 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
Your support makes our online services possible. Contribute Now.
 Your purchase from Public Radio Market helps support the American Composers Forum and Composers Datebook. Your support makes our online services possible. Contribute Now.  |
January 23-29, 2012
Playing audio requires the free Adobe Flash Player from the Adobe Flash Player Download site. More info.
Monday, January 23
Chavez goes native ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Carlos Chavez (1899 – 1978): Sinfonia India (Symphony No. 2) Simon Bolivar Symphony of Venezuela; Eduardo Mata, cond. Dorian 90179 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Carlos Chavez More on Chavez ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1752—Italian composer Muzio Clementi, in Rome; 1878—English composer Rutland Boughton, in Aylesbury; Deaths: 1837—Irish composer John Field, age 54, in Moscow (Julian date: Jan.11); 1908—American composer and pianist Edward MacDowell, age 47, in New York; 1981—American composer Samuel Barber, age 70, in New York; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 73 ("Herr, wie du willst, so schicks mit mir") performed on the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1729 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 156 ("Ich steh mit einem Fuss im Grabe") probably performed in Leipzig on the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's fourth annual Sacred Cantata cycle (to texts by Christian Friedrich Henrici, a.k.a. "Picander") during 1728/29; 1895 — MacDowell: Suite No. 2 (":Indian"), at the old Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, by the Boston Symphony, with Emil Paur conducting; On the same program, MacDowell appeared as the soloist in his own Piano Concerto No. 1; 1933 — Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 2, in Frankfurt, with Hans Robaud conducting and the composer as soloist; 1936 — Chavez: "Sinfonia India," on a radio broadcast by the Columbia Symphony, conducted by the composer; 1948 — Diamond: Symphony No. 4, by the Boston Symphony, Leonard Bernstein conducting; 1963 — Peter Mennin: Symphony No. 7, by the Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell conducting; 1973 — Elliott Carter: String Quartet No. 3, in New York City, by the Juilliard String Quartet; This work won the Pulitzer Prize for music in that year (This was Carter's second Pulitzer Prize); 1999 — Thea Musgrave: "Three Women," in San Francisco, by the Women's Philharmonic, A. Hsu conducting; Other: 1894—Czech composer Antonin Dvorák presents a concert of African-American choral music at Madison Square Concert Hall in New York, using an all-black choir, comprised chiefly of members of the St. Philip's Colored Choir; On the program was the premiere performance of Dvorák's own arrangement of Stephen Foster's "Old Folks at Home," which featured vocal soloists Sissierette Jones and Harry T. Burleigh; 1943—Duke Ellington and his orchestra present their first concert at Carngie Hall in New York, presenting the "official" premiere of Ellington's "Black, Brown and Beige" Suite (This work had received its world premiere at a trial performance the preceding day at Rye High School in Rye, New York).
Tuesday, January 24
Tavener's "The Whale" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Tavener (b. 1944): The Whale London Sinfonietta and Chorus; David Atherton, cond. Capitol 98497 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On John Tavener More on Tavener ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1712—Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia, monarch, flutist and composer, in Berlin; 1776—German composer, author, conductor and music critic E. T. A. Hoffmann, in Königsberg; 1913—American composer Norman Dello Joio, in New York City; 1918—Austrian composer Gottfried von Einem, in Bern, Switzerland; 1919—American composer Leon Kirchner, in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Deaths: 1851—Italian opera composer Gaspare Spontini, age 76, in Ancona, Italy; 1883—German opera composer Friedrich von Flotow, age 70, in Darmstadt; Premieres: 1835 — Bellini: opera "I Puritani," in Paris at the Théatre-Italien; 1875 — Saint-Saëns: "Dance macabre" for orchestra, in Paris; 1885 — Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 3, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan.12); 1895 — ; Ippolitov-Ivanov: “Caucasian Sketches” (Gregorian date: Feb. 5); 1906 — Rachmaninoff: two one-act operas "The Miserly Knight" and "Francesca da Rimini" in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theater (Julian date: Jan.11); 1922 — Walton: entertainment, "Façade," with Edith Sitwell reciting her poetry; 1922 — Nielsen: Symphony No. 5, in Copenhagen, with composer conducting; 1946 — Stravinsky: "Symphony in Three Movements," by New York Philharmonic, with the composer conducting; This work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic-Society; 1957 — Piston: Wind Quintet, at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, by the Boston Woodwind Quintet; 1959 — Shostakovich: operetta "Moscow, Cheryomushki," at the Moscow Operetta Theater; 1981 — John Harbison: Violin Concerto, at Emmanuel Church in Boston, with soloist Rose Mary Harbison and the Emmanuel Chamber Orchestra, Craig Smith conducting; 1991 — George Perle: Piano Concerto No. 1, with San Francisco Symphony conducted by David Zinman, with Richard Goode the soloist; Other: 1705—Birthdate if the famous Italian castrato singer Carlo Farinelli (born Carlo Broschi), in Andria; His life is depicted in the 1994 film "Farinelli"; 1813—The Royal Philharmonic Society in formed in London.
Wednesday, January 25
Post-traumatic Strauss? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949): Metamorphosen Vienna Philharmonic; Simon Rattle, cond. EMI 56580 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Richard Strauss ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1851—Flemish composer Jan Blockx, in Antwerp; 1886—German composer and conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, in Berlin; 1911—American composer and pianist Julia Smith, in Denton, Texas; 1913—Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski, in Warsaw; 1921 —American composer and conductor Alfred Reed, in New York City; Premieres: 1817 — Rossini: opera, "La Cenerentola" (Cinderella), in Rome at the Teatro Valle; 1902 — Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 1, in Vienna; 1909 — R. Strauss: opera "Elektra," in Dresden at the Hofoper, conducted by Ernst von Schuch, with soprano Annie Krull in the title role; 1946 — R. Strauss: "Metamorphosen," in Zürich; 1957 — Walton: Cello Concerto, by the Boston Symphony conducted by Charles Munch, with Gregor Piatigorsky the soloist; 1963 — Karl Amadeus Hartmann: Symphony No. 8, by the West German Radio Symphony, Rafael Kubelik conducting; 1987 — Paul Schoenfield: "Café Music" for piano trio at a St. Paul Chamber Orchestra concert.
Thursday, January 26
Argento in Italy ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Dominick Argento (b. 1927): Variations for Orchestra (The Mask of Night) Plymouth Music Series Orchestra; Philip Brunelle, cond. Virgin 91184 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Argento Argento on MPR's "The Composer's Voice" ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1924—American composer Warren Benson, in Detroit, Michigan; Deaths: 1795—German composer Johann Christioph Friedrich Bach, age 62, in Bückeburg 1993—American composer and teacher Kenneth Gaburo, age 66, in Iowa City; Premieres: 1732 — Handel: opera "Ezio" (Julian date: Jan.15); 1790 — Mozart: opera, "Così fan tutte," in Vienna at the Burgtheater; 1873 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 7); 1882 — Borodin: String Quartet No. 2 in D, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 7); 1905 — Schoenberg: symphonic poem "Pelleas und Melisande," in Vienna, with the composer conducting; 1908 — Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 8); 1911 — Richard Strauss: opera, “Der Rosenkavalier,” in Dresden at the Hofoper, conducted by Ernst von Schuch, with vocal soloists Margarethe Siems (Marschallin), Eva von der Osten (Octavian), Minnie Nast (Sophie), Karl Perron (Baron Ochs), and Karl Scheidemantel (Faninal); 1920 — Prokofiev: "Overture on Hebrew Themes," in New York by the Zimro Ensemble, with the composer at the piano; 1922 — Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 3 "Pastoral," by the Royal Philharmonic, London, Sir Adrian Boult conducting; 1934 — Roy Harris: Symphony No. 1, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1952 — Ernst von Dohnányi: Violin Concerto No. 2, in San Antonio, Texas; 1957 — Bernstein: "Candide" Overture (concert version), by New York Philharmonic conducted by the composer; The musical "Candide" had opened at the Martin Beck Theater in New York City on December 1, 1956; 1957 — Poulenc: opera, "Les dialogues des carmélites" (The Dialogues of the Carmelites) in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala, Nino Sanzogno conducting; 1962 — Diamond: Symphony No. 7, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1966 — Dominick Argento: Variations for Orchestra and Soprano (The Masque of Night"), at the St. Paul Campus Student Center of the University of Minnesota, by the Minneapolis Civic Orchestra, Thomas Nee conducting, with soprano Carolyn Bailey; A second performance took place on Jan. 27th at Coffmann Memorial Union on the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota; 1967 — Frank Martin: Cello Concerto, in Basel, Switzerland; 1994 — Elisabetta Brusa: “La Triade” for large orchestra, by the Tirana (Albania) Radio and Television Orchestra, Gilberto Serembe conducting; 1994 — Christopher Rouse: Cello Concerto, by the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by David Zinman, with Yo-Yo Ma the soloist; 1995 — Joan Tower: "Duets for Orchestra," by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Christoph Perick conducting.
Friday, January 27
Creston's Saxophone Concerto ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Paul Creston (1906 – 1985): Saxophone Concerto, Op. 26 James Abato, saxophone; Hollywood Bowl Symphony; Leopold Stokowski, cond. Archival broadcast recording (August 26, 1945) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Paul Creston ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1756—Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in Salzburg; 1806—Spanish composer Juan Crisostomo Arriage, in Rigoitia; 1823—French composer Edouard Lalo, in Lille; 1885—American composer Jerome Kern, in New York City; Deaths: 1901—Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi, age 87, in Milan; Premieres: 1726 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 72 ("Alles nur nach Gottes Willen") performed on the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27); 1733 — Handel: opera "Orlando" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket(Gregorian date: Feb. 7); 1844 — Erkel: opera "Hunyady László," considered the first national Hungarian opera, in Budapest; 1849 — Verdi: opera "La battaglia di Legnano" (The Battle of Legnano), in Rome at the Teatro Argentina; 1874 — Mussorgsky: opera "Boris Godunov", in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 8); 1944 — Paul Creston: Saxophone Concerto, in New York; 1947 — Stravinsky: Concerto in D, in Basle (Switzerland), by the Basle Chamber Orchestra conducted by Paul Sacher (who commissioned the work); 1955 — Tippett: opera "The Midsummer Marriage," in London at the Royal Opera House, with John Pritchard conducting (and soprano Joan Sutherland in the cast); 1967 — Leon Kirchner: Quartet No. 3 for strings and electronic tape, in New York City, by the Beaux Arts Quartet; This work was awarded the 1967 Pulitzer Prize for Music; 1991 — Off-Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical "Assassins."
Saturday, January 28
Handel vrs. Swift ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: George Frederic Handel (1685 – 1757): Messiah Oregon Bach Festival; Helmuth Rilling, cond. Hännsler 98.198 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Handel's life and works A recent book on Jonathan Swift in Ireland ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1791—French opera composer Louis Joseph F. Herold, in Paris; 1898—Italian-American composer Vittorio Rieti, in Alexandria, Egypt; 1944—British composer Sir John Tavener, in London; Deaths: 1935—Russian composer Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, age 75, in Moscow; 1947—Venezuelan-born French composer Reynaldo Hahn, age 72, in Paris; Premieres: 1725 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 92 ("Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn") performed on Septuagesimae Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1828 — Schubert: Piano Trio in Bb, Op. 99 (D. 898), at a private performance by Ignaz Schuppanzigh (violin), Josef Linke (cello), and Carl Maria von Bocklet (piano); 1830 — Auber: opera "Fra Diavolo" in Paris at the Opéra-Comique; 1876 — Tchaikovsky: "Serenade mélancolique" for violin and orchestra, in Moscow (Julian date: Jan. 18); 1897 — Glazunov: Symphony No. 5, in London; 1915 — Ravel: Piano Trio in a, in Paris, by Gabriel Wilaume (violin), Louis Feuillard (cello), and Alfredo Casella (piano); 1916 — Granados: opera "Goyescas," at the Metropolitan Opera in New York; 1927 — Copland: Piano Concerto, by the Boston Symphony conducted by Serge Koussevitzky, with the composer as soloist; 1941 — Copland: "Quiet City," at Town Hall in New York City by the Little Symphony conducted by Daniel Saidenberg; This music is based on incidental music Copland wrote for Irwin Shaw's play of the same name produced by the Group Theater in New York in 1939; 1944 — Bernstein: Symphony No. 1 ("Jeremiah"), at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh by the Pittsburgh Symphony conducted by the composer, with mezzo-soprano Jennie Tourel as vocal soloist; 1972 — Scott Joplin: opera "Treemonisha" (orchestrated by T.J. Anderson), in Atlanta; 1990 — Joan Tower: Flute Concerto, at Carnegie Hall in New York, with soloist Carol Wincenc and the American Composers Orchestra, Hugh Wolff, conducting; 1995 — Elinor Armer: “Island Earth” (to a text by Sci-Fi writer Usula K. Le Guin), at the University of California, Berkeley, by the various San Francisco choirs and the Women’s Philharmonic, conducted by JoAnn Falletta; On the same program were the premiere performance’s of Chen Yi’s “Antiphony” for orchestra and Augusta Read Thomas’s “Fantasy” for piano and orchestra (with piano soloist Sara Wolfensohn); 1997 — Morten Lauridsen: “Mid-Winter Songs” (final version) for chorus and orchestra, by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, John Currie conducting; Earlier versions of this work with piano and chamber orchestra accompaniment had premiered in 1981, 1983, and 1985 at various Californian venues; 2000 — André Previn: "Diversions," in Salzburg, Austria, by the Vienna Philharmonic, the composer conducting; Other: 1742—Jonathan Swift, Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin (and the author of "Gulliver's Travels"), objects to the cathedral singers taking part in performances of Handel's works while the composer is in that city (Gregorian date: Feb. 8); Rehearsals for the premiere performance of Handel's "Messiah" would begin in April of that year, involving the choirs of both Christ Church and St. Patrick's Cathedrals in Dublin; 1971—William Bolcom completes his "Poltergeist" Rag (dedicated to Teresa Sterne, a one-time concert pianist who was then a producer for Nonesuch Records); According to the composer's notes, the "Poltergeist" Rag was written "in a converted garage next to a graveyard in Newburgh, N.Y."
Sunday, January 29
Mozart at his happiest? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Wolfgang Mozart (1756 – 1791): Idomeneo Overture Bavarian Radio Symphony; Sir Colin Davis, cond. Philips 422 537 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Wolfgang Mozart On Mozart's Idomeneo ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1715—Austrian composer Georg Christoph Wagenseil, in Vienna; 1782—French composer Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, in Caen; 1852—British composer Frederic Hymen Cowen, in Kingston, Jamaica; 1862—English composer Fritz (Frederick) Delius, in Bradford, Yorkshire; 1876—English composer Havergal Brian, in Dresden, Staffordshire; 1924—Italian composer Luigi Nono, in Venice; Deaths: 1946—British composer Sydney Jones, age 84, in London, age 84; 1962—Austrian composer and violinist Fritz Kreisler, age 86, in New York City; Premieres: 1728 — Gay & Pepusch: ballad-opera, “The Beggar’s Opera,” at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London; This work, mounted by the London impresario John Rich, proved so popular that it was staged 62 times that season; As contemporary wags put it, the wildly successful work “made Gay Rich and Rich Gay&rdquo(Gregorian date: Feb. 9); 1781 — Mozart: opera, "Idomeneo" in Munich at the Hoftheater; 1826 — Schubert: String Quartet in D minor, "Death and the Maiden," as a unrehearsed reading at the Vienna home of Karl and Franz Hacker, two amateur musicians; Schubert, who usually played viola on such occasions, could not perform since he was busy copying out the parts and making last-minute corrections; 1882 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera "The Snow Maiden," in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 10); 1892 — Chadwick: “A Pastoral Prelude,” by the Boston Symphony. Arthur Nikisch conducting; 1916 — Prokofiev: "Scythian" Suite ("Ala and Lolly"), Op. 20, at the Mariinsky Theater in Petrograd, with the composer conducting (Julian date: Jan. 16); 1932 — Gershwin: "Second Rhapsody" for piano and orchestra, in Boston, with the Boston Symphony conducted by Serge Koussevitzky and the composer as soloist; 1936 — Constant Lambert: "Summer's Last Will and Testament" for chorus and orchestra, in London; 1981 — John Williams: first version of Violin Concerto (dedicated to the composer's late wife, actress and singer Barbara Ruick Williams), by Mark Peskanov and the St. Louis Symphony conducted by Leonard Slatkin; Williams subsequently revised this work in 1998; This premiere date is listed (incorrectly) as Jan. 19 in the DG recording featuring Gil Shaham; |
