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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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March 9-15, 2009
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Monday, March 9
Mahler's musical love-letter? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony No. 5 Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, cond. London 458 860 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Gustav Mahler International Mahler Society website ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1737—Bohemian composer Josef Mysliveczek, in Ober-Sarka; He was a friend and colleague of Mozart; 1839—Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (Gregorian date: Mar. 21); 1910—American composer Samuel Barber, in West Chester, Pa.; 1930—American composer and jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman, in Forth Worth, Texas; Deaths: 1706—Burial date of German composer Johann Pachelbel, age c. 52, in Nuremberg; Premieres: 1740 — Handel: oratorio "L'Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato," and Organ Concerto in Bb, Op. 7, no. 1, in London (Julian date: Feb. 27); 1748 — Handel: oratorio "Joshua," in London at the Covent Garden Theater; The event possibly included the premiere of Handel's "Concerto a due cori" No. 1 as well (Gregorian date March 20); 1842 — Verdi: opera "Nabucco" (Nabucodonosor), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; 1844 — Verdi: opera "Ernani," in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice; 1849 — Nicolai: opera "Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor" (after Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor"), in Berlin at the Königliches Opernhaus; 1868 — Thomas: opera "Hamlet," (after Shakespeare's play "Hamlet") at the Paris Opéra; 1877 — Tchaikovsky: symphonic-fantasy "Fancesca da Rimini," in Moscow (Julian date: Feb. 25); 1924 — Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 5 (first version), in Paris, by the composer; A revised version of this sonata premiered in Alma-Ata (USSR) on February 5, 1954, by Anatoli Vedernikov; 1930 — Weill: opera "Die Aufsteig und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny" (The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny), in Leipzig at the Neues Theater; 1941 — Cowell: Symphony No. 2 ("Antropos"), in Brooklyn; 1951 — Honegger: Symphony No. 5 ("Di tre re"), by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting; 1980 — Earle Brown: "Caldar Piece," for percussionists and mobile, in Valencia, Calif.; 1982 — Berio: opera "La vera storia" (The True Story), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; Other: 1831—Italian violin virtuoso Nicolo Paganini makes his Parisian debut a the Opéra; Composers in the audience include Meyerbeer, Cherubini, Halvéy; and Franz Liszt (who transcribes Pagnini's showpiece "La Campanella" for piano); Also in attendance are the many famous novelists and poets, including George Sand, Victor Hugo, Alfred de Mussset and Heinrich Heine.
Tuesday, March 10
Mozart says "Call me Amade" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791): Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, K. 467 Alfred Brendel, piano; Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Sir Neville Marriner, cond. Philips 412 856 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More on Wolfgang Mozart ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1839—American composer and organist Dudley Buck, in Hartford, Conn.; 1844—Spanish composer and violinist Pablo de Sarasate, in Pamplona; 1892—French composer Arthur Honegger, in Le Harve; 1903—American composer and jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, in Davenport, Iowa; Deaths: 1832—Italian-born composer Muzio Clementi, age 80, in Evesham, England; 1870—Czech-born composer and pianist Ignaz Moscheles, age 75, in Leipzig; 1910—German composer Carl Reinecke, age 85, in Leipzig; 1991—American composer Elie Siegmeister, age 82, in Manhasset, N.Y.; Premieres: 1785 — Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, K. 467, at the Burgtheater in Vienna, with the composer as soloist; 1837 — Mercadante: opera "Il Giuramento" (The Oath), in Milan; 1875 — Goldmark: opera "Die Königin von Saba" (The Queen of Sheba), in Vienna at the Court Opera (Hofoper); 1877 — Borodin: Symphony No. 2, in St. Petersburg, by the Russian Musical Society, Eduard Nápravik conducting (Julian date: Feb. 26); 1880 — Paine: Symphony No. 2 ("Spring"), at Sanders Theater in Boston, by the Boston Philharmonic, Bernard Listermann conducting; The following day, the orchestra of the Harvard Musical Association performed the same work downtown at Boston's Musical Hall, with Carl Zerrahn conducting; 1888 — Franck: symphonic poem "Pysché," in Paris; 1912 — Gliere: Symphony No. 3 ("Ilya Murometz") in Moscow (Gregorian date: Mar. 23); 1916 — Granados: "Intermezzo & Epilogue," from "Goyescas," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1922 — Loeffler: "Irish Fantasies" (Nos. 2, 3 & 5 only) for voice and orchestra, by the Boston Symphony, with Pierre Monteux conducting and tenor John McCormack the soloist; 1932 — Wallingford Riegger: "Dichotomy" for orchestra, in Berlin; 1952 — David Diamond: Quintet for clarinet and strings, at Town Hall in New York City, by clarinetist David Oppenheim, Nathan Gordon and Lillian Fuchs (violins), and Aaron Twerdowsky and Bernard Greenhouse (cellos); 1963 — Henze: opera "Il re cervo" (The Stag King), in Kassel at the Staatstheater; This is the 2nd version of Henze's opera "König Hirsch" which was first staged in an abridged version in Berlin on September 24, 1956; The complete original version of the opera was eventually staged in Stuttgart on May 7, 1985; 1964 — John Harbison: "Sinfonia," in Cambridge, Mass., with violinist Rose Mary Harbison and the Bach Society Orchestra of Harvard, Gregory Biss conducting; 1977 — John Harbison: "Diotima" for orchestra, in Boston, with the Boston Symphony, Joseph Silverstein conducting; Other: 1937—Frank Capra's film "The Lost Horizon" opens at the Four Stars Theater in Los Angeles, featuring a classic film score composed by Dmitri Tiomkin (and conducted by Max Steiner).
Wednesday, March 11
Mendelssohn dusts off an old classic ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): St. Matthew Passion Netherlands Bach Society; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra; Ton Koopman, cond. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Bach On Mendelssohn ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1876—American composer Carl Ruggles, in Marion, Mass.; 1897—American composer Henry Cowell, in Menlo Park, Calif.; Premieres: 1791 — Haydn: Symphony No. 92, conducted by the composer, at the first of his London concerts; Haydn had composed this symphony at the request of a French count in 1788-89, and presumably its first performance took place in Paris around that time; The symphony's nickname, "Oxford," derives from a July 7, 1791, performance conducted by Haydn at the Sheldonian Theater at Oxford University, where Haydn was awarded an honorary degree; 1830 — Bellini: opera "I Capuleti e I Montecchi" (The Capulets and Montagues), in Venice at the Teatro la Fenice; 1851 — Verdi: opera "Rigoletto," in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice; 1867 — Verdi: opera "Don Carlos" (1st French-language version in 5 acts) at the Paris Opéra; 1886 — Tchaikovsky: "Manfred" Symphony (after Byron), in Moscow (Gregorian date: Mar. 23); 1888 — Dvorak: Symphony No. 2 in Bb, in Prague; This symphony was composed in 1865; 1915 — Ravel: ballet "Ma Mère l'Oye" (Mother Goose), at the Paris Opéra; This orchestral score is based on an earlier Ravel work of the same name for two pianos; 1917 — Respighi: tone-poem "The Fountains of Rome," in Rome; 1929 — Colin McPhee: Concerto for Piano with Wind Octet, in Boston; 1999 — Corigliano: "A Dylan Thomas Trilogy," at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with soloists and the National Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting; Other: 1829—Mendelssohn conducts a revival performance of J.S. Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" in Berlin.
Thursday, March 12
Copland's fanfare for America's "Greatest Generation?" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Aaron Copland (1900 - 1990): Fanfare for the Common Man San Francisco Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, cond. RCA/BMG 63888 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Copland On the Copland Collection at the Library of Congress Copland at 100 MPR feature ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1710—British composer Thomas Arne, in London (Gregorian date: March 23); 1837—French composer and organist Alexandre (Felix) Guilmant, in Boulogne-sur-Mer; 1921—American composer Ralph Shapey, in Philadelphia; Deaths: 1628—English composer John Bull, age c. 65 on March 12-13, 1628, in Antwerp; 1832—Danish composer of German birth Friedrich (Daniel Rudolf) Kuhlau, age 45, in Copenhagen; 1937—French composer and organist Charles Marie Widor, age 93, in Paris; 1955—American be-bop composer and jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, age 34, in New York City; Premieres: 1726 — Handel: opera "Scipione" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: March 23); 1857 — Verdi: opera "Simon Boccanegra" (1st version), in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice; 1898 — Kalinnikov: Symphony No. 2, in Kiev (Julian date: Feb. 28); 1934 — Hindemith: "Mathis der Maler" Symphony, by the Berlin Philharmonic, with Wilhelm Fürtwängler conducting; 1943 — Copland: "Fanfare for the Common Man," by Cincinnati Symphony, Eugene Goosens conducting; 1964 — Britten: Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, in Moscow with the Moscow Philharmonic conducted by the composer, with Mstislav Rostropovich the soloist; 1965 — Lutoslawski: String Quartet, in Stockholm (Sweden), by the LaSalle Quartet; 1998 — Magnus Lindberg: "Fresco" for orchestra, by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Esa-Pekka Salonen, conducting; Other: 1909—American premiere of Bruckner: Symphony No. 8, by the Boston Symphony, Max Fiedler conducting (no relation to Arthur Fiedler!); 1945—The Vienna Opera House is damaged by Allied bombs; In the immediate post-war period, performances continued at the Theatre an der Wien and the Vienna Volksoper; The gala reopening of the rebuilt Vienna State Opera occurred on November 5, 1955, when Karl Böhm conducted a performance of Beethoven's "Fidelio."
Friday, March 13
Wagner and John Adams put on their dancing shoes ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Richard Wagner (1813-1883): Venusberg Music, fr Tannhäuser Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; James Levine, cond. DG 435 874 & John Adams (b. 1947): The Chairman Dances San Francisco Symphony; Edo de Waart, cond. Nonesuch 79144 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Wagner On John Adams ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1700—French composer and flutist Michel Blavet, in Besançon; 1860—Austrian composer and music critic Hugo Wolf, in Windisch-Graz; Deaths: 1842—Italian-born composer Luigi Cherubini, age 81, in Paris; 1918—French composer Lili Boulanger, age 24, in Mézy; Premieres: 1744 — Handel: oratorio "Joseph and his Brethren" (Julian dater: March 2); 1797 — Cherubini: opera "Médée" (Medea), in Paris; 1845 — Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in e, Op. 64, by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Niels Gade, with Ferdinand David the soloist; 1861 — Wagner: opera "Tannhäuser" (Paris version), at the Théâtre Imperial de l'Opéra; 1947 — Messiaen: "Hymne" for orchestra, by the New York Philharmonic, Leopold Stokowski conducted; 1954 — Schoenberg: (unfinished) opera "Moses and Aaron," in a concert performance by the Hamburg Radio; The first staged performance took place in Zürich, Switzerland, on June 6, 1957); 1964 — Ernst Toch: Symphony No. 5 ("Jeptha - Rhapsodic Poem"), in Boston; 1976 — Babbitt: Concerti for Violin, Small Orchestra and Tape, in New York City; 1986 — George Rochberg: Symphony No. 5 (Commissioned for the sesquicentennial celebration of the city of Chicago), by the Chicago Symphony, with Sir Georg Solti conducting; 1992 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Strathclyde Concerto" No. 5 for violin, viola and strings, at Glasgow's City Hall, by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer, with soloists James Clarke and Catherine Marwood; 1998 — Mark Adamo: opera "Little Women" at Houston Opera Studio, with Christopher Larkin conducting; Other: 1970—George Crumb completes his "Black Angels" for electric string quartet, percussion and water-tuned musical glasses; The score is inscribed: "finished on Friday the Thirteenth, March 1970 in tempore belli" (in time of war).
Saturday, March 14
Old Vienna, New Vienna with Strauss and Schwertsik ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Johann Strauss, Jr. (1827-1870): The Blue Danube Jhn. Strauss Orchestra; Christopher Warren-Green, cond. Blackbox 1059 & Kurt Schwertsik (b. 1935): Vienna Chronicles 1848 Vienna Radio Symphony: HK Gruber, cond. Largo 56627 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More on Johann Strauss Sr. (and his sons). On Kurt Schwertsik ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1681—German composer Georg Philipp Telemann, in Magdeburg; 1727—Baptism of German composer and keyboard virtuoso Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, in Danzig (now Gdansk); 1804—Austrian composer and conductor Johann Strauss, Sr., in Vienna; Premieres: 1734 — Handel: anthem "This is the day which the Lord hath made" in London at the French Chapel of St. James's Palace, for the wedding of Princess Anne and Prince Willem, the Prince of Orange (Gregorian date: March 25); 1824 — Schubert: String Quartet in a (D. 804) in Vienna, by the Schuppanzigh Quartet; Published the following September, this was the only chamber work of Schubert's published in his lifetime; 1847 — Verdi: opera "Macbeth," in Florence at the Teatro della Pergola; 1885 — Gilbert & Sullivan: operetta "The Mikado," at the Savoy Theatre in London; 1963 — Simpson: Symphony No. 3, in Birmingham, England; 1975 — Ulysses Kay: Quintet Concerto for brass and orchestra, in New York City; 1976 — Paul Creston: "Hyas Illahee" for chorus and orchestra, in Shreveport, La.; 1986 — Harrison Birtwistle: "Earth Dances" for orchestra, at Royal Festival Hall in London by the BBC Symphony, Peter Eotvos conducting; 1996 — Leo Ornstein: Piano Sonata No. 6, at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, by pianist Marvin Tartak; 2000 — David Maslanka: Wind Quintet No. 3, in Columbus, Mo., by the Missouri Quintet; 2001 — Danielpour: Cello Concerto No. 2 ("Through the Ancient Valley"), by the New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur conducting, with soloist Yo-Yo Ma; 2002 — Previn: Violin Concerto, by the Boston Symphony with the composer conducting and soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter; 2003 — Jim Mobberley: "Vox Inhumana" for live and prerecorded sounds, in Kansas City, by the NewEar ensemble.
Sunday, March 15
Corigliano's memorial symphony ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Corigliano (b. 1938): Symphony No. 1 Chicago Symphony; Daniel Barenboim, cond. Erato 45601 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Corigliano ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1835—Austrian composer and conductor Eduard Strauss, in Vienna; He was the youngest son of Johann Strauss, Sr.; 1864—Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist Johan Halvorsen, in Drammen; 1901—American composer Colin McPhee, in Montréal, Canada; 1926—American composer Ben Johnston, in Macon, Ga.; 1928—American composer Nicolas Flagello, in New York City; Deaths: 1842—Italian composer Luigi Cherubini, age 81, in Paris; 1918—French composer Lili Boulanger, age 24, in Mezy; 1942—Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky, age 70, in Larchmont, N.Y.; Premieres: 1807 — Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 (first public performance), in Vienna, at a benefit concert conducted by the composer; 1885 — Franck: symphonic poem "Les Dijinns" (The Genies), in Paris; 1897 — Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1 (Gregorian date: Mar. 27); 1908 — Ravel: "Rapsodie espagnole" (Spanish Rhapsody), in Paris; 1911 — Scriabin: Symphony No. 5 ("Prometheus: Poem of Fire"), in Moscow, conducted by Serge Koussevitzky and with the composer performing the solo piano part (Julian date: Mar. 2); 1981 — Stockhausen: opera "Donnerstag, aus Licht" (Thursday, from Light), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; This is one of a projected cycle of seven operas, each named after a day of the week; 1994 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Chat Moss" (the name of a quagmire in Lancashire) for orchestra, in Liverpool by the orchestra of St. Edward's College, John Moseley conducting; 2000 — Corigliano: "Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan," at Carnegie Hall, by soprano Sylvia McNair and pianist Martin Katz; An orchestrated version of this song-cycle premiered in Minneapolis on October 23, 2003, with soprano Hila Plitmann and the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Robert Spano; Other: 1895—Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, age 22, makes his operatic debut at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples, singing the lead tenor role in Domenico Morelli's comic opera "L'Amico Francesco." |
