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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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February 16-22, 2009
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Monday, February 16
Copland's "Vitebsk" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Aaron Copland (1900 – 1990): Vitebsk Gregory Ellis, violin; Christopher Marwood, cello; Michael Collins, piano ASV 1081 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Copland The Copland Collection at the Library of Congress MPR’s Copland Centenary webpage ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1709—English composer and writer on music Charles Avison, in Newcastle upon Tyne; 1878—Finnish composer Selim Palmgren, in Björneborg (now Pori); 1907—American composer Alec Wilder (Alexander Lafayette Chew), in Rochester, N.Y.; 1938—American composer John Corigliano, in New York; Deaths: 1829—Belgian-born French composer François Joseph Gossec, age 95, in Paris; 1868—Canadian composer Healey Willian, age 87, in Toronto; 1963—Hungarian composer Laszlo Lajtha, age 70, in Budapest; 1987—Soviet composer Dimtri Kabalevsky, age 82, in Moscow; Premieres: 1737 — Handel: opera “Giustino,” in London at the Covent Garden Theater (Gregorian date: Feb. 27); 1884 — Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 2, in Moscow (Julian date: Feb. 4); 1892 — Massenet: opera, "Werther," in Vienna at the Court Opera; 1893 — Sibelius: tone-poem "En Saga," in Helsinki; 1929 — Copland: "Vitebsky" Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello, at New York's Town Hall at a League of Composers concert featuring two members of the Pro Arte Quartet (violinist Alphonse Onnou and cellist Robert Mass) and the German pianist Walter Gieseking; 1936 — Varèse: "Density 21.5" for solo flute, in New York, by flutist Georges Barrère; 1956 — Leon Kirchner: "Toccata" for strings, winds and percussion, in San Francisco.
Tuesday, February 17
Hoiby and Monk anniversaries ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Lee Hoiby (b. 1926): Narrative Lee Hoiby, piano MMC 2038 & Thelonius Monk (1917 – 1982): Ruby, My Dear Thelonius Monk, piano Columbia 44297 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Lee Hoiby On Thelonious Monk ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1653—Italian composer Arcangelo Corelli, in Fusignano (near Imola); 1820—Belgian composer Henri Vieuxtemps, in Verviers; 1862—English composer Edward German (Jones) in Whitechurch; 1887—Finnish composer Leevi Madetoja, in Oulu (Uleaborg); 1920—American composer Paul Fetler, in Philadelphia; 1926—Austrian composer Friedrich Cerha, in Vienna; 1926—American composer Lee Hoiby, in Madison, Wis.; Deaths: 1732—French composer and organist Louis Marchand, age 63, in Paris; 1841—Italian composer and guitarist Ferdinando Carulli, age 70, in Paris; 1924—Finnish composer Oskar Merikanto, age 55, in Hausjärvi-Oiti; 1970—American composer and conductor Alfred Newman, age 69, in Los Angeles; 1982—American Jazz composer and pianist Thelonious Monk, age 64, in Englewood, N.J.; Premieres: 1728 — Handel: opera “Siroe, re di Persia” (Cyrus, King of Persia), in London at the King’s Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Feb. 28); This was the first Handel opera with a libretto by Metastasio; 1792 — Haydn: Symphony No. 93, conducted by the composer, at the Hanover-Square Concert Rooms in London; 1855 — Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in Eb, in Weimar, with the composer as soloist and Hector Berlioz conducting; 1859 — Verdi: opera "Un Ballo in Maschera" (A Masked Ball), in Rome at the Teatro Apollo; 1889 — Franck: Symphony in d, in Paris; 1901 — Mahler: oratorio "Das Klagende Lied" (Song of Lamentation), in Vienna, with composer conducting; 1904 — Puccini: opera “Madama Butterfly,”in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; 1914 — Ernst von Dohnányi: "Variations on a Nursery Song" for piano and orchestra, in Berlin, with the composer as soloist; 1927 — Deems Taylor: opera "The King's Henchmen," at the Metropolitan Opera in New York; 1943 — Copland: "Music for Movies," at a Town Hall Forum concert in New York City; 1947 — Copland: "Danzón Cubano" (orchestral version), by the Baltimore Symphony; 1948 — David Diamond: Violin Sonata No. 1, at Carnegie Hall in New York, by Joseph Szigeti (violin) and Josef Lhevinne (piano); 1952 — Henze: opera "Boulevard Solitude," in Hanover at the Landestheater; 1961 — Elie Siegmeister: Flute Concerto, in Oklahoma City; 1977 — Elliott Carter: "A Symphony of Three Orchestra," by the New York Philharmonic, Pierre Boulez conducting; 1982 — George Perle: "Ballade" for piano, at Alice Tully Hall in New York, by Richard Goode.
Wednesday, February 18
Berlioz uses his imagination ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Hector Berlioz (1803 – 1869): Dance of the Sylphs, fr La damnation de Faust Baltimore Symphony; David Zinman, cond. Telarc 80164 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Berlioz On his "Damnation of Faust" ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1632—Italian composer Giovanni Battista Vitali, in Bologna; 1864—American music publisher Gustave Schirmer, Jr., in New York City, son of the German-born music publisher Gustave Schirmer, Sr. 1915—French composer Marcel Landowski in Prêt L'Abbé (Finistère); 1939—Brazilian composer, conductor and pianist Marlos Nobre, in Recife; Deaths: 1956—French composer French composer Gustave Charpentier, age 95, in Paris; Premieres: 1743 — Handel: oratorio “Samson,” at Covent Garden Theatre in London, and possibly the premiere of Handel’s recently-completed Organ Concerto Op. 7, no. 2 at the same concert (Gregorian date: Mar. 1); 1874 — Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphony No. 3, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Mar. 2); 1893 — Berlioz: "La Damnation de Faust" (as a staged opera), in Monte Carlo with a cast headed by tenor Jean de Reske; Berlioz conducted the first concert performance of this work (as an oratorio) at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on Dec. 6, 1946; 1893 — Brahms: Intermezzo No. 1, for piano, from Op. 117, in Vienna; 1895 — Loeffler: Quintet for three violins, viola and cello, at Boston's Union Hall by the Kneisel Quartet joined by violinist William Kraft; 1916 — Daniel Mason: First Symphony (first version), by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1919 — Deems Taylor: chamber suite "Through The Looking Glass," by the New York Chamber Music Society; 1947 — Menotti: one-act opera "The Telephone," in New York City at the Heckscher Theater; 1952 — Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 125 (as "Cello Concerto" No. 2), in Moscow, with Sviatoslav Richter conducting and Mstislav Rostropovich the soloist; 1955 — Hanson: Symphony No. 5 ("Sinfonia Sacra"), the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1965 — Ginastera: Harp Concerto, by harpist Nicanor Zabaleta , with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1998 — Thea Musgrave: "Phoenix Rising," at the Royal Festival Hall in London, by the BBC Symphony, Andrew Davis conducting.
Thursday, February 19
Symphonic Adams? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Adams (b. 1947): Naïve and Sentimental Music Los Angeles Philharmonic; Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond. Nonesuch 79636 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On John Adams ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1743—Italian composer and cellist Luigi Boccherini, in Lucca; 1880—American composer Arthur Shepherd, in Paris, Idaho; 1906—Welsh composer Grace Williams, in Barry, Glamorganshire; 1912—American band leader and arranger Stan Kenton, in Wichita, Kan.; 1926—Rumanian-born Hungarian composer György Kurtág, in Lugoj; Deaths: 1605—Italian composer Orazio Vecchi, age 54, in Modena; 1941—Irish composer and arranger Sir Hamilton Harty, age 61, in Brighton; 1975—Italian composer Luigi Dallapiccola, age 71, in Florence; Premieres: 1736 — Handel: cantata “Alexander’s Feast,” at Covent Garden Theatre (Gregorian date: Mar. 1) ; Also on the program were Handel’s Concerto grosso in C (HWV 318), Harp Concerto, Op. 4, no. 6 (HWV 294) and Organ Concerto, Op. 4, no. 1; 1914 — Zandonai: opera "Francesca da Rimini," in Turin; 1923 — Sibelius: Symphony No. 6, in Helsinki, with composer conducting; 1929 — Bartók: String Quartet No. 3, in London, by the Waldbauer Quartet; 1932 — Copland: "Symphonic Ode," commissioned for the 50th Anniversary of the Boston Symphony and conducted by Serge Koussevitzky; For the 75th Anniversary of the Boston Symphony, Copland revised this score and dedicated it to the memory of Koussevitzky; The revised version was premiered by the Boston Symphony conducted by Charles Munch on February 3, 1956; 1941 — Morton Gould: "Spirituals for Orchestra," in New York City, conducted by the composer; 1949 — Irving Fine: Partita for winds, in New York City, by the New Art Wind Quintet; 1949 — Douglas Moore: opera "The Emperor's New Clothes," in New York; 1961 — Stravinsky: Anthem ("The dove descending breaks the air)", in Los Angeles, Robert Craft conducting; 1985 — Peter Maxwell Davies: Symphony No. 3,at Manchester's Free Trade Hall, by the BBC Philharmonic, Edward Downes conducting; 1990 — Daniel Asia: Symphony No. 1, by the Seattle Symphony, Christopher Kendall conducting; 1999 — John Adams: "Naïve and Sentimental Music," at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with Esa-Pekka Salonen, conducting.
Friday, February 20
Bach and Handel on a date? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: J.S. Bach (1685 – 1750): Cantata No. 22 excerpt Yo Yo Ma, cello; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra; Ton Koopman, cond. Sony Classical 60680 & George Frederic Handel (1685 – 1757): Giulio Cesare excerpt Barbara Schlick, soprano; Concerto Cologne; Rene Jacobs, cond. Harmonia Mundi 90.1458 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Bach On Handel On the Julian and Gregorian calendars ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1749—Baptism of German composer, violinist and famous London impresario Johann Peter Salomon, in Bonn; 1770—Italian composer and guitarist Ferdinando Carulli, in Naples; 1791—Austrian composer and pianist Carl Czerny, in Vienna; 1802—Belgian composer and violinist Charles-Auguste de Bériot, in Louvain; 1911—American composer Robert McBride, in Tucson, Arizona; 1929—Japanese composer Toshiro Mayuzumi, in Yokohama; Deaths: 1961—Australian-born American composer and pianist Percy Grainger, age 78, in White Plains, N.Y.; Premieres: 1722 — first concert performance of Handel: “Water Music” (Julian date: Feb. 9); 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 22 ("Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe") and No. 23 ("Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn" performed on Estomihi Sunday as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1724 — Handel: opera “Giulio Cesare (Julius Ceasar)” in London at The King’s Theatre in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Mar. 2); 1816 — Rossini: opera, "The Barber of Seville," in Rome at the Teatro Argentina, with the composer conducting; 1827 — Mendelssohn: "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Overture, in Stettin (first public performance), with Carl Loewe conducting; 1877 — Tchaikovsky: ballet “Swan Lake,” in Moscow (Gregorian date: Mar. 4); 1881 — Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 ("Romantic"), with Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Hans Richter; This was the second (revised) version of Bruckner's original 1874 score; 1897 — Kalinnikov: Symphony No. 1 in g, in Kiev (Julian date: Feb. 8); 1907 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera “Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh,” in St. Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theater, Blumenfeld conducting (Julian date: Feb. 7); 1910 — Debussy: orchestral suite, "Ibéria," at a Colonne Concert in Paris, conducted by Pierné; 1937 — Prokofiev: "Lt. Kijé" Suite (first public performance)in Paris, with composer conducting; A radio performance of this film music suite was broadcast in Moscow on December 21, 1934; 1942 — Menotti: one-act opera "The Island God," at the Metropolitan Opera in New York; 1943 — Orff: opera "Die Kluge" (The Clever Girl), in Frankfurt at the Städtische Bühnen; 1962 — Henri Lazaroff: Viola Concerto, in Monaco; 2003 — Tan Dun: "The Map," multi-media concerto for cello and orchestra, by the Boston Symphony, with the composer conducting and Yo-Yo Ma the soloist; Other: 1626—English composer and lutenist John Dowland, age c. 63, is buried in London; This date suggests Dowland most likely died in mid-February, although some older sources improbably cite Jan. 20 as his death date (That was the day Dowland's son assumed his father's post as a royal court musician).
Saturday, February 21
Cowell for winds ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Henry Cowell (1897 – 1965): Suite for Woodwind Quintet Solaris Ensemble Capstone 8677 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Henry Cowell An essay on Cowell’s legacy ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1801—Czech composer Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda, in Prague; 1836—French composer Léo Delibes, in St. Germain du Val, Sarthe; 1844—French composer and organist Charles Marie Widor, in Lyons; Deaths: 1996—American composer and conductor Morton Gould, age 82, in Orlando, Fla. Premieres: 1727 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 52 ("Ich habe genug") performed on the Feast of the Purification as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27); 1744 — Handel: oratorio “Semele,” in London (Julian date: Feb. 10); 1749 — Handel: oratorio “Susanna” in London (Julian date: Feb. 10); 1886 — Mussorgsky (arr. Rimsky-Korsakov): opera “Khovanschchina,” posthumously, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Feb. 9); 1907 — Delius: opera, "A Village Romeo and Juliet," in Berlin; 1909 — Liadov: “Enchanted Lake” for orchestra, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Feb. 8); 1917 — Rachmaninoff: “Etudes-tableaux,” Op. 39 (Gregorian date: March 6); 1920 — Milhaud: ballet "Le Boeuf sur la toît," in Paris; 1929 — Respighi: orchestral suite, "Roman Festivals," by the New York Philharmonic, Toscanini conducting; 1946 — Roy Harris: "Memories of a Child's Sunday," by the New York Philharmonic with the composer conducting; 1948 — Cowell: Suite for Woodwind Quintet, by an ensemble at the McMillan Theater of Columbia University in New York City; This work was written in 1933 for the French flutist Georges Barrère, but the score and parts remained lost until 1947.
Sunday, February 22
Liebermann at Large ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961): Flute Concerto James Galway, flute; London Mozart Players; Lowell Liebermann, cond. BMG 63235 & Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961): Symphony No. 2 Dallas Symphony and Chorus; Andrew Litton, cond. Delos 3256 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Lowell Liebermann Salon.com portrait of Liebermann ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1810—Polish composer and pianist Frederic Chopin, in Zelazowa Wola (This is the date contained in the composer's baptismal certificate; Chopin himself gave March 1, 1810, as his birthdate); 1817—Danish composer Niels W. Gade, in Copenhagen; 1961—American composer Lowell Liebermann, in New York City; Deaths: 1903—Austrian composer Hugo Wolf, age 42, in Vienna; Premieres: 1878 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4, in Moscow, with Nikolai Rubinstein conducting (Julian date: Feb. 10); 1881 — Bruch: "Scottish Fantasy," Op. 46, in Liverpool, with the composer conducting and Joseph Joachim as soloist; 1890 — Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in Bb, Op. 8 (revised version), in Vienna, at one of the Rosé Chamber Concerts, with the composer at the piano; The first version of this Trio, composed in 1854, received one of its first public performances ever in New York City on November 27, 1855; 1907 — Ravel: "Introduction and Allegro," in Paris; 1938 — Kabalesvky: opera "Colas Breugnon," in Leningrad; 1941 — Paul Creston: Symphony No. 1, in New York City; 1941 — Morton Gould: "Latin American Symphonette," in Brooklyn, N.Y.; 1945 — Virgil Thomson: "Symphony on a Hymn Tune," in New York City, with the composer conducting; 1962 — Benjamin Lees: "Concerto for Orchestra" No. 1, in Rochester, N.Y. |
