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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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September 7-13, 2009
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Monday, September 7
David Stock's Quartet No. 3 ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: David Stock (b. 1939): ,br>String Quartet No. 3 Cuarteto Latinoamericano innova 563 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On David Stock ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1726—French opera composer and chess master François André Danican-Philidor, in Dreux; 1923—English composer, pianist and actress Madeleine Dring, in Hornsey, London; 1924—American film composer Leonard Rosenman, in Brooklyn; Deaths: 1881—American poet, flutist and composer Sidney Lanier, age 39, in Lynn, N.C.; Premieres: 1922 — Bliss: "Colour Symphony," at the Three Choirs' Festival in Glouchester, England; 1940 — David Diamond: "Concerto for Orchestra," in Yaddo, N.Y.; 1949 — Ghedini: opera, "Billy Budd," in Venice (Benjamin Britten's more successful operatic treatment of the same Hermann Melville novella premiered in London on December 1, 1951); 1971 — Bernstein: "Mass" (public dress rehearsal), at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; The work's official gala premiere occurred on Sept. 8, 1971. 1996 — David Stock: String Quartet No. 3, in Pittsburgh, by Cuarteto Latinoamericano.
Tuesday, September 8
Tan Dun's "Water Passion" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Tan Dun (b. 1957): Water Passion Stephen Bryant, bass; Mark O'Connor, violin; ensemble; Tan Dun, cond. Sony 89927 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Tan Dun ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1841 —Czech composer Antonin Dvorák, in Nelahozeves; 1894—Dutch composer Willem Pijper, in Zeist; 1933—American composer Eric Salzman, in New York City; 1934—British composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (whose last name, despite its spelling, is pronounced "Davis" by the British); 1934—Canadian composer Srul Irving Glick, in Toronto; Deaths: 1613—Italian nobleman, composer, lutenist, and murderer (of his first wife and her lover) Don Carlo Gesualdo, age c. 53, at his castle in Gesualdo; 1949—German composer and conductor Richard Strauss, age 85, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen; 1991—American composer Alex North, age 80, in Pacific Palisades, Calif.; Premieres: 1961 — Earle Brown: "Available Forms I" for 18 players, in Darmstadt; 1971 — Bernstein: gala premiere "Mass (A Theater Piece)" at the inauguration of the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., choreographed by Alvin Ainley, directed by Gordon Davidson, and conducted by Maurice Peress (Bernstein shared a box section with members of the Kennedy family, including Senator Ted Kennedy and his mother, Rose; Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis did not attend this performance); A dress rehearsal performances of this new work was also open to the public and specially-invited members of Congress the preceding day; 1975 — Paul Chihara: "Ceremony V (Symphony in Celebration)," in Houston; 1994 — Michael Torke: "Javelin," by the Atlanta Symphony, Yoel Levi conducting; 1995 — Lou Harrison: "New First Suite for Strings," in Majorca, by the Stuttgart Symphony, Dennis Russell Davies conductin; 2000 — Tan Dun: "Water Passion after St. Matthew," in Stuttgart (Germany), with vocal soloists Elizabeth Keusch and Stephen Bryant, violinist Mark O'Connor, cellist Maya Beiser, and percussionist David Cossin, and the orchestra of the Bach Academy conducted by the composer; This work was one of four passion settings commissioned by the International Bach Academy to honor the 250th anniversary of Bach's death in the year 2000 (see also: Aug. 29 Sept 1 5).
Wednesday, September 9
Beethoven at "The Wild Man" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827): String Quartet in a, Op. 132 Emerson Quartet DG 447 075 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Beethoven ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1872—American composer Edward Burlingame Hill, in Cambridge, Mass.; 1937—American composer Olly Wilson, in St. Louis; Deaths: 1965—Mexican composer Julián Carrillo, age 90, in Mexico City; Premieres: 1825 — Beethoven: String Quartet in a, Op.132, at a private performance for an audience of fourteen at the Tavern "Zum Wilden Mann" (The Wild Man) in Vienna, by the Schuppanzigh Quartet; The same players gave the first public performance in Vienna on November 6 that year; 1973 — Frank Martin: "Polyptyque (Six Passiontide Images for Violin and Two Small String orchestras)," in Lausanne, by the Zurich Chamber Orchestra conducted by Edmond de Stoutz, with Yehudi Menuhin the soloist. 1995 — Michael Torke: "Telephone Book" for chamber ensemble (consisting of "The Yellow Pages" from 1985 and two new pieces: "The Blue Pages" and "The White Pages" composed in 1995), at the Milwaukee Art Museum by the Present Music ensemble, Kevin Stalheim conducting.
Thursday, September 10
Marco Uccellini ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Marco Uccellini (1603 – 1680): Aria IX and Corrente XX Romanesca Harmonia Mundi 90.7196 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Marco Uccellini ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1714—Italian opera composer Niccolo Jommelli, in Aversa (near Naples); He was known as "the Italian Gluck"; 1866—Swedish violinist and composer Tor Aulin, in Stockholm; 1875—Lithuanian composer Mikolajus Ciurlionis, in Varena (Gregorian date: Sept. 22); His birthday is incorrectly listed as Oct. 4 in many reference works; Deaths: 1680—Italian composer Marco Uccellini, age c. 77, in Folimpopoli; Premieres: 1838 — Berlioz: opera, "Benvenuto Cellini," at the Paris Opera; 1950 — Karl Amadeus Hartmann: "Adagio" (Symphony No. 2), by the Southwest German Radio Orchestra, Hans Rosbaud conducting; 1955 — Cowell: "Hymn and Fuguing Tune" No. 10 for oboe and strings, in the Sunken Gardens of the Spanish Court House in Santa Barbara, Calif., by oboist Bert Gassman and the strings of the 3rd Annual Pacific Coast Music Festival orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1971 — Ginastera: opera "Beatrix Cenci" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; 1989 — Peter Maxwell Davies: Symphony No. 4, at a BBC Proms Concert in London's Royal Albert Hall, by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer; 1998 — Joan Tower: "Wild Purple," for solo viola, at Lincoln Center in New York, by Paul Neubauer.
Friday, September 11
Leroy Anderson in the studio ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Leroy Anderson (1908 – 1975): Jazz Pizzicato and The Waltzing Cat Decca studio orchestra; Leroy Anderson, cond. MCA 9815 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Leroy Anderson ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1711—Baptismal date of British composer William Boyce, in London; 1786—German-born Danish pianist and composer Friedrich Kuhlau, in Ülzen (near Hanover); 1825—Conservative Viennese music critic Eduard Hanslick, in Prague; 1935 —Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, in Paide; Deaths: 1733—French harpsichordist and composer François Couperin ("le Grand"), age 64, in Paris; 1949—French composer Henri Rabaud, age 76, in Paris; 1985—English composer William Alwyn, age 79, in Southwold; Premieres: 1887 — Dvorák: Mass in D, Op. 86, at a private performance in Luzany; 1924 — Gershwin: musical "Primrose," at the Winter Garden Theater in London; 1936 — Kodály: "Te Deum," in Budapest; 1951 — Stravinsky: opera, "The Rake's Progress," in Venice at the Teatro della Fenice, conducted by the composer; According to Opera America, this is one of the most frequently-produced American operas during the past decade; 1971 — Barber: "Fadograph from a Yestern Scene" (the title is a line from James Joyce's "Finnegans Wake"), by the Pittsburgh Symphony, at the opening concert in Heinz Hall; 1986 — Harbison: "Remembering Gatsby" for orchestra, in Atlanta, with the Atlanta Symphony, Robert Shaw conducting; This music became the prelude to Harbison's 1999 opera, "The Great Gatsby"; Other: 1840—German composer Robert Schumann gives his fiancée, Clara Wieck, his new song-cycle "Liederkreis," as a gift on the eve of their wedding; 1850—Swedish soprano Jenny Lind makes her American debut at the Castle Garden Theatre in New York City, inaugurating a 93-stop American tour arranged by showman and entertainment entrepreneur Phineas "P.T." Barnum; 1950—At a Decca recording session in New York City; Leroy Anderson conducts the premiere performance of his piece entitled "The Waltzing Cat" and also commits to disc six more of his most popular compositions: "Jazz Pizzicato" and "Jazz Legato" (both composed in 1938), "A Trumpeter's Lullaby" and "The Syncopated Clock" (both composed in 1945), and two of his pieces that had premiered at 1947 and 1948 Boston Pops concerts: "Serenata" (Arthur Fiedler's favorite Leroy Anderson composition) and "Sleigh Ride" (which was actually composed in July!); Anderson had conducted the premiere of "Jazz Pizzicato" (his first composition) at a 1938 Boston Pops concert, and "Jazz Legato" was written at the request of Arthur Fiedler as a companion piece for the second side of a 78-rpm recording of "Jazz Pizzicato"; "A Trumpeter's Lullaby" was written at the request of Roger Voison, principal trumpet of the Boston Pops, and "The Syncopated Clock" was popularized when it was used for 25 years as the theme music for "The Late Show" on WCBS-TV in New York City; 1962—At their third recording session at London's Abbey Road studios, The Beatles record one of their early hit songs: "Love me, do!"
Saturday, September 12
The Schumanns in love ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856) (transcribed by Franz Liszt): Widmung Michael Ponti, piano Marco Polo 223.127 & Robert Schumann: Widmung, fr Op. 25 Sophie Daneman, soprano; Julius Drake, piano EMI 72828 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Clara Schumann ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1825—Austrian flautist and conductor Karl Doppler, in Lwow; 1901—German composer Ernst Pepping, in Duisburg; 1906—Soviet composer Dimitri Shostakovich, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Sept. 25); 1939—American composer Phillip Ramey, in Chicago; Deaths: 1764—French composer Jean Philippe Rameau, age 80, in Paris;. Premieres: 1910 — Mahler: Symphony No. 8 ("Symphony of a Thousand") in Munich, with the composer conducting; 1932 — Villa-Lobos: "Bachianas Brasilieras" No. 1, in Rio de Janerio; 1937 — Milhaud: "Suite Provençale" in Venice, conducted by the composer; 1954 — Bernstein: "Serenade" (after Plato's "Symposium") at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, with composer conducting and Isaac Stern the violin soloist; 1967 — Kokonen: Symphony No. 3, in Helsinki; 1969 — Henri Lazarof: Cello Concerto, in Oslo, Norway; Other: 1840—Marriage of Robert Schumann, age 30, to Clara Wieck, on the day before her 21st birthday.
Sunday, September 13
Bernstein takes a chance ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Leonard Bernstein (1900 –1990): Concerto for Orchestra (Jubilee Games) Israel Philharmonic; ard Bernstein, cond. DG 429 231 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Leonard Bernstein ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1819—German pianist, teacher and composer Clara Schumann (née Wieck), in Leipzig; 1874—Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg, in Vienna; 1917—American composer Robert Ward, in Cleveland; 1924—French film composer Maurice Jarre, in Lyons; He won an Academy Award in 1965 for his "Dr. Zhivago" film score; Deaths: 1894—French composer Emmanuel Chabrier, age 53, in Paris; 1977—English-born American conductor, arranger and new music patron, Leopold Stokowski, age 95, in Nether Wallop, Hampshire (England); 1985—French-born American composer, painter and mystical philosopher Dane Rudhyar, age 90, in San Francisco; Premieres: 1948 — Cyril Scott: Oboe Concerto, at Royal Albert Hall in London; 1956 — Stravinsky: "Canticum sacrum ad honorem Sancti Marci nomiminis," at St. Mark's in Venice, with the composer conducting; 1967 — Copland: "Inscape" for Orchestra (commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for its 125th Anniversary Year), at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein; 1986 — Bernstein: Concerto for Orchestra ("Jubilee Games"), at Avery Fisher Hall in New York, by the Israel Philharmonic with composer conducting. |
