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November 9-15, 2009
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Monday, November 9
Corigliano tunes up ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Corigliano (b. 1938): Oboe Concerto Humbert Lucarelli, oboe; American Symphony; Kazuyoshi Akiyama, cond. RCA/BMG 60395 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Corigliano More on Corigliano ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1907—American composer Burrill Phillips, in Omaha, Nebraska; Deaths: 1951—Hungarian-born American operetta composer, Siegmund Romberg, age 64, in New York City; Premieres: 1879 — Dvorák: String Sextet No. 1, Op. 48, in Berlin; 1881 — Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2, in Budapest, by the National Theater Orchestra conducted by Alexander Erkel and the composer as the soloist; 1901 — Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 18 (first complete performance), in Moscow, with Alexander Siloti conducting and the composer as soloist (see Julian date: Oct 27); The second and third movements had been premiered in Moscow on Dec. 2/15, 1900, by the same conductor and soloist (Rachmaninoff finished the first movement of this concerto on April 21/May 4, 1901); 1926 — Hindemith: opera, "Cardillac" (1st version) in Dresden at the Sächisches Staatstheater; 1940 — Rodrigo: "Concierto de Aranjuez" for guitar and orchestra, in Barcelona; 1945 — American premiere of Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting. 1967 — Takemitsu: "November Steps" for biwa (Japanese lute), shakuhachi (bamboo flute) and orchestra, by the New York Philharmonic, Seiji Ozawa conducting; Corigliano: Oboe Concerto, in New York City; 1975 — Corigliano: Oboe Concerto, at Carnegie Hall in New York City by the American Symphony, with Kazuyoshi Akiyama conducting Bert Lucarelli the soloist; 1994 — Michael Torke: “Nylon” for guitar and chamber orchestra, at the Assembly Rooms in Derby (U.K.), by the East of England Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Nabarro, with Nicola Hall the soloist; 2000 — Karen Tanaka: "Guardian Angel," at Carnegie Hall in New York, by the Brooklyn Philharmonic; 2002 — David Del Tredici: “Grand Trio” for piano, violin and cello, in College Park, Md., by the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio; Other: 1760—Joseph Haydn signs a marriage contract with Maria Anna Keller (after her younger sister, whom Haydn reportedly preferred, became a nun); See also Nov. 26 below for the actual ceremony; 1784 —Mozart finishes his String Quartet in Bb, K. 458 ("The Hunt"); 1878—Leopold Damrosch conducts first concert of the New York Symphony Society Orchestra in Steinway Hall; This orchestra merged with its older competitor, the New York Philharmonic, in 1928; 1921—The American Academy in Rome awards American composer Howard Hanson its second two-year composition fellowship; The first fellowship was awarded to Leo Sowerby on October 4, 1921; The third fellowship was awarded to Randall Thompson on June 6, 1922; The Academy's fellowship awards for composers continue to this day.
Tuesday, November 10
The "historically informed" Mahler ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: J.S. Bach (arr. Gustav Mahler): Orchestral Suite Berlin Radio Symphony; Peter Schwarz, cond. Schwann 11637 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Mahler ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1668—French composer, organist and harpsichordist François Couperin ("Le Grand"), in Paris; 1873—French composer and conductor Henri Rabaud, in Paris; 1928—Italian film music composer Ennio Morricone, in Rome; Premieres: 1726 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 98 ("Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan" II) performed on the 21st Sunday after Trinity as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27); 1733 — Handel: opera "Semiramide" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (see Julian date: Oct. 30); 1739 — Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in A, Op. 6, no. 11 (see Julian date: Oct. 30); 1862 — Verdi: opera "La Forza del destino" (The Force of Destiny) in St. Petersburg at the Grand Imperial Theater; 1872 — Bizet: suite, "L'Arlèsienne," in Paris, at a Pasdeloup concert;; 1896 — Dvorák: String Quartet No. 12 in Ab, Op. 105, in Vienna; 1910 — Elgar: Violin Concerto, at Queen's Hall, London, during a concert of the Philharmonic Society of London with the composer conducting, and Fritz Kreisler the soloist; 1932 — Bernard Wagenaar: Symphony No. 2, Arturo Toscanini conducting the New York Philharmonic; 1957 — Copland: incidental music for "The World of Nick Adams" (after stories by Ernest Hemingway), for a live CBS television dramatization; 1994 — Stephen Albert: Symphony No. 2, by the New York Philharmonic, with Hugh Wolff conducting; Other: 1595—Lute virtuoso and composer John Dowland pens a letter from Nuremberg to Robert Cecil (a member of Queen Elisabeth the First’s Privy Council), warning of a plot against the Protestant Queen he discovered among some expatriate English Catholics in Italy; In the long, defensively autobiographical letter, Dowland protests his own loyalty, despite admitting his previous Catholic leanings; 1888—Fritz Kreisler, age 13, makes his New York City debut in recital at Old Steinway Hall; 1900—Russian pianist Ossip Gabrilowitsch makes his Carnegie Hall debut in New York City during his first American tour; In 1909 he married contralto Clara Clemens, the daughter of the American writer Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain (see also listing for Nov. 16); 1909—Gustav Mahler conducts the New York Philharmonic from the keyboard of a Steinway piano (whose action had been altered to imitate a harpsichord) in his symphonic arrangement of movements from Bach’s Orchestral Suites during the first of a series of “historical” concerts surveying music from the Baroque Age to the present day.
Wednesday, November 11
Bloch's Quintet ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ernest Bloch (1880 – 1959): Piano Quintet No. 1 Portland String Quartet; Paul Posnak, piano Arabesque 6618 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Bloch ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1872—German-born American conductor of the Chicago Symphony (and occasional composer) Frederick Stock, in Jülich; Deaths: 1936—English composer Sir Edward German, age 74, in London; 1945—American songwriter, Jerome Kern, age 60, in New York City; 1979—Ukranian-born American film music composer Dimitri Tiomkin, age 85, in London; Premieres: 1727 — Handel: opera “Riccardo Primo, re d’Inghilterra” (Richard the First, King of England), in London at the King’s Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Nov. 22); 1866 — Brahms: String Sextet in G, Op. 36, in Boston, at a concert by the Mendelssohn Quintet Club; The European premiere occurred in Zürich, Swizterland, a few days later, on November 20; 1889 — R. Strauss: tone-poem "Don Juan," in Weimar, with the composer conducting; 1890 — Brahms: String Quintet No. 2 in G, Op. 111, in Vienna, by the Rosé Quintet; 1898 — Coleridge-Taylor: oratorio "Hiawatha's Wedding Feast," in London; 1899 — Leslie Stuart: operetta "Floradora" in London; This operetta was tremendously popular in England and America for many seasons, but is seldom heard today; 1906 — Ethel Smyth: opera "The Wreckers" (under its German title "Strandrecht") in Leipzig; 1923 — Bloch: Piano Quintet, in New York, with Harold Bauer piano, at the first concert of the League of Composers; 1952 — Stravinsky: "Cantata," by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer; 1999 — Corigliano: "Vocalise," for soprano, electronics and orchestra, by Sylvia McNair, with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Kurt Masur; 2004 — Augusta Read Thomas: “Dancing Galaxy” for wind ensemble, in Boston, Ma. by the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble. Other: 1898—Shortly after it was finished, the painting “Nevermore” by Gaugin is purchased by the English composer Frederick Delius; The painting was inspired by Poe’s famous poem and is now in the collection of London’s Cortland Gallery; 1922 —The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) begins daily radio transmissions; The BBC had been formed on Oct. 18, 1922, broadcast its first orchestral concert on Dec. 23, 1922, and on Dec. 24 its first radio play, “The Truth About Father Christmas.”
Thursday, November 12
Crumb goes Macro ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: George Crumb (b. 1929): Makrokosmos No. 2 Laurie Hudicek, piano Furious Artisans 6805 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On George Crumb ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1833—Russian composer Alexander Borodin, in St. Petersburg (see Julian date: Oct 31); Deaths: 1948—Italian opera composer Umberto Giordano, age 81, in Milan; 1966—American composer Quincy Porter, age 69, in Bethany, Conn.; 1972—Czech-born American composer Rudolph Friml, age 92, in Los Angeles; 1976—American composer Walter Piston, age 82, in Belmont, Mass.; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 139 ("Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott") performed on the 23rd Sunday after Trinity as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1866 — Delibes: ballet "La Source,'" at the Paris Opéra; 1881 — Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2, by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Theodore Thomas, with Madeleine Schiller the soloist; 1888 — Tchaikovsky: symphonic fantasy overture “Hamlet,” in Moscow (Gregorian date: Nov. 24); 1931 — Rachmaninoff: “Oriental Sketch” for solo piano, in New York City, by the composer; 1943 — William Schumann: Symphony No. 5 ("Symphony for Strings"), in Boston; 1973 — Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 14, in Leningrad, by the Beethoven Quartet; 1974 — Crumb: "Makrokosmos II" for amplified piano, in New York; 2002 — David Del Tredici: “Grand Trio” in New York City at the 92nd Street Y by the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio; Other: 1738—Handel completes Part II (“Moses’ Song”) of his oratorio “Israel in Egypt” (see Julian date: November 1);
Friday, November 13
Disney's "Fantasia" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Bach, Tchaikovsky, Dukas, Stravisnky, Beethoven, Ponchielli, Mussorgsky & Schubert: excerpts from Fantasia sountrack Philadelphia Orchestra; Leopold Stokowski, cond. Buena Vista 600072 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Disney’s “Fantasia” ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1854—American composer George Whitefield Chadwick, in Lowell, Mass.; 1856 —Russian composer Sergei Taneyev, in near Moscow (Gregorian date: Nov. 25); 1921—Finnish composer Joonas Kokkonen, in Iisalmi; Deaths: 1868—Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, in Passy, near Paris, age 76; 1951—Russian composer Nicolas Medtner, age 70, in London; Premieres: 1893 — Sibelius: "Karelia Suite," in Viborg, Finland; 1933 — Ruth Crawford Seeger: String Quartet, at the New School in New York City, by the New World String Quartet; 1943 — Martinu: Symphony No. 1, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1953 — Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 5, in Moscow, by the Beethoven Quartet; 1964 — Yardumian: Symphony No. 2 ("Psalms"), with vocalist Lili Chookasian, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1997 — Poul Ruders: Symphony No. 2, at Lincoln Center in New York, by the Riverside Symphony, George Rothman conducting; 2002 — Tavener: “Ikon of Eros” for soloists, chorus and orchestra, at the St. Paul (Minnesota) Cathedral, with Jorja Fleezanis (violin), Patricia Rozario (soprano), Tim Krol (baritone), the Minnesota Chorale and Minnesota Orchestra, Paul Goodwin conducting; Other: 1937—First "official" radio broadcast by the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Pierre Monteux conducting; Arthur Rodzinski had conducted a "dress rehearsal" broadcast on Nov. 2, 1937; Arturo Toscanini's debut broadcast with the NBC Symphony would occur on Christmas Day, 1937; 1940—Disney releases “Fantasia,” an animated film based on classical music favorites ranging from Bach to Stravinsky; Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra recorded the soundtrack, and in one famous scene Stokowski shakes hands with Mickey Mouse.
Saturday, November 14
Waggoner's Second ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Andrew Waggoner (b. 1960): Symphony No. 2 Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic; Petr Pololanik, cond. CRI 884 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Andrew Waggoner ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1663—Baptism of German composer, organist and teacher (of Handel and others) Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, in Leipzig; 1719—German-Austrian composer Leopold Mozart (father of Wolfgang Amadeus), in Augsburg; 1774—Italian composer and conductor Luigi Spontini, in Majolati; 1778—German composer and pianist Johann Nepomuk Hummel, in Pressburg (now Bratislava); 1805—German composer Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, sister of Felix, in Hamburg; 1900—American composer Aaron Copland, in Brooklyn, N.Y.; 1939—American composer and Moog synthesizer virtuoso Wendy (known until 1979 as Walter) Carlos, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island; Deaths: 1831—Austrian-born composer, music publisher and piano maker Ignaz Josef (Ignace Joseph) Pleyel, age 74, in Paris; 1922—Austrian bandmaster and operetta composer Karl Michael Ziehrer, age 79, in Vienna; 1946—Spanish composer Manuel de Falla, age 69, in Alta Gracia, Argentina; In 1939, at the end of Spanish Civil War, de Falla retired to Argentina and lived in seclusion; 1977—English composer Richard Addinsell, age 73, in London; He is most famous for his popular “Warsaw Concerto,” based on his music for the British film “Dangerous Moonlight” (released in the U.S. as “Suicide Squadron”); Premieres: 1723 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 90 ("Es reisset euch ein schrecklich Ende") performed on the 25th Sunday after Trinity as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1802 — Beethoven: String Quintet, Op. 29, at Beethoven's apartment in Vienna; 1887 — Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 4 (“Mozartiana”), in Moscow (Gregorian date: Nov. 26); 1896 — Dvorák: symphonic poem "The Water Goblin," Op. 107, in London; 1908 — Oskar Strauss: operetta "Der tapfere Soldat " (based on George Bernard Shaw's play "Arms and the Man"), in Vienna; .As "The Chocolate Soldier" this work opened in New York in 1909, and in London in 1910; 1930 — Prokofiev: Symphony No. 4 (first version), by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; A second version of this work was premiered on March 11, 1950 broadcast by the BBC Symphony, Sir Adrian Boult conducting; The first public performance of the revised version occurred on January 5, 1957, at a concert by the USSR State Symphony conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky; 1935 — Hindemith: "Der Schwanendreher (Concerto on Old Folk Songs for Viola and Small Orchestra)," by the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Willem Mengelberg, with the composer as soloist; 1944 — Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2, in Leningrad, by Dimitri Tsiiganov (violin) and Sergei Shirinsky (cello), with the composer at the piano, on the same program as the premiere of Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 2, by the Beethoven Quartet; 1954 — Roy Harris: "Symphonic Epigram," in New York City, Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting New York Philharmonic; 1955 — Henry Cowell: Symphony No. 6, by the Houston Symphony, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1985 — Copland: "Proclamation" for Orchestra (orchestrated by Philip Ramey), at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, by New York Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta; 1996 — Andrew Waggoner: Symphony No. 2, in Zlin (Czech Republic), by the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic, Petr Pololanik, cond; 2001 — Richard Danielpour: "An American Requiem" by soloists and the Pacific Symphony, Carl St. Clair conducting; 2002 — Italian pianist Emanuele Arciuli premieres 20 short variations on the theme of Thelonious Monk’s “’Round Midnight” at Columbia University’s Miller Theater in New York; The composers who contributed were Roberto Andreoni, Milton Babbitt, Alberto Barbero, Carlo Boccadoro, William Bolcom, Uri Caine, David Crumb, George Crumb, Michael Daugherty, Filippo Del Corno, John Harbison, Fred Hersch, Joel Hoffman, Aaron Jay Kernis, Gerald Levinson, Matthew Quayle, Eric Reed, Frederic Rzewski, Augusta Reed Thomas, and Michael Torke. Other: 1720—Handel’s “Suites des Pièces pour le Clavecin, Premier Volume” (Keyboard Suites, First Collection), is published by John Cluer in London (Gregorian date: Nov. 25); 1908—Gala opening ceremonies of the newly rebuilt Brooklyn Academy of Music (now also known as "BAM") culminate in a special guest performance of Gounod's opera "Faust" by New York's Metropolitan Opera conducted by Francesco Spetrino and featuring Enrico Caruso and Geraldine Farrar in the cast; The original Brooklyn Academy of Music, founded in 1861, had burned down on November 30, 1903; 1937—Leonard Bernstein meets Aaron Copland in New York City; 1943—Leonard Bernstein's surprise conducting debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic, substituting at the last minute for the ailing Bruno Walter; The program consisted of works by Robert Schumann, Miklós Rósza, Richard Strauss, and Richard Wagner; 1954—Leonard Bernstein writes and hosts a famous "Omnibus" telecast on the sketches of the 1st movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5; 1980—Leonard Bernstein conducts the National Symphony (Washington, D.C.) in a concert celebrating Aaron Copland 80th birthday featuring Copland's "Lincoln Portrait," with Copland as the narrator; 1990—"A Concert Remembering Lennie" presented at Carnegie Hall; Bernstein had died in New York City on October 14 that year;
Sunday, November 15
Herschel (and Holst) ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: William Herschel (1738 – 1822): Oboe Concerto in C Richard Woodhams, oboe; The Mozart Orchestra; Davis Jerome, cond. Newport Classic 85612 & Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934): Uranus, from The Planets Philharmonia Orchestra; S imon Rattle, cond. EMI 9513 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Sir Willliam Herschel On Gustav Holst ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1738—German-English composer, oboist, and astronomer (Sir) William Herschel, in Hannover; 1934—English composer, pianist and organist Peter Dickinson, in Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire; Deaths: 1787—German-Bohemian composer Christoph Willibald Gluck, age 73, in Vienna; 1986—Polish-born French composer Alexandre Tansman, age 89, in Paris; Premieres: 1732 — Handel: opera “Catone” in London (see Julian date: Nov. 4); 1807 — first public performance of Beethoven: Symphony No. 4, at a benefit concert for charities (The very first performance had been in March of the same year at private concert underwritten by the aristocracy and performed at the palace of Prince Lobkowitz, one of Beethoven's patrons); 1832 — Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 ("Reformation") in Berlin; 1903 — d'Albert: opera "Tiefland" (The Lowlands) (1st version), in Prague at the New German Theater; 1909 — Vaughan Williams: song-cycle, "On Wenlock Edge," in London; 1920 — Holst: orchestral suite, "The Planets," Queen's Hall, London, conductor Albert Coates (first public performance); 1927 — Jerome Kern: musical "Show Boat," in Washington, D.C.; 1930 — Stravinsky: "Symphony of Psalms," in Brussels (see also Dec 13, 1930); 1974 — Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 15, in Leningrad, by the Taneyev Quartet; 1974 — William Grant Still: opera "Bayou Legend," by Opera South in Jackson, Miss.; 1983 — John Harbison: "Mirabai Songs" (to poems of Mirabai, translated by Robert Bly), at Emmanuel Church in Boston, by soprano Susan Larson and pianist Craig Smith; A chamber orchestra version of this song cycle premiered in Cambridge, Mass., on Feb. 1, 1984; 2001 — Michael Daugherty: "Philadelphia Stories," at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, David Zinman, conducting; 2002 — Jake Heggie: “Holy the Firm,” for cello and orchestra, at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, Calif., by the Oakland East Bay Symphony conducted by Michael Morgan, with Emil Miland the soloist; Other: 1926—First broadcast of a music program on the NBC radio network, featuring the New York Symphony conducted by Walter Damrosch, the New York Oratorio Society, and the Goldman Band, with vocal soloists Mary Garden and Tito Ruffo, and pianist Harold Bauer; 1989—Leonard Bernstein refused a National Medal of the Arts from President George Bush in protest against revoked NEA funding for a New York City exhibit on AIDS; |
