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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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January 19-25, 2009
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Monday, January 19
Quintessential Verdi ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Giuseppe Verdi (1813 – 1902) arr. Franz Liszt: Miserere fr Il Trovatore Daniel Barenboim, piano Erato 75457 & Giuseppe Verdi (1813 – 1902): Anvil Chorus fr Il Trovatore Chicago Symphony and Chorus; Sir Georg Solti, cond. London 466 075 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Verdi and his operas ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1903—German composer Boris Blacher, in Niu-chang, China; 1936—American composer Elliott Schwartz, in Brooklyn; Deaths: 1576—German "mastersinger" Hans Sachs, age 81, in Nuremberg; Premieres: 1674 — Lully: opera "Alceste," in Paris at the Palais Royal Opéra; 1735 — Handel: opera "Ariodante" (Julian date: Jan. 8); 1787 — Mozart: Symphony No. 38 ("Prague"), conducted by the composer, in Prague; 1853 — Verdi: opera, "Il trovatore," (The Troubador), in Rome the Teatro Apollo; 1873 — Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1, in Paris; 1884 — Massenet: opera, "Manon," at the Opéra-Comique, Paris; 1895 — Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 3 (1st movement only), posthumously, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan.7); 1898 — Glazunov: ballet "Raymonda," in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan. 7); 1924 — Auric: ballet "Les Fâcheux," by the Diaghilev company in Monte Carlo; 1948 — Douglas Moore: "Farm Journal" for chamber orchestra, in New York City; 1953 — Bernstein: musical "Wonderful Town," as a trial run in New Haven at the Schubert Theater, choreographed by Donald Saddler, directed by George Abbott, conducted by Lehman Engel; The show opened in New York City at the Winter Garden on February 26, 1953; 1961 — Bernstein: "Fanfare," at the Inaugural Gala for President John F. Kennedy, in Washington, D.C.; 1969 — Ligeti: "Ten Pieces" for woodwind quintet, in Malmö, Sweden; 1970 — Shulamit Ran: "O, the Chimneys," in New York City; 1986 — Babbitt: Piano Concerto, in New York; 1990 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Strathclyde Concerto" No. 3 for horn, trumpet and orchestra, at Glasgow's City Hall, by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer, with soloists Robert Cook and Peter Franks; 1994 — John Adams: Violin Concerto, with Minnesota Orchestra, Edo de Waart conducting and Jorja Fleezanis the soloist; 1996 — David Ward-Steinman: "Prisms and Reflections," for piano (and piano interior), by David Burge, at the Music Teachers National Association meeting in San Diego; Other: 1962—White House dinner party in honor of Igor Stravinsky hosted by President and Mrs. Kennedy. 1973—Leonard Bernstein leads a performance of Haydn's "Mass in Time of War" at a "Concert for Peace" at Washington DC's National Cathedral, with members of National Symphony, in protest against President Nixon, on the eve of Nixon's second term in office; The concert was timed to coincide with Nixon's official inaugural concert, which concluded with Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture"; 1977—Leonard Bernstein conducts his song "Take Care of This House" at Inaugural Concert for President Jimmy Carter at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. with Frederica von Stade as vocal soloist with the National Symphony.
Tuesday, January 20
Kirkpatrick plays Ives ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Charles Ives (1874 – 1954): Piano Sonata No. 2 (Concord, Mass., 1840-1860) Marc-André Hamelin, piano New World 378 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Charles Ives ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1586—German composer Johann Hermann Schein, in Grünhain; 1855—French composer Ernest Chausson, in Paris; 1869—Russian composer and violinist Julius Conus, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 1); 1894—American composer Walter Piston, in Rockland, Maine; Deaths: 1952—American composer and music educator Arthur Farwell, age 79, in New York; Premieres: 1649 — Cesti: opera "Orontea," in Venice; 1726 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 13 ("Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen") performed on the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27); 1856 — Brahms: Two Sarabandes (in a & b) and Gavotte in A (arranged from Gluck's "Paris ed Elena"), for piano, in Vienna; 1880 — Brahms: Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79, for piano, in Krefeld; 1892 — Catalani: opera "La Wally," in Milan; 1933 — Gershwin: musical "Pardon My English," at the Majestic Theater in New York City; This show included the classic Gershwin songs "Isn't It a Pity," "My Cousin in Milwaukee," and "So What?"; 1939 — Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2 ([Concord, Mass. 1840-1860), by John Kirkpatrick, in New York City; 1941 — Bartók: String Quartet No. 6, in New York City, by the Kolisch Quartet; 1944 — Hindemith: "Symphonic Metamorphosis on a Theme of Weber," by the New York Philharmonic, Artur Rodzinski conducting; 1956 — Hanson: “Elegy” (to the Memory of Serge Kousseviztky), by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting; 1961 — Poulenc: "Gloria," in Boston; 1977 — Tobias Picker: Sextet No. 3, at Alice Tully Hall in New York City, by Speculum Musicae; 1979 — Rochberg: String Quartets Nos. 4-6 ("The Concord Quartets"), at the University of Pennsylvania, by the Concord Quartet. Other: 1626—Payments to the royal musician, lutenist and composer John Dowland cease, and his son, Robert Dowland, succeeds him in his post at court; This date is often cited as the day the famous elder Dowland died, but his burial at St Ann Blackfriars was not recorded until a month later, on February, 20, 1626, which suggests the elder Dowland had perhaps been too ill to continue in service as of January 20-21 when the records state the transfer took place, and that the elder Dowland might have in fact died sometime in mid-February;
Wednesday, January 21
Bernstein gets political ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Leonard Bernstein (1918 – 1990): So Pretty Roberta Alexander, soprano; Tan Crone, piano Etcetera 1007 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Leonard Bernstein 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;
Thursday, January 22
John Williams goes west ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Williams (b. 1932): The Cowboys Overture Boston Pops; John Williams, cond. Philips 420 178 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On John Williams 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.
Friday, January 23
Chavez goes native ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Carlos Chavez (1899 – 1978): Sinfonia India (Symphony No. 2) Simon Bolivar Symphony of Venezuela; Eduardo Mata, cond. Dorian 90179 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Carlos Chavez More on Chavez 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).
Saturday, January 24
Tavener's "The Whale" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Tavener (b. 1944): The Whale London Sinfonietta and Chorus; David Atherton, cond. Capitol 98497 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On John Tavener More on Tavener 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.
Sunday, January 25
Post-war Strauss ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949): Metamorphosen Vienna Philharmonic; Simon Rattle, cond. EMI 56580 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Richard Strauss A Richard Strauss timeline 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. |
