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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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March 23-29, 2009
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Monday, March 23
"A good story, but not exactly true," says Haydn ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony No. 94 in G (Surprise) Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Sir Colin Davis, cond. Philips 442 614 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Haydn ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1834—German composer, pianist and organist Julius Ruebke, in Hausneindorf, near Quedlinburg; 1878—Austrian composer Franz Schrecker, in Monaco; 1895—French-born American composer, painter and mystical philosopher Dane Rudhyar, in Paris; Premieres: 1731 — Bach: "St. Mark Passion" (S. 247, now lost) performed in Leipzig at Vespers on Good Friday; 1748 — Handel: oratorio "Alexander Balus" 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: April 3); 1783 — Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 13 and final version of Symphony No. 35 ("Haffner"), at the Vienna Burgtheater, with composer as piano soloist and conductor; An earlier version of the symphony was performed in Salzburg at private concerts arranged by the wealthy Haffner family in the summer of 1782; 1792 — Haydn: Symphony No. 94 ("Surprise"), conducted by the composer, at the Hanover-Square Concert Rooms in London; 1828 — Beethoven: String Quartet in F, Op. 135 (posthumously, and almost one year to the day after the composer's death on March 26, 1827), in Vienna, by the Schuppanzigh Quartet; 1886 — Tchaikovsky: "Manfred" Symphony (after Byron), in Moscow (Julian date: Mar. 11); 1912 — Gliere: Symphony No. 3 ("Ilya Murometz") in Moscow (Julian date: Mar. 10); 1917 — Bloch: "Trois poèmes juifs" (Three Jewish Poems), in Boston, with the composer conducting; 1923 — de Falla: opera "El retrablo de maese Pedro" (Master Peter's Puppet Show) (concert version), in Seville at the Teatro San Fernando; 1935 — Barber: "Music for a Scene from Shelley," by the New York Philharmonic; 1939 — Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2, by the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, Willem Mengelberg conducting and Zoltán Székely as the soloist; A live recording of this premiere performance has been issued on both LP and CD; 1944 — Cowell: "Hymn and Fuguing Tune" No. 2 for strings, in New York on a WEAF radio broadcast featuring Henri Nosco and his Concert Orchestra; The first concert hall performance took place at Town Hall in New York on October 8, 1944, with the Daniel Saidenburg Little Symphony; 1945 — Copland (and 9 other composers): "Variations on a Theme by Eugene Goosens," by the Cincinnati Symphony; 1946 — Marc Blitzstein: "Airbourne Symphony," in New York City; 1962 — Irving Fine: "Symphony 1962" by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting; 1969 — Gene Gutchë: "Genghis Khan," by American Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1999 — James MacMillan: "Cumnock Fair" for piano and strings, at Cumnock Academy by members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Other: 1703—Antonio Vivaldi becomes a Roman Catholic priest at age 25; 1721—Handel completes the composition of Act 3 of "Muzio Scevola," as part of a "competition" arranged by the directors of the Royal Academy of Music to settle the rivalry between their three house composers (Filippo Amadei composed Act 1, Giovanni Bononcinni Act 2, and Handel Act 3); Handel was deemed the victor in this "contest" (Gregorian date: April 3); 1729—J.S. Bach visits Coethen to perform funeral music for his former employer, Prince Leopold; 1743—London premiere of what is billed as "A New Sacred Oratorio" by Handel(Gregorian date: April 3); This was his "Messiah" which had its first performance in Dublin the previous year;
Tuesday, March 24
Gottschalk plays a "politically correct" concert ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869): The Union (Paraphrase de Concert) Alan Marks, piano Nimbus 5014 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Gottschalk ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1740—American-born Moravian composer John Antes, in Frederickstownship, Pa.; Deaths: 1654—German composer Samuel Scheidt, age 66, in Halle; 1916—Spanish composer Enrique Granados, age 48, dies at sea returning to Europe from New York City when the S.S. Sussex is torpedoed in the English Channel by a German submarine during WWI; 1921—French composer Deódat de Sévérac, age 48, in Céret; Premieres: 1784 — Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 15 in Bb, K. 450, at the Trattnerhof in Vienna, with composer as soloist; 1860 — Joachim: Violin Concerto ("Hungarian"), in Hannover, Germany; 1868 — Brahms: Piano Quintet in f, Op. 34, in Paris, with pianist Luise Langhans-Japha, with an unidentified string ensemble; 1881 — Verdi: opera "Simon Boccanegra" (2nd version, with libretto revised by Boito), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; 1924 — Sibelius: Symphony No. 7, in Stockholm, with the composer conducting; 1932 — Randall Thompson: Symphony No. 2, in, Rochester, N.Y.; 1941 — Shostakovich: incidental music for Shakespeare's "King Lear," in Leningrad, at the Gorky Bolshoy Dramatic Theater; 1949 — Panufnik: "Tragic Overture," in New York City; 1984 — Philip Glass: opera "Akhnaten," in Stuttgart, at the Wurttemberg State Theater, with Dennis Russell Davies, conducting; 1996 — Thomas Oboe Lee: "ART: arias and interludes" for string quartet, in Gassoon Hall at Boston College by the Artaria Quartet; 2001 — Chihara: "Songs of Love and Loss," by violist Geraldine Waltherthe and the 20-voice San Francisco Chamber Singers, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, Calif., directed by Robert Geary; Other: 1721—J.S. Bach dedicates his six "Brandenburg" Concertos to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg, whose orchestra apparently never performed them.
Wednesday, March 25
"Made to order music" by Stravinsky ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): Ebony Concerto Benny Goodman, clarinet; Columbia Jazz Combo; Igor Stravinsky, cond. Sony 64136 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Stravinsky "Time" magazine Stravinsky profile ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1699—German opera composer Johann Hasse, in Bergedorf, near Hamburg; 1867—Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, in Parma; 1881—Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, in Nagyszentmiklós; 1882—English composer Haydn Wood, in Slaithwaite; Deaths: 1918—French composer Claude Debussy, age 55, in Paris; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 182 ("Himmelskönig, sei willkommen") performed on the Feast of the Annunciation as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1725 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 1 ("Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern") performed on the Feast of the Annunciation as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1734 — Handel: anthem "This is the day which the Lord hath made" (Julian date: March 14); 1874 — Brahms: "13 Variations on a Hungarian Song" for piano, in London; 1875 — Gilbert & Sullivan: one-act operetta "Trial by Jury" at the Royalty Theatre in London; 1879 — Dvorak: Symphony No. 5 in F, in Prague; 1881 — Dvorák: Symphony No. 6, with Prague Philharmonic, Adolf Cech conducting; 1939 — Villa-Lobos: "Bachianas Brasilieras" No. 5 for soprano and eight cellos, in Rio de Janeiro; 1943 — Edward Joseph Collins: Piano Concerto No. 3 in b, by the Chicago Symphony with Frederick Stock conducting and the composer as soloist; 1946 — Stravinsky: "Ebony Concerto" at Carnegie Hall, with the Woody Herman orchestra conducted by Walter Hendl; 1960 — Elliott Carter: String Quartet No. 2, in New York City, by the Juilliard String Quartet; 1965 — Jack Beeson: opera "Lizzie Borden," in New York City; Other: 1938—American premiere of Prokofiev: "Peter and the Wolf," by the Boston Symphony, conducted by the composer; 1949—Shostakovich (accompanied by KGB "handlers") arrives in New York for his first visit to America, for the Cultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace, held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel; His anti-Western statements and criticism of Igor Stravinsky embarrassed his American sponsors, including Aaron Copland, and later provided political fodder for the notorious Red-hunter, Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Thursday, March 26
Hanson and "The Golden Age of Radio" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Howard Hanson (1896-1981): Symphony No. 3 Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, cond. Delos 3092 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Howard Hanson ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1925—French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, in Montbrison; Deaths: 1566—Spanish composer and organist Antonio de Cabezón, age c. 56, in Madrid; 1827—German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, age 56, in Vienna; 1918—Russian composer Cesar Cui, age 83, in Petrograd (St. Petersburg); 1977—British composer, pianist and actress Madeleine Dring, age 53, in Streatham, London; Premieres: 1723 — J.S. Bach: "St. John Passion," at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig; 1735 — Handel: Organ Concerto Op. 4, no. 5 in London as an intermission feature during a revival performance of Handel's oratorio "Deborah" at the Covent Garden Theater (Gregorian date: April 6); 1827 — Rossini: opera "Moïse et Pharaon" (Moses and Pharaoh) at the Paris Opéra; This is the 3rd and French-language version of Rossini's Italian opera "Mosè in Egitto" (see March 3 and 7 above); 1943 — William Schuman: cantata "A Free Song" (after Walt Whitman), in Boston; This work won the first Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1943; 1958 — Henry Cowell: "Ongaku" a symphonic suite on Japanese themes, by the Louisville Orchestra. Robert S. Whitney conducting; 1958 — Lutoslawski: "Marche funèbre" (in memory of Béla Bartók), in Katowice, Poland; 1960 — Ralph Shapey: "Evocation" for violin, piano and percussion, in New York City; 1984 — Philip Glass: Act V ("The Rome Section"), from "The CIVIL warS," at the Rome Opera, Marcello Panni conducting; 1986 — Ned Rorem: "The End of Summer" for clarinet, violin, and piano, at Patkar Hall in Bombay (India), by the Verdehr Trio; 1998 — Zwilich: Violin Concerto, at Carnegie Hall in New York, by the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Hugh Wolff conducting, with soloist Pamela Frank; 2001 — Corigliano: "Mannheim Rocket," in Mannheim (Germany), by the Mannheim National Theater Orchestra; Other: 1828—Franz Schubert gives a concert of his own works in Vienna, to great success.
Friday, March 27
Vaughan Williams's spin on life in the big city ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Symphony No. 2 (A London Symphony) London Symphony; André Previn, cond. RCA/BMG 60581 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Ralph Vaughan Williams ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1851—French composer Vincent d'Indy, in Paris; 1892—American composer and arranger Ferde Grofé, in New York; Deaths: 1757—possible death date for the Bohemian-born composer and violinist Johann (Jan) Wenzel (Waczlaw /Václav) Anton (Antonin/Antonín) Stamitz, age 39, in Mannheim; He was buried in Mannheim on March 30; 1975—British composer Sir Arthur Bliss, age 83, in London; Premieres: 1745 — Handel: oratorio "Belshazzar," at the King's Theater in London (Gregorian date: April 7); 1897 — Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1, in St. Petersburg, conducted by Alexander Glazunov (Julian date: Mar. 15); 1914 — Vaughan Williams: original version of Symphony No. 2 ("A London Symphony"), at Queen's Hall in London; 1917 — Puccini: opera "La Rondine" (The Swallow), in Monte-Carlo at the Opéra du Casino; 1925 — Edward Joseph Collins: Piano Concerto No. 1 in Eb, by the Chicago Symphony, Frederick Stock conducting and the composer as soloist; 1960 — Mayuzumi: "Mandala-Symphonie," in Tokyo; 1984 — Andrew Lloyd-Webber: musical "Starlight Express," in London; 2001 — Kevin Volans: String Quartet No. 6, in London, by the Vanbrugh Quartet; Other: 1808—Franz Joseph Haydn makes his last public appearance at a performance of his oratorio "The Creation" in Vienna in honor of the composer's approaching 76th birthday; Beethoven and Salieri attend the performance and greet Haydn.
Saturday, March 28
Erich "Wunderkind" Korngold ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957): The Snowman NW German Philharmonic; Werner Andreas Albert, cond. CPO 999 037 & Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957): The Adventures of Robin Hood film score London Symphony; John Williams, cond. Sony 62788 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Erich Wolfgang Korngold ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1871—Dutch conductor Willem Mengelberg, in Utrecht; 1890—American bandleader Paul Whiteman, in Denver, Colo.; 1930—American composer Robert Ashley, in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Deaths: 1881—Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, age 42, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Mar. 16); 1911—Lithuanian painter and composer Mikolajus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (Gregorian date: April 10); 1937—Polish composer Karol Szymanowski, age 54, in Lausanne, Switzerland; 1943—Russian-born composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, age 69, in Beverly Hills, Calif.; A few weeks before his death he became an American citizen; 1949—Rumanian composer and violinist Grigoras Dinicu, age 59, in Bucharest; He is best known for his virtuoso violin showpiece "Hora staccato" (1906); 1958—American composer and "father of the blues" William Christopher (W.C.) Handy, age 84 in New York; Premieres: 1733 — Handel: oratorio "Deborah" (Julian date: March 17); 1801 — Beethoven: ballet "The Creatures of Prometheus," at the Burgtheater in Vienna; 1871 — Tchaikovsky: String Quartet in D, Op. 11, in Moscow, by members of the Russian Musical Society (Julian date: Mar. 16); 1879 — Smetana: String Quartet in e ("From My Life"), in Prague, by Ferdinand Lachner, Jan Pelikán (violins), Josef Krehan (viola), and Alois Neruda (cello); This was the "official" premiere, although a private performance had taken place in Prague the previous year, with the young Antonin Dvorák performing on viola; 1896 — Giordano: opera "Andrea Chénier," in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; 1940 — Britten: Violin Concerto, Op. 15, by the New York Philharmonic conducted by John Barbirolli, with Antonio Brosa the soloist; 1951 — Douglas Moore: opera "Giants in the Earth," in New York City; This work won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1951; 1958 — Rochberg: Symphony No. 1, in Philadelphia; 1960 — Cowell: Symphony No. 12, by the Houston Symphony, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1972 — Bernstein: "Meditations Nos. 1 and 2" for Cello and Piano, in New York City, by cellist Stephen Katz and the composer at the piano; 2003 — Ned Rorem: Cello Concerto, by the Kansas City Symphony with Michael Stern conducting and David Geringas the soloist; Other: 1739 —London music publisher John Walsh the younger issues Handel's Trio Sonatas, Op. 5 London (Gregorian date: April 8); 1842—The Vienna Philharmonic plays its first concert (as the "Vienna Court Orchestra") in the Redoutensaale under the director of composer Otto Nicolai, the director of the Vienna Court Opera; The program included Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, his concert aria "Ah, Perfido," and the "Leonore" No. 3 and "Consercration of the House" Overtures, along with other vocal selections by Mozart and Cherubini.
Sunday, March 29
Athletically inclined music by Janacek and Torke ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Leos Janácek (1854-1928): Sinfonietta Boston Symphony; Seiji Ozawa, cond. EMI 47837 & Michael Torke (b. 1961): Javelin Atlanta Symphony; Yoel Levi, cond. Argo 452 101 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Janácek More on Janácek On Michael Torke ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1902—British composer Sir William Walton, in Oldham; 1936—British composer Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, in Broadstairs; Deaths: 1697—German composer and organist Nicolaus Bruhns, age c. 32, in Husum; 1888—French composer Charles-Henri Alkan, age 75, in Paris; 1911—French composer and organist Alexandre (Felix) Guilmant, age 74, in Meudon; 1924—British composer Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, age 71, in London; 2001—American jazz pianist and composer John Lewis, a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet, age 80, in New York; Premieres: 1795 — possible premiere of Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in Bb, in Vienna, with the composer as soloist; This concerto was written and premiered before Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, which was, however, published first; 1806 — Beethoven: "Leonore" Overture No. 3, as part of the second, revised version of the opera "Fidelio," at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna; 1836 — Wagner: opera "Das Liebesverbot" (The Ban on Love), in Magdeburg at the Stadttheater; Wagner's libretto is based on Shakespeare's play "Measure for Measure"; 1874 — Dvorak: Symphony No. 3 in Eb, in Prague; 1879 — Tchaikovsky: opera "Eugene Onegin," in Moscow at the Malïy (Small) Theater (Julian date: Mar. 17); 1882 — Glazunov: Symphony No. 1, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Mar. 17); 1892 — Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 1 (first movement only), in Moscow, Vasily Safanov conducting and with the composer as soloist (Julian date: Mar. 17); 1911 — Chadwick: "Suite Symphonique," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, with the composer conducting; 2000 — Bright Sheng: String Quartet No. 4, in Richmond, Va., by the Shanghai String Quartet; Other: 1871—Royal Albert Hall is formally opened in London by Queen Victoria. |
