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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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October 19-25, 2009
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Monday, October 19
Chadwick wins a prize ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: George Whitefield Chadwick (1854 – 1931): Symphony No. 3 Detroit Symphony; Neeme Järvi, cond. Chandos 9253 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Chadwick On Chadwick as an opera composer and as a song writer ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1903—American composer Vittorio Giannini, in Philadelphia; 1916 —Swedish composer Karl-Birgir Blomdahl, in Växjö; 1943—British composer Robin Holloway, in Leamington Spa; Premieres: 1845 — Wagner: opera "Tannhäuser" (Dresden version), in Dresden at the Hoftheater; 1894 — Chadwick: Symphony No. 3, by the Boston Symphony, Emil Paur conducting; 1901 — Elgar: "Pomp and Circumstance" March No. 1 in D, in Liverpool, by the Liverpool Orchestral Society; 1905 — Sibelius: Violin Concerto (revised version), in Berlin, conducted by Richard Strauss and with Karl Halir the soloist; The first version of this concerto premiered under the composer's director in Helsinki, with Victor Novácek as soloist, on February 8, 1904, but the composer withdrew this version and revised the concerto; 1922 — Mussorgsky: "Pictures at an Exhibition" in the orchestration by Maurice Ravel, in Paris, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1928 — Honegger: symphonic movement, "Rugby," in Paris; 1953 — Morton Gould: "Inventions for Four Pianos and Orchestra" by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Mitropoulos; 1964 — Virgil Thomson: "Autumn" (Concertino for harp, strings, and percussion), at the American-Spanish Festival of Music in Madrid, with Nicanor Zabeleta the harp soloist and Enrique Jordá conducting 1967 — Gershwin: public premiere of "Lullaby" for string quartet (composed c. 1919-20), at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., by the Juilliard String Quartet; During his lifetime, Gershwin would occasionally arrange impromptu performances of this piece at parties if sufficient string players were in attendance; 1990 — Shulamit Ran: "Symphony," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Gary Bertini conducting; This work won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1991; 1996 — John Adams's Clarinet Concerto "Gnarly Buttons" with soloist Michael Collins and the London Sinfonietta conducted by the composer; Other: 1739 —Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in a, Op. 6, no. 4 (see Julian date: Oct. 8); 1933 —German conductor and composer Otto Klemperer leads his first concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; The program includes Leo Weiner's transcription of J.S. Bach's "Toccata and Fugue" in d, Stravinsky's "Petrouchka" Ballet Suite, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 5.
Tuesday, October 20
Hanson's "futile efforts" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Howard Hanson (1896 – 1981): Pastorale Randall Ellis, oboe; Susan Jolles, harp; Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, cond. Delos 3105 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Howard Hanson ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1874—American composer and insurance executive Charles Ives, in Danbury, Connecticut; 1890—American composer and jazz pianist Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, in New Orleans (In older biographies, his birth date is incorrectly given as September 20, 1885); 1944—American composer William Albright, in Gary, Indiana; Premieres: 1842 — Wagner: opera, "Rienzi," in Dresden at the Hoftheater; 1847 — Lortzing: opera "Undine" (2nd version), in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien; 1860 — Brahms: String Sextet No. 1 in Bb, Op. 18, in Hanover, by violinist Joseph Joachim and his ensemble; 1892 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera " Mlada," at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Eduard Napravnik conducting (Gregorian date: Nov. 1); 1923 — Delius: "A Dance Rhapsody," in London, conducted by Sir Henry Wood; 1949 — Hartmann: opera "Simplicius Simplicissimus" (first staged performance) in Cologne at the Theater der Stadt (Kammerspiele); The premiere concert performance of this opera by the Bavarian Radio occurred in Munich on April 2, 1948; 1950 — Hanson: "Pastorale" for Solo Oboe, Strings and Harp, with oboist Marcel Tabuteau, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1952 — Peter Mennin: "Concertanto (Moby Dick)" for orchestra, in Erie, Pa.; 1958 — Hovhaness: "Meditation on Orpheus," by the Houston Symphony, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1960 — Lukas Foss: "Time Cycle for Soprano and Orchestra" at New York Philharmonic concert conducted by Bernstein, with soprano Adele Addison the vocal soloist; 1974 — Elliott Carter: Brass Quintet, on a BBC broadcast from London, with the American Brass Quintet; The American premiere occurred at the Library of Congress on November 15 that year with the same performers; 1974 — Henze: "Tristan" for piano, orchestra, and tape, by the London Symphony, Colin Davis conducting; 1977 — Michael Colgrass: "Déjà vu" at New York Philharmonic concert conducted by Leinsdorf; 1983 — Menotti: Double-bass Concerto, by the New York Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta conducting, with James VanDemark as soloist; 1985 — Lou Harrison: Piano Concerto, in New York, with Keith Jarrett the soloist. 2004 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Naxos Quartet" No. 5 ("Lighthouses of Orkney and Shetland"), at Wigmore Hall, London, by the Maggini Quartet; Other: 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in b, Op. 6, no. 12 (Gregorian date: Oct. 31);
Wednesday, October 21
SYNOPSIS:
Thursday, October 22
Handel and Colgrass at the organ ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: George Frederic Handel (1685 – 1757): Organ Concerto, Op.4, no. 4 Simon Preston, organ; Festival Orchestra; Yehudi Menuhin, cond. EMI 72626 & Michael Colgrass (b. 1932): Snow Walker David Schrader, organ; Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, cond. Cedille 90000 063 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Handel On Colgrass ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1811—Hungarian composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt, in Raiding (near Oedenburg); Deaths: 1725—Italian opera composer Alessandro Scarlatti, age 65, in Naples; He was the father of composer Domenico Scarlatti; 1764—French composer and violinist Jean Marie LeClair, age 67, in Paris, stabbed in his own home; 1859—German composer, violinist and conductor Ludwig Spohr, age 75, in Kassel; 1973—Spanish cellist (and occasional composer) Pablo (Pau) Casals, age 96, in San Juan, Puerto Rico; 1979—French composition teacher Nadia Boulanger, age 92, in Paris; She taught several generations of American composers, ranging from Aaron Copland to Philip Glass; Premieres: 1727 — Handel: "Coronation Anthems," in London at Westminster Abbey during the coronation of King George II and Queen Caroline (see Julian date: Oct. 11); 1888 — Rimsky-Korsakov: "Scheherazade," in St. Petersburg by the Russian Symphony, with the composer conducting (Gregorian date: Nov. 3); 1899 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera "The Tsar's Bride," at the Solodovnikov Theatre in Moscow, Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov conducting (Gregorian date: Nov. 3); 1920 — American premiere of Ravel: “Le Tombeau de Couperin,” by the Boston Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting; 1942 — John Alden Carpenter: Symphony No. 2 (original version), by New York Philharmonic, Bruno Walter conducting; 1962 — Otto Luening: Trio for piano, cello and flute, at the inaugural concert of the Group for Contemporary Music at the McMillin (now Miller) Theater of Columbia University in New York City; 1967 — Penderecki: "Capriccio" for violin and orchestra, at the Donaueschingen Festival in West Germany, with Wanda Wilkomriska as soloist; 1987 — John Adams: opera "Nixon in China" at Houston Grand Opera; 1990 — Michael Colgrass: "Snow Walker" for organ and orchestra, on a CBC radio broadcast during the Calgary Organ Festival Competition, with the competition winner, Jonathan Biggers, as soloist. 1993 — John Harbison: "The Most Often Used Chords (Gli Accordi Piu Usati), in Los Angeles, by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Christopf Perick conducting; Other: 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in d, Op. 6, no. 10 (Gregorian date: Nov. 2); 1881—First concert of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the old Boston Music Hall, with George Herschel conducting; The program included Beethoven's "Consecration of the House" Overture, and works by Gluck, Haydn, Schubert, Bruch and Weber; 1883—Grand Opening of the original Metropolitan Opera House in New York City with performance of Gounod's "Faust" with Auguste Vianesi, conducting; 1983—Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the Metropolitan Opera presents a daylong concert with some of the world's greatest opera stars, including Joan Sutherland, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti and many others.
Friday, October 23
Piston's "New England Sketches" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Walter Piston (1894 – 1976): Three New England Sketches Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, cond. Delos 3106 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Piston ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1801—German composer Albert Lortzing, in Berlin; 1906—American composer Miriam Gideon, in Greeley, Colorado; 1923—American composer Ned Rorem, in Richmond, Indiana; Premieres: 1754 — Rameau: opera-ballet "Anacréon," at Fortainebleau; 1890 — Borodin: opera "Prince Igor" (completed posthumously by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov) at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, with K.A. Kuchera conducting (Gregorian date: Nov. 4); 1897 — Scriabin: Piano Concerto, in Odessa, with the composer as soloist (Gregorian date: Nov. 4); 1903 — MacDowell: symphonic poem “Lamia” (after Keats), by the Boston Symphony, Max Fiedler conducting; 1913 — Delius: "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring" and "Summer Night on the River," by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra,Artur Nikisch conducting; 1931 — Stravinsky: Violin Concerto, in Berlin, by the Berlin Radio Orchestra conducted by the composer, with Samuel Dushkin as soloist; 1941 — William Grant Still's "Plain Chant for America," by the New York Philharmonic, John Barbirolli conducting; 1959 — Piston: "Three New England Sketches" for orchestra, in Worcester, Mass., by the Detroit Symphony, Paul Paray conducting; 1959 — Rorem: "Eagles," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1963 — Hovhaness: Symphony No. 17 ("Symphony for Metal Orchestra"), in Cleveland; 1970 — Crumb: "Black Angels (13 Images from the Dark Lord)" for string quartet,in Ann Arbor, Mich.; 1981 — Sessions: "Concerto for Orchestra," by the Boston Symphony; This work won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1982; 1997 — Danielpour: "Celestial Night," by the New Jersey Symphony, Zdenek Macal conducting; 2002 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Naxos Quartet" No. 1, at Wigmore Hall, London, by the Maggini Quartet; Other: 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in Bb, Op. 6, no. 7 (see Julian date: Oct.12); 1881—First concert by Concerts Lamoureux, in Paris, founded by Charles Lamoureux.
Saturday, October 24
Reich's "Trains" of thought ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Steve Reich (b. 1946): Different Trains Kronos Quartet Nonesuch 79176 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Steve Reich ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1811—German composer, conductor and pianist Ferdinand Hiller, in Frankfurt am Main; 1882—Hungarian operetta composer Imre [Emmerich] Kálman, in Siófok; 1925—Italian composer Luciano Berio, in Oneglia, Imperia; 1929—American composer George Crumb, in Charleston, West Virginia; 1931—Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina, in Chistopol, Tatar (USSR); Deaths: 1799—Austrian violinist and composer Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, age 59, at Castle Rothlottia, near Neuhaus (Bohemia); 1948—Austrian composer Franz Lehár, age 78, in Bad Ischl; 1949—Cuban composer and violinist Joaquin Nin y Castellanos, age 70, in Havana; 1971—American composer Carl Ruggles, age 95, in Bennington, Vermont; Premieres: 1737 — Rameau: opera "Castor et Pollux," in Paris at the Palais Royal Opéra; 1885 — Jhn. Strauss Jr.: operetta, "The Gypsy Baron," in Vienna; 1910 — Victor Herbert: operetta, "Naught Marietta," in Syracuse, N.Y.; 1930 — Roussel: Symphony No. 3, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1931 — Robert Russell Bennett: "Abraham Lincoln" Symphony, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1936 — Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 16, in Moscow; 1940 — John Alden Carpenter: Symphony No. 1 (revised version), by Chicago Symphony, Frederick Stock conducting; 1946 — Bernstein: ballet "Facsimile," at the Broadway Theater in New York City by the Ballet Theater, choreographed by Jerome Robbins, with composer conducting; 1946 — Cowell: Symphony No. 4 ("Short Symphony"), by the Boston Symphony, Richard Burgin conducting; 1970 — Penderecki: "Kosmogonia," at the United Nations in New York City; 1992 — Libby Larsen: Marimba Concerto ("After Hampton"), by the Long Beach Symphony, with soloist William Moersch and JoAnn Falleta conducting; 1994 — Harrison Birtwistle: opera "The Second Mrs. Kong," at Glyndeborune; 1997 — Geoffrey Burgon: Piano Concerto, in Singapore, with soloist Joanna MacGregor and the Singapore Symphony; 1997 — Corigliano: "DC Fanfare," in Washington, D.C., by the National Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting; 2001 — Steve Reich: orchestral version of "Different Trains," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, David Robertson, conducting; Other: 1818—Felix Mendelssohn, age 9, plays his first public concert, in Berlin; 1919—First performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Walter Rothwell, conductor.
Sunday, October 25
A Strauss tale too good to be true ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Richard Strauss (1861 – 1949): Ariadne auf Naxos Vienna Philharmonic; James Levine, cond. DG 419 225 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Richard Strauss ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1825—Austrian composer and conductor Johann Strauss, Jr. (aka "The Younger," or II), in Vienna; 1838—French composer Georges Bizet, in Paris; 1864—Russian composer Alexander Grechaninov, in Moscow (see Julian date: Oct. 13); 1923—Australian composer Don Banks, in South Melbourne; Premieres: 1823 — Weber: opera "Euryanthe," in Vienna at the Kärtnertor Theater; 1848 — Verdi: opera "Il Corsaro" (The Corsair), in Trieste at the Teatro Grande; 1875 — Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 23, at the Music Hall in Boston, by the orchestra of the Harvard Musical Association conducted by B.J. Lang, with Hans von Bülow as soloist; 1885 — Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in Meiningen, Germany, with the composer conducting; 1912 — R. Strauss: opera, "Ariadne auf Naxos," and incidental music to "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme," in Stuttgart at the Hoftheater (Kleines Haus), with the composer conducting, and vocal soloists Maria Jeritza (Ariadne), Margarethe Siems (Zerbinetta), and Hermann Jadlowker (Bacchus); A revised version of this work (with a newly composed prologue) premiered at the Vienna Court Opera on Oct. 4, 1916; 1923 — Milhaud: ballet, "La Création du Monde," in Paris, by the Ballets Suédois at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées; 1949 — Frank Martin: Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments, Timpani, Percussion, and Strings, by the orchestra of the Bern Musickgesellschaft, Luc Balmer conducting; 1958 — Janácek: opera "Fate" (1st staged performance) in Brno at the National Theater; This opera was written in 1904 and was premiered in a concert performance by the Brno Radio on September 18, 1934; 1973 — Martinu: Violin Concerto (composed in 1932), by the Chicago Symphony, Sir Georg Solti conducting, with Josef Suk as soloist; 1979 — Earl Kim: Violin Concerto, by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta, with Itzhak Perlman as soloist; 1986 — Christopher Rouse: "Phantasmata" (first complete performance of three orchestral pieces composed 1981-85: "The Evestrum of Juan de la Cruz in the Sagrada Familia, 3 A.M."; "The Infernal Machine"; and "Bump"), by the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting; |
