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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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October 20-26, 2008
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Monday, October 20
Mennin tackles "Moby Dick" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Peter Mennin (1923 – 1983) : Concertato (Moby Dick) Albany Symphony; David Alan Miller, cond. Albany 260 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Peter Mennin ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1874—American composer and insurance executive Charles Ives, in Danbury, Connecticut; 1890—American composer and jazz pianist Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, in New Orleans (In older biographies, his birth date is incorrectly given as September 20, 1885); 1944—American composer William Albright, in Gary, Indiana; Premieres: 1842 — Wagner: opera, "Rienzi," in Dresden at the Hoftheater; 1847 — Lortzing: opera "Undine" (2nd version), in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien; 1860 — Brahms: String Sextet No. 1 in Bb, Op. 18, in Hanover, by violinist Joseph Joachim and his ensemble; 1892 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera " Mlada," at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Eduard Napravnik conducting (Gregorian date: Nov. 1); 1923 — Delius: "A Dance Rhapsody," in London, conducted by Sir Henry Wood; 1949 — Hartmann: opera "Simplicius Simplicissimus" (first staged performance) in Cologne at the Theater der Stadt (Kammerspiele); The premiere concert performance of this opera by the Bavarian Radio occurred in Munich on April 2, 1948; 1950 — Hanson: "Pastorale" for Solo Oboe, Strings and Harp, with oboist Marcel Tabuteau, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1952 — Peter Mennin: "Concertanto (Moby Dick)" for orchestra, in Erie, Pa.; 1958 — Hovhaness: "Meditation on Orpheus," by the Houston Symphony, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1960 — Lukas Foss: "Time Cycle for Soprano and Orchestra" at New York Philharmonic concert conducted by Bernstein, with soprano Adele Addison the vocal soloist; 1974 — Elliott Carter: Brass Quintet, on a BBC broadcast from London, with the American Brass Quintet; The American premiere occurred at the Library of Congress on November 15 that year with the same performers; 1974 — Henze: "Tristan" for piano, orchestra, and tape, by the London Symphony, Colin Davis conducting; 1977 — Michael Colgrass: "Déjà vu" at New York Philharmonic concert conducted by Leinsdorf; 1983 — Menotti: Double-bass Concerto, by the New York Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta conducting, with James VanDemark as soloist; 1985 — Lou Harrison: Piano Concerto, in New York, with Keith Jarrett the soloist. 2004 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Naxos Quartet" No. 5 ("Lighthouses of Orkney and Shetland"), at Wigmore Hall, London, by the Maggini Quartet; Other: 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in b, Op. 6, no. 12 (Gregorian date: Oct. 31);
Tuesday, October 21
Beethoven and Sibelius take the Fifth ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827): Symphony No. 5 Royal Philharmonic; René Leibowitz, cond. Chesky 17 & Jean Sibelius (1865 – 1957): Symphony No. 5 Lahti Symphony; Osmo Vänska BIS 1288 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Finnish Jan Sibelius Web site More Sibelius links and information ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1879—French composer, pianist, and writer Joseph Canteloube, in Annonay (near Tournon); 1885—Austrian composer and musicologist Egon Wellesz, in Vienna; 1921—English composer (Sir) Malcolm Arnold, in Northampton; 1926—American composer Marga Richter, in Reedsburg, Wisconsin; 1949—Israeli composer Shulamit Ran, in Tel Aviv; Deaths: 1662—English composer Henry Lawes, age 66, in London; Premieres: 1784 — Gretry: opera, "Richard Coeur de Lion" (Richard the Lionhearted), in Paris; 1858 — Offenbach: comic opera, "Orphée aux enfers" (Orpheus in the Underworld), in Paris; 1900 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera "The Tale of Tsar Saltan," at the Solodovnikov Theatre in Moscow, with Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov conducting (Gregorian date: Nov. 3); 1921 — Third (and final) version of Sibelius: Symphony No. 5, in Helsinki under the composer's direction; Sibelius conducted the first performances of two earlier versions of this symphony in Helsinki on Dec. 8, 1915 and Dec. 14, 1916; 1926 — Nielsen: Flute Concerto (first version), in Paris, conducted by Emil Telmányi (the composer's son-in-law), with Holger Gilbert-Jespersen the soloist; Nielsen revised this score and premiered the final version in Oslo on November 9, 1926, again with Gilbert-Jespersen as the soloist; 1933 — Gershwin: musical "Let 'Em Eat Cake," at the Imperial Theater in New York City; 1941 — Copland: Piano Sonata, in Buenos Aires, by the composer; 1956 — Menotti: madrigal-fable "The Unicorn, the Gordon and the Manticore," at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.; 1984 — Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Double Quartet for strings, at a concert of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, by the Emerson Quartet and friends. 2004 — Danielpour: "Songs of Solitude" (to texts of W.B. Yeats), at the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall in Philadelphia, by baritone Thomas Hampson and the Philadelphia Orchestra, with Daniel Robertson conducting; Other: 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in D, Op. 6, no. 5 and possibly his Concerto Grosso in F, Op. 6, no. 9 as well (see Julian date: Oct. 10).
Wednesday, October 22
Adams at the opera ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Adams (b. 1947): Nixon in China Orchestra of St. Luke's; Edo de Waart, cond. Nonesuch 794543 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On John Adams ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1811—Hungarian composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt, in Raiding (near Oedenburg); Deaths: 1725—Italian opera composer Alessandro Scarlatti, age 65, in Naples; He was the father of composer Domenico Scarlatti; 1764—French composer and violinist Jean Marie LeClair, age 67, in Paris, stabbed in his own home; 1859—German composer, violinist and conductor Ludwig Spohr, age 75, in Kassel; 1973—Spanish cellist (and occasional composer) Pablo (Pau) Casals, age 96, in San Juan, Puerto Rico; 1979—French composition teacher Nadia Boulanger, age 92, in Paris; She taught several generations of American composers, ranging from Aaron Copland to Philip Glass; Premieres: 1727 — Handel: "Coronation Anthems," in London at Westminster Abbey during the coronation of King George II and Queen Caroline (see Julian date: Oct. 11); 1888 — Rimsky-Korsakov: "Scheherazade," in St. Petersburg by the Russian Symphony, with the composer conducting (Gregorian date: Nov. 3); 1899 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera "The Tsar's Bride," at the Solodovnikov Theatre in Moscow, Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov conducting (Gregorian date: Nov. 3); 1920 — American premiere of Ravel: “Le Tombeau de Couperin,” by the Boston Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting; 1942 — John Alden Carpenter: Symphony No. 2 (original version), by New York Philharmonic, Bruno Walter conducting; 1962 — Otto Luening: Trio for piano, cello and flute, at the inaugural concert of the Group for Contemporary Music at the McMillin (now Miller) Theater of Columbia University in New York City; 1967 — Penderecki: "Capriccio" for violin and orchestra, at the Donaueschingen Festival in West Germany, with Wanda Wilkomriska as soloist; 1987 — John Adams: opera "Nixon in China" at Houston Grand Opera; 1990 — Michael Colgrass: "Snow Walker" for organ and orchestra, on a CBC radio broadcast during the Calgary Organ Festival Competition, with the competition winner, Jonathan Biggers, as soloist. 1993 — John Harbison: "The Most Often Used Chords (Gli Accordi Piu Usati), in Los Angeles, by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Christopf Perick conducting; Other: 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in d, Op. 6, no. 10 (Gregorian date: Nov. 2); 1881—First concert of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the old Boston Music Hall, with George Herschel conducting; The program included Beethoven's "Consecration of the House" Overture, and works by Gluck, Haydn, Schubert, Bruch and Weber; 1883—Grand Opening of the original Metropolitan Opera House in New York City with performance of Gounod's "Faust" with Auguste Vianesi, conducting; 1983—Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the Metropolitan Opera presents a daylong concert with some of the world's greatest opera stars, including Joan Sutherland, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti and many others.
Thursday, October 23
Stravinsky strikes a chord ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1981): Violin Concerto in D Maxim Vengerov, violin; London Symphony; Mstislav Rostropovich, cond. EMI Classics 56966 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Stravinsky "Time" magazine Stravinsky profile ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1801—German composer Albert Lortzing, in Berlin; 1906—American composer Miriam Gideon, in Greeley, Colorado; 1923—American composer Ned Rorem, in Richmond, Indiana; Premieres: 1754 — Rameau: opera-ballet "Anacréon," at Fortainebleau; 1890 — Borodin: opera "Prince Igor" (completed posthumously by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov) at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, with K.A. Kuchera conducting (Gregorian date: Nov. 4); 1897 — Scriabin: Piano Concerto, in Odessa, with the composer as soloist (Gregorian date: Nov. 4); 1903 — MacDowell: symphonic poem “Lamia” (after Keats), by the Boston Symphony, Max Fiedler conducting; 1913 — Delius: "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring" and "Summer Night on the River," by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra,Artur Nikisch conducting; 1931 — Stravinsky: Violin Concerto, in Berlin, by the Berlin Radio Orchestra conducted by the composer, with Samuel Dushkin as soloist; 1941 — William Grant Still's "Plain Chant for America," by the New York Philharmonic, John Barbirolli conducting; 1959 — Piston: "Three New England Sketches" for orchestra, in Worcester, Mass., by the Detroit Symphony, Paul Paray conducting; 1959 — Rorem: "Eagles," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1963 — Hovhaness: Symphony No. 17 ("Symphony for Metal Orchestra"), in Cleveland; 1970 — Crumb: "Black Angels (13 Images from the Dark Lord)" for string quartet,in Ann Arbor, Mich.; 1981 — Sessions: "Concerto for Orchestra," by the Boston Symphony; This work won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1982; 1997 — Danielpour: "Celestial Night," by the New Jersey Symphony, Zdenek Macal conducting; 2002 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Naxos Quartet" No. 1, at Wigmore Hall, London, by the Maggini Quartet; Other: 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in Bb, Op. 6, no. 7 (see Julian date: Oct.12); 1881—First concert by Concerts Lamoureux, in Paris, founded by Charles Lamoureux.
Friday, October 24
Robert Russell Bennett takes the prize (twice) ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Robert Russell Bennett (1894 – 1891): Abraham Lincoln (A Likeness in Symphony Form) Moscow Symphony; William T. Stromberg, cond. Naxos 559004 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Robert Russell Bennett ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1811—German composer, conductor and pianist Ferdinand Hiller, in Frankfurt am Main; 1882—Hungarian operetta composer Imre [Emmerich] Kálman, in Siófok; 1925—Italian composer Luciano Berio, in Oneglia, Imperia; 1929—American composer George Crumb, in Charleston, West Virginia; 1931—Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina, in Chistopol, Tatar (USSR); Deaths: 1799—Austrian violinist and composer Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, age 59, at Castle Rothlottia, near Neuhaus (Bohemia); 1948—Austrian composer Franz Lehár, age 78, in Bad Ischl; 1949—Cuban composer and violinist Joaquin Nin y Castellanos, age 70, in Havana; 1971—American composer Carl Ruggles, age 95, in Bennington, Vermont; Premieres: 1737 — Rameau: opera "Castor et Pollux," in Paris at the Palais Royal Opéra; 1885 — Jhn. Strauss Jr.: operetta, "The Gypsy Baron," in Vienna; 1910 — Victor Herbert: operetta, "Naught Marietta," in Syracuse, N.Y.; 1930 — Roussel: Symphony No. 3, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1931 — Robert Russell Bennett: "Abraham Lincoln" Symphony, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1936 — Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 16, in Moscow; 1940 — John Alden Carpenter: Symphony No. 1 (revised version), by Chicago Symphony, Frederick Stock conducting; 1946 — Bernstein: ballet "Facsimile," at the Broadway Theater in New York City by the Ballet Theater, choreographed by Jerome Robbins, with composer conducting; 1946 — Cowell: Symphony No. 4 ("Short Symphony"), by the Boston Symphony, Richard Burgin conducting; 1970 — Penderecki: "Kosmogonia," at the United Nations in New York City; 1992 — Libby Larsen: Marimba Concerto ("After Hampton"), by the Long Beach Symphony, with soloist William Moersch and JoAnn Falleta conducting; 1994 — Harrison Birtwistle: opera "The Second Mrs. Kong," at Glyndeborune; 1997 — Geoffrey Burgon: Piano Concerto, in Singapore, with soloist Joanna MacGregor and the Singapore Symphony; 1997 — Corigliano: "DC Fanfare," in Washington, D.C., by the National Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting; 2001 — Steve Reich: orchestral version of "Different Trains," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, David Robertson, conducting; Other: 1818—Felix Mendelssohn, age 9, plays his first public concert, in Berlin; 1919—First performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Walter Rothwell, conductor.
Saturday, October 25
Martinu at the lost and found ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Bohuslav Martinu (1890 - 1959): Violin Concerto No. 1 Josef Suk, violin; Czech Philharmonic; Vaclav Neumann, cond. Supraphon 11 0702 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Bohuslav Martinu More on Martinu ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1825—Austrian composer and conductor Johann Strauss, Jr. (aka "The Younger," or II), in Vienna; 1838—French composer Georges Bizet, in Paris; 1864—Russian composer Alexander Grechaninov, in Moscow (see Julian date: Oct. 13); 1923—Australian composer Don Banks, in South Melbourne; Premieres: 1823 — Weber: opera "Euryanthe," in Vienna at the Kärtnertor Theater; 1848 — Verdi: opera "Il Corsaro" (The Corsair), in Trieste at the Teatro Grande; 1875 — Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 23, at the Music Hall in Boston, by the orchestra of the Harvard Musical Association conducted by B.J. Lang, with Hans von Bülow as soloist; 1885 — Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in Meiningen, Germany, with the composer conducting; 1912 — R. Strauss: opera, "Ariadne auf Naxos," and incidental music to "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme," in Stuttgart at the Hoftheater (Kleines Haus), with the composer conducting, and vocal soloists Maria Jeritza (Ariadne), Margarethe Siems (Zerbinetta), and Hermann Jadlowker (Bacchus); A revised version of this work (with a newly composed prologue) premiered at the Vienna Court Opera on Oct. 4, 1916; 1923 — Milhaud: ballet, "La Création du Monde," in Paris, by the Ballets Suédois at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées; 1949 — Frank Martin: Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments, Timpani, Percussion, and Strings, by the orchestra of the Bern Musickgesellschaft, Luc Balmer conducting; 1958 — Janácek: opera "Fate" (1st staged performance) in Brno at the National Theater; This opera was written in 1904 and was premiered in a concert performance by the Brno Radio on September 18, 1934; 1973 — Martinu: Violin Concerto (composed in 1932), by the Chicago Symphony, Sir Georg Solti conducting, with Josef Suk as soloist; 1979 — Earl Kim: Violin Concerto, by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta, with Itzhak Perlman as soloist; 1986 — Christopher Rouse: "Phantasmata" (first complete performance of three orchestral pieces composed 1981-85: "The Evestrum of Juan de la Cruz in the Sagrada Familia, 3 A.M."; "The Infernal Machine"; and "Bump"), by the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting;
Sunday, October 26
Robert Ward panned and prized ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Robert Ward (b. 1917): The Crucible New York City Opera; Emerson Buckley, cond. Albany 25/26 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Robert Ward Robert Ward on MPR's "The Composer's Voice" A Robert Ward interview ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1685—Italian composer and harpsichordist Domenico Scarlatti, in Naples; 1694—Swedish composer Johan Helmich Roman, in Stockholm; Deaths: 1874—German composer Peter Cornelius, age 49, near Copenhagen; Premieres: 1783 — Mozart: Mass in C minor, K.427, in St. Peter's Church, Salzburg, with the composer conducting and his wife, Constanze, the soprano soloist; 1873 — Bruckner: Symphony No. 2, in Vienna, with the composer conducting; 1896 — Dvorák: symphonic poem "The Golden Spinning Wheel," Op. 109, in London; 1917 — Mussorgsky (arr. Cui): opera "The Fair at Sorochinsky," posthumously, in St. Petersburg (see Julian date: Oct. 13); 1919 — Elgar: Cello Concerto, at London's Queens Hall, with the London Symphony conducted by the composer, and Felix Salmond the soloist; 1930 — Shostakovich: ballet, "The Age of Gold," in Leningrad; 1945 — Bloch: "Suite Symphonique," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Pierre Monteux conducting; 1956 — William Schuman: "New England Triptych," in Miami, Fla., by the University of Miami Orchestra, André Kostelanetz conducting; 1961 — David Diamond: Symphony No. 8, by the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein conducting; 1961 — Robert Ward: opera "The Crucible" (after the play by Arthur Miller), in New York City; This work won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1962; 1962 — Gunther Schuller: Piano Concerto, in Cincinnati; 1976 — Piston: Concerto for string quartet, winds, brass and percussion, in Portland, Ore. Other: 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in g, Op. 6, no. 6 (see Julian date: Oct. 15); |
