saratoga Springs Convention Hall, by the Spa Music Festival Orchestra, F. Charles Adler conducting; This music was originally written for 5 voices, and in that form was premiered on April 14, 1946, at Times Hall in New York by the Randolph Singers directed by David Randolph; 1946 — Ives: String Quartet No. 2, at the Yaddo Music Festival in Saratoga, N.Y., by the Walden Quartet (This music was completed in 1913); 2000 — Sallinen: opera "King Lear," by the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki.
Tuesday, September 16
Shostakovich on Broadway? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Vincent Youmans (1898 - 1946): No, No Nanette Overture Broadway cast album Columbia 30563 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Vincent Youmans More on Youmans On Dimitri Shostakovich ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1887—French composition teacher Nadia Boulanger, in Paris; Her pupils included a number of famous American composers from Aaron Copland to Philip Glass; 1844—French flutist and composer Paul Taffanel, in Bordeaux; Premieres: 1925 — Broadway premiere of Vincent Youmans' musical, "No, No Nanette," which had opened in Detroit on April 21, 1924, and had successful productions in Chicago and London before reaching New York City; 1965 — Duke Ellington: First Sacred Concert, at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco; 1966 — Barber: opera, "Anthony and Cleopatra" at the opening of the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center; 1995 — Harrison Birtwistle: "Panic" for alto sax, drummer, and orchestra, at the "Last Night" of the Centenary Proms at Royal Albert Hall in London, with the BBC Symphony conducted by Andrew Davis, with John Harle (sax) and Oauk Clarvis (dummer); 1999 — Libby Larsen: "Solo Symphony," by the Colorado Symphony, Marin Alsop conducting; Other: 1920—Italian tenor Enrico Caruso makes his last records (selections by Meyerbeer, Lully, Bartlett, and Rossini) for Victor Records in Camden, New Jersey; He would make his last operatic appearance at the old Metropolitan Opera House on Christmas Eve in 1920 (an evening performance of Halevy's "La Juive"), and die the following summer in Naples; 1977—Opera diva Maria Callas dies of a heart attack, age 53, in Paris.
Wednesday, September 17
Hildegard von Bingen, 12th century "New Ager" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Hildegard von Bingen (1098 – 1179): Instrumental Piece Sequentia BMG/Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 77353 & Hildegard von Bingen (1098 – 1179): Benedicamus Domino Anonymous 4 Harmonia Mundi 907200 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Hildegard von Bingen More on Hildegard ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1795—Baptismal date of Italian opera composer Saverio Mercadante, in Altamura, near Bari; 1884—American composer Charles Tomlinson Griffes, in Elmira, New York; 1917—Korean-born German composer Isang Yun, in Tong Young (now Chung Mu); Deaths: 1179—German mystic, writer and composer Hildegard von Bingen, age c. 81, in Rupertsburg (near Bingen); 1762—Italian violinist and composer Francesco Geminiani, age 74, in Dublin; 1803—Austrian composer Franz Xaver Sussmayr, who studied with Salieri and Mozart; Sussmayr completed Mozart's unfinished "Requiem"; Premieres: 1872 — American premiere of Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" at a Central Park concert given by the Theodore Thomas orchestra; 1931 — Delius: "A Song of Summer," in London; 1957 — Cowell: "Persian Set," at the Gulestan Palace in Tehran, Iran, by the Minneapolis Symphony, Antal Dorati conducting; 1982 — Steve Reich: "Tehillim" (orchestral version), by New York Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta; Other: 1966—German tenor Fritz Wunderlich dies, age 35, from a fall in his home in Heidelberg.
Thursday, September 18
Elgar's Fifth ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934): Pomp and Circumstance March No. 5 Royal Philharmonic; André Previn, cond. Philips 454 250 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Edward Elgar ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1893—Australian composer Arthur Benjamin, in Sydney; 1910—Polish-born Israeli composer Josef Tal, in Pinne (near Posen); Deaths: 1970—Rock guitar virtuoso Jimi Hendrix, age 27, from asphyxiation due to an overdose of barbiturates Premieres: 1954 — Virgil Thomson: Concerto for flute, strings and percussion, in Venice; 1960 — Penderecki: "Dimensions of Time and Silence," during "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music; 1978 — Shostakovich: unfinished opera "The Gamblers" (after Nikolai Gogol), in Leningrad at the Large Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic; 1986 — Corigliano: "Fantasia on an Ostinato" by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta; 1998 — Bright Sheng: "Spring Dreams," by cellist Yo-Yo Ma with the Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwartz conducting. 1998 — Michael Torke: "Lucent Variations," in St. Paul, Minn., by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Hugh Wolff conducting.
Friday, September 19
Previn and North meet Tennessee Williams ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: André Previn (b. 1929): A Streetcar Named Desire Renée Fleming, soprano; San Francisco Opera Orchestra; André Previn, cond. DG 459 366 & Alex North (1910 – 1991): A Streetcar Named Desire filmscore London Symphony; Eric Stern, cond. Nonesuch 79446 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On André Previn On Alex North ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1829—Music publisher Gustav Schirmer, in Königsee, Thuringia; He came to America in 1840 with his parents, and in 1861 founded in New York City the music publishing house that bears his name, G. Schirmer, Inc.; 1911—Swedish composer Allan Pettersson, in Västra Ryd; Deaths: 1949—Greek composer Nikos Skalkottas, age 45, in Athens; 1972—French composer and pianist Robert Casadesus, age 73, in Paris; Premieres: 1894 — Brahms: two Clarinet Sonatas, Op. 120, at a private performance in the home of the sister of the Duke of Meiningen at Berchtesgaden, by clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld (of the Grand Ducal Orchestra of Meiningen) with the composer at the piano; Brahms and Mühlfeld also gave private performances of both sonatas on November 10-13, 1894, in Frankfurt (for Clara Schumann and others); on November 14, 1894, at Castle Altenstein (for the Duke of Meiningen); and on Jan. 7, 1895, in Vienna (for members of the Tonkünstler Society); The first public performances of the two sonatas took place in Vienna on January 8 (Sonata No. 2) and 11 (Sonata No. 2), 1895, with the same performers, as part of the Rosé Quartet's chamber music series; 1908 — Mahler: Symphony No. 7 ("Song of the Night"), in Prague, with the composer conducting; 1927 — Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 3, in Vienna, by the Kolisch Quartet; 1937 — Hanson: Symphony No. 3 (partial performance), on a CBS Radio Symphony concert conducted by the composer; The first complete performance occurred with the rival network's NBC Symphony, again with the composer conducting, on March 26, 1938; 1970 — Morton Feldman: "The Viola in My Life" No. 1 for viola and orchestra, in London; 1998 — André Previn: opera "A Streetcar Named Desire," with cast including Rene Fleming, by the San Francisco Opera, the composer conducting; 1998 — Michael Torke: "Jasper" for orchestra, by the Madison (Wisc.) Symphony, John DeMain conducting; 1999 — Elmer Bernstein: Guitar Concerto, with Honolulu Symphony conducted by Samuel Wong and soloist Christopher Parkening; 2002 — John Adams: "On the Transmigration of Souls" for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, by the New York Philharmonic, Lorin Maazel conducting; 2002 — John Adams: “On the Transmigration of Souls” for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, by the New York Philharmonic, Lorin Maazel conducting; Other: 1725—J.S. Bach gives organ recitals in the Sophienkirche, Dresden, on Sept. 19 and 20; 1738—Oratorio librettist Charles Jennens writes to a young relative describing a visit to Handel the previous day, dismayed by Handel's ideas for their collaboration on the oratorio "Saul": "Mr. Handel's head is more full of maggots than ever . . ." (Gregorian date: Sept. 30).
Saturday, September 20
Beeson at the opera ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Jack Beeson (b. 1921): Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines Kansas City Lyric Opera and Philharmonic; Russell Patterson, cond. RCA ARL2-1727 (LP) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Jack Beeson Profile of Beeson ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1880—Italian composer Ildebrando Pizetti, in Parma; 1885—Frequently cited birth date of American composer and jazz pianist Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, in New Orleans; This date has been proven incorrect (See October 20, 1890); 1900—Finnish composer Unno Klami, in Virolahti; Deaths: 1908—Spanish violin virtuoso and composer Pablo de Sarasate, age 63, in Biarritz; 1957—Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, age 91, in Järvenpää; Premieres: 1878 — Tchaikovsky: "Valse-scherzo" for violin and orchestra, in Paris, with Nicolai Rubinstein conducting and Stanislaw Barcewicz the soloist; 1930 — first public performance of Elgar: "Pomp and Circumstance" March No. 5, at Queen's Hall in London, Sir Henry Wood conducting; The first performance ever of this music occurred two days earlier, when Elgar himself recorded his new march at HMV's London studios; 1954 — Stravinsky: "In Memoriam Dylan Thomas," in Los Angeles, conducted by Robert Craft; Stravinsky had met the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas the previous year, and they had discussed collaborating on an opera project, but Thomas died on November 9, 1953; 1975 — Jack Beeson: opera "Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines" in Kansas City, Mo.
Sunday, September 21
Beyond "The Planets" with Gustav Holst ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934): Suite de Ballet, Op. 10 CSR Symphony; Adrian Leaper, cond. Naxos 8.550193 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Gustav Holst ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1698 —French violinist and composer François Francoeur, in Paris; He was one of the "24 violins du roi" and collaborated with François Rebel in the production of several works for the Paris Opéra; 1737—American statesman and composer Francis Hopkinson, in Philadelphia; He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and also composed some songs; 1874—English composer Gustav Holst, in Cheltenham; He was born Gustavus Theodore von Holst, and his early works were published under the name "Gustav von Holst," but removed the Germanic "von" after World War I broke out in 1914; Deaths: 1953—English composer Roger Quilter, age 75, in London; Premieres: 1795 — revised version of Haydn: Symphony No. 103 ("The Drumroll"), conducted by the composer, in Vienna (Haydn had conducted the first version of this symphony at the King's Theater in London, on March 2, 1795; 1925 — Rudolph Friml's operetta, "The Vagabond King," in New York City; 1966 — Havergal Brian: Symphony No. 6 ("Sinfonia Tragica") in London; This work was composed in 1948; 1966 — Maliperio: Symphony No. 9 ("Hélas") at the "Warsaw Autumn" Festival of Contemporary Music in Poland; 1972 — Piston: Flute Concerto, with Dorothy Anthony Dwyer the soloist and the Boston Symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas; 1988 — Peter Maxwell Davies: Trumpet Concerto, in Hiroshima (Japan), by the Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli conducting, with soloist John Wallace; 1994 — James MacMillan: "Britannia" for orchestra, at the Barbican in London by the London Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas conducting; Other: 1880—The International Mozart Foundation is established in Salzburg; 1962—Igor Stravinsky returns to the Soviet Union for the first time in 48 years; He visits Moscow, Leningrad and Oranienbaum. |
