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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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March 30-April 5, 2009
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Monday, March 30
Piston on campus ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Walter Piston (1894-1976): Symphony No. 4 Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, cond. Delos 3106 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Walter Piston ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1935—American composer Gordon Muma, in Framingham, Mass.; Deaths: 1764—Italian composer Pietro Locatelli, age 68, in Amsterdam; Premieres: 1725 — Bach: "St. John Passion" (S. 245, second version) performed at Vespers on Good Friday as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); The first version had premiered on Good Friday in 1724 (April 7); 1881 — R. Strauss: Symphony in d, in Munich, with Hermann Levi; This was Strauss' first major orchestral work; 1951 — Piston: Symphony No. 4, by the Minneapolis Symphony, Antal Dorati conducting; 2000 — Corigliano: "Phantasmagoria" (Suite from the opera "The Ghosts of Versailles"), in Minneapolis, by the Minnesota Orchestra, Giancarlo Guerrero conducting.
Tuesday, March 31
W. G. Still's all-star line up ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: William Grant Still (1895-1978): Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American) Detroit Symphony; Neeme Järvi, cond. Chandos 9154 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On William Grant Still ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1732—Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn, in Rohrau; 1872—Russian ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev, in Gruzino, Novgorod district (Julian date: Mar. 19); Deaths: 1880—Polish composer and violinist Henryk Wieniawski, age 44, in Moscow; 1901—British composer Sir John Stainer, age 60, in Verona, Italy; Premieres: 1723 — Handel: Concerto in F (HWV 331) (Julian date: March 20); 1739 — Handel: Organ Concerto in A (HWV 296a) (Julian date: March 20); 1745 — Rameau: opera-ballet, "Platée," at Versailles; 1784 — Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 16 in D, K. 451, in Vienna, with composer as soloist; 1794 — Haydn: Symphony No. 100 ("Military"), conducted by the composer on his 62nd birthday, at the Hanover-Square Concert Rooms in London; 1841 — R. Schumann: Symphony No. 1 ("Spring"), by Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Felix Mendelssohn conducting; 1901 — Dvorák: opera "Rusalka," in Prague at the National Theater; 1913 — Webern: "Six Pieces" for orchestra, in Vienna; 1932 — Chávez: ballet "Horsepower," in Philadelphia; 1947 — Ulysses Kay: "Short Overture," in New York City; 1949 — William Grant Still: opera "Troubled Island," in New York City; 1951 — R. Strauss: "Munich Waltz," posthumously in Vienna; This music was originally written for the 1939 film; 1961 — Françaix: "L'Horloge de Flore," by oboist John de Lancie, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 2001 — Peter Lieberson: Piano Quintet, at Carnegie Hall, by pianist Peter Serkin with the Orion String Quartet; Other: 1837—Franz Liszt and Sigismond Thalberg, the two reigning virtuosi of their day, perform a sort of pianistic "duel" at a benefit concert in aid of Italian refuguees at the Parisian salon of Princess Cristina Belgiojso-Trivulzio.
Wednesday, April 1
(April Fools' Day)
Copland's "The Tender Land" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Aaron Copland (1900-1990): The Tender Land Suite Boston Symphony; Aaron Copland, cond. RCA/BMG 6802 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On The Tender Land Copland discussing his opera on Performance Today ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1866—Italian composer and pianist Ferruccio Busoni, in Empoli; 1873 —Russian composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff, in Semyonovo, near Staraya Russa, Novgorod district (Julian date: Mar. 20); Rachmaninoff came to the U.S. in 1918, and became an American citizen shortly before his death in 1943; 1917 —Rumanian composer and pianist Dinu Lipatti, in Bucharest; 1921—American composer Williams Bergsma, in Oakland, Calif.; Deaths: 1917—American ragtime composer Scott Joplin, age 48, in a New York City hospital; Premieres: 1735 — Handel: Organ Concerto Op. 4, no. 4. as an intermission feature during the London premiere of Handel's oratorio "Athalia"at the Covent Garden Theater; "Athalia"had premiered at the Sheldonian Theater in Oxford on July 10, 1733 (Gregorian dates: April 12 and July 21, respectively); 1747 — Handel: oratorio "Judas Maccabaeus,"in London at the Covent Garden Theater; The event possibly included the premiere of Handel's "Concerto a due Cori"No. 3 as well (Gregorian date: April 12); 1873 — Verdi: String Quartet, at an informal performance in Verdi's hotel in Naples, by performers identified only as "the Pinto brothers (violins), Salvadore (viola), and Giarritiello (cello); 1894 — Rachmaninoff: symphonic fantasy "The Rock,"in Moscow, conducted by Vasily Safonov (Julian date: March 20); 1913 — de Falla: opera "La vida breve"(The Short Life), in Nice, at the Théatre du Casino Municipal; 1937 — Menotti: opera "Amelia Goes to the Ball,"at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia; Menotti was a Curtis alumnus and wrote "Amelia Goes to the Ball"while still a student there; The work is dedicated to Curtis founder Mary Bok; A year later, the opera is presented by the Metropolitan Opera; 1954 — Copland: opera "The Tender Land,"by the New York City Opera; 1976 — Diamond: Violin Concerto No. 3, in New York City; 1995 — Michael Torke: "December"for string orchestra, by the Des Moines (Iowa) Symphony, Joseph Giunta conducting; 1999 — Magnus Lindberg: "Cantiags"for orchestra, by the Cleveland Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnányi, conducting; Other: 1888—The eccentric Parisian composer and piano virtuoso Alkan is buried in the Montmatre Cemetary; Isidore Philipp, one of only four mourners who attend Alkan's internment, claimed to have been present when the composer's body was found in his apartment and said the elderly Alkan was pulled from under a heavy bookcase, which apparently fell on him while Alkan was trying to reach for a copy of the Talmud on its top shelf; This story has been discounted by some Alkan scholars; 1902—American premiere of Debussy's "Prelude to ‘The Afternoon of a Faun'"by the Orchestral Club of Boston.
Thursday, April 2
Politically correct Bruckner, circa 1937 ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Anton Bruckner (1824-1896): Symphony No. 9 in d Minnesota Orchestra; Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, cond. Reference 81 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Bruckner A detailed discography of Bruckner Symphony versions on record ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1803—German composer and conductor Franz Lachner, in Rain am Lech; Deaths: 1961—American composer Wallingford Riegger, age 75, in New York; Premieres: 1800 — Beethoven: Symphony No. 1, at the Hofburgtheater in Vienna, during a benefit concert for Beethoven (an "Akademie") conducted by the composer; Also on the program was the first public performance of Beethoven's Septet, Op. 20 (A private performance had already taken place at the home of Prince Schwarzenberg); The earliest documented American performance of some or all of Beethoven's First occurred in the Moravian community of Nazareth, Pa., on June 13, 1813; 1911 — Ravel: "Daphnis et Chloe" Suite No, 1, in Paris, with Gabriel Pierné conducting; 1932 — Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 (original version), at a private concert in Munich, at which Siegmund von Hausegger first performed the much revised and cut version of this symphony prepared by Bruckner's pupil, Ferdinand Löwe, then the composer's original score; Clemens Krauss conducted the first public performance of Bruckner's original version with the Vienna Philharmonic on October 23, 1932; 1938 — Quincy Porter: Symphony No. 1, by the New York Philharmonic, with the composer conducting; 1948 — Hartmann: opera "Simplicius Simplicissimus"(concert performance), in Munich by the Bavarian Radio; 1958 — Mayuzumi: "Nirvana-Symphony," in Tokyo; 1970 — Rochberg: "Caprice Variations" for solo violin, by Lewis Kaplan, broadcast live in New York on WBAI's "Free Music Store"; 2005 — Per Norgard: “The Will-o’-the-Wisps Go to Town” (to texts by Hans Christian Andersen and Susanne Broegge), for soloists, chorus and orchestra, in Birmingham, England, by the Birmingham Symphony. Other: 1825 —First documented American performance of Beethoven's "Egmont"Overture, at the City Hotel in New York during an orchestral program conducted by Joseph Herrmann; 1845—Shortly before his 16th birthday, American composer and piano virtuoso Louis Moreau Gottschalk performs a recital in Paris at the Salle Pleyel; Chopin attends, and congratulates Gottschalk on his performance; 1877—American premiere of Wagner's opera "Die Walküre" (The Valkyrie), at the Academy of Music in New York City; 1914—Swiss conductor Ernest Ansermet conducts Stravinsky's Symphony in Eb in Montreux and begins friendship with Stravinsky; Ansermet would become a famous interpreter and champion of this composer's works; In April of 1919, Stravinsky would dedicate a reduced-orchestra version of his "Firebird" Ballet Suite to Ansermet and his newly-formed ensemble, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.
Friday, April 3
The international Mr. Grieg ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Edvard Grieg (1843-1907): Piano Concerto in a, Op. 16 Sviatoslav Richter, piano; Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra; Lovro von Matacic , cond. Angel/EMI Classics 47164 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Grieg ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1889—Rumanian composer and violinist Grigoras Dinicu, in Bucharest; He is best known for his virtuoso violin showpiece "Hora staccato" (1906); 1895—Italian-born American composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, in Florence; Deaths: 1850—Bohemian composer Jan Václav Tomášek (Johann Wenzel Tomaschek), age 75, in Prague; 1868—Swedish composer Frans Berwald, age 71, in Stockholm; 1897—German composer Johannes Brahms, age 63, in Vienna; 1950—German-born American composer Kurt Weill, age 50, in New York City; 1972—American composer and arranger Ferde Grofé, age 80, in Santa Monica, Calif.; Premieres: 1748 — Handel: oratorio "Alexander Balus" (Julian date: March 23); 1786 — Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 in c, K. 491, at the Burgtheater in Vienna, with the composer as soloist; 1869 — Grieg: Piano Concerto in a, Op. 16, in Copenhagen, by the Danish Royal Theater Orchestra conducted by Holger Simon Paulli, and Edmund Neupert the soloist; 1911 — Sibelius: Symphony No. 4, in Helsinki, with the composer conducting; 1923 — Roussel: ballet "Le Festin de l'araignée" (The Spider's Feast), in Paris; 1925 — Holst: opera "At the Boar's Head," in Manchester; 1931 — Hindemith: "Concert Music,"by the Boston Symphony (commissioned for the orchestra's 50 th anniversary), with Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1998 — Tan Dun: "Concerto for Six Players " in Durham, N.C., by the Bang On A Can All-Stars; 2003 — Elliott Carter: "Boston Concerto," by the Boston Symphony, Ingo Metzmacher conducting; Other: 1834—The "Neue Zeitschrift für Musik" (New Journal of Music) begins publication, with Robert Schumann as contributing editor; 1843—The Leipzig Conservatory opens, with Felix Mendelssohn as its director; 1871—American premiere of Wagner's opera "Lohengrin," at the Stadt Theater in New York City; 1926—American premiere of Sibelius' Symphony No. 7, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting.
Saturday, April 4
Of success and sorrow: Gorecki's Third ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Henryk Gorecki (b. 1933): No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) Dawn Upshaw, soprano; London Sinfonietta; David Zinman, cond. Nonesuch 79282 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Gorecki ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1898—Italian-born American jazz violinist Joe Venuti, in Lecco; 1905—French composer and conductor Eugène Bozza, in Nice; Deaths: 1931—American composer George Whitefield Chadwick, age 76, in Boston; 1972—German-born American composer Stefan Wolpe, age 69, in New York; Premieres: 1739 — Handel: oratorio "Israel in Egypt," in London at the King's Theatre in the Haymarket; As an intermission feature, Handel's new Organ Concerto in F ("The Cuckoo and the Nightingale") is also premiered (Gregorian date: April 15); 1859 — Meyerbeer: opera "Le Pardon de Ploërmel" (Dinorah), in Paris; 1867 — Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No. 1, at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, by violinist Pablo de Sarasate; 1897 — Chausson: "Poème" for violin and orchestra, in Paris, at a Colonne Concert with Eugene Ysäye as soloist; 1955 — Stravinsky: "Greeting Prelude" (for the 80th birthday of conductor Pierre Monteux), by the Boston Symphony conducted by Charles Munch; 1964 — Sondheim: musical "Anyone Can Whistle" on Broadway; The show ran for only nine performances, closing on April 11, 1964; Nevertheless, the day after its closing, Columbia Records executive Goddard Lieberson makes an original cast recording that becomes a best-seller; 1971 — Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical "Company"; 1975 — Rochberg: Violin Concerto, by the Pittsburgh Symphony, with Isaac Stern as soloist; 1977 — Gorecki: Symphony No. 3 ("Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"), in Royan, France, with soprano soloist Stefania Woytowicz and the Southwest German Radio Orchestra conducted by Ernest Bour; Other: 1954—Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini (age 87) leads his last concert with the NBC Symphony, an all-Wagner program.
Sunday, April 5
Lou Harrison conducts an Ives premiere ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Charles Ives (1874-1954): Symphony No. 3 Concertgebouw Orchestra; Michael Tilson Thomas, cond. CBS/Sony 37823 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Charles Ives ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1784—German composer, violinist and conductor Ludwig Spohr, in Brunswick; 1869—French composer Albert Roussel, in Tourcoing; 1917—American composer Richard Yardumian, in Philadelphia; Deaths: 1946—American composer Vincent Youmans, age 47, in Denver; Premieres: 1803 — Beethoven: oratorio "Christus am Ölberg" (Christ on the Mount of Olives), Piano Concerto No. 3 and Symphony No. 2 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, with composer conducting and as piano soloist; 1874 — Jh. Strauss, Jr.: operetta "Die Fledermaus" (The Bat), in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien; 1902 — Ravel: "Jeux d'eau" (Fountains) for piano, in Paris, by Ravel's friend Ricardo Viñes; 1914 — First concert performance of Stravinsky's ballet score, "The Rite of Spring," in Paris, conducted by Pierre Monteux (who also conducted the world premiere of the staged version of the ballet with Diaghilev's Ballet Russe on May 29, 1913); 1939 — Gretchaninoff: Symphony No. 5, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1944 — Cage: "The Perilous Night," for prepared piano, in New York; 1946 — Barber: Cello Concerto, by the Boston Symphony with Serge Koussevitzky conducting and Raya Garbousova the soloist; 1946 — Ives: Symphony No. 3, at the smaller concert room at Carnegie Hall by the Little Orchestra, conducted by Lou Harrison; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music that year; 1951 — Hindemith: Symphony in Bb for concert band, in Washington, DC, with the composer conducting; 1958 — R. Strauss: "Duet-Concertino" for clarinet, bassoon and strings, by the Swiss Italian Radio; 1980 — Christopher Rouse: "Mitternachtslieder" (Midnight Songs), for bass-baritone solo and ensemble, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by the Contemporary Directions Ensemble conducted by Stephen Osmond, with vocal soloist Leslie Guinn. Other: 1877—First documented American performance of Handel's "Largo"(from the opera "Xerxes”) as a concert piece (in the arrangement by Joseph Hellmesberger for solo violin and ensemble), at New York's Steinway Hall, by the Theodore Thomas Orchestra, with Simon E. Jacobsohn the violin soloists. |
