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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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January 30-February 5, 2012
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Monday, January 30
Larsen's symphonies ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Libby Larsen (b. 1950): Symphony: Water Music Minnesota Orchestra; Sir Neville Marriner, cond. Nonesuch 79147 & Libby Larsen (b. 1950): Solo Symphony Colorado Symphony; Marin Alsop, cond. Koch 7520 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Libby Larsen Larsen on MPR's "The Composer's Voice" ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1697—German composer and flutist Johann Joachim Quantz, in Oberscheden, Hannover; 1861—French-born American composer Charles Martin Loeffler, in Alsace; 1862—German-born American composer and conductor, Walter Damrosch, in Breslau; Deaths: 1963—French composer Francis Poulenc, age 64, in Paris; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 81 ("Jesus schläft, was soll ich hoffen?") performed on the 4th Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1735 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 14 ("Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit") performed in Leipzig on the 4th Sunday after Epiphany; 1892 — Rachmaninoff: “Trio élégiaque” No. 1 in G minor (Gregorian date: Feb. 11); 1893 — Brahms: Fantasies for piano Nos. 1-3, from Op. 117 and Intermezzo No. 2, from Op. 117, in Vienna; 1917 — Zemlinsky: opera "A Floretine Tragedy," in Stuttgart at the Hoftheater; 1920 — Frederick Converse: Symphony in c, by the Boston Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting; 1942 — Copland: Orchestral Suite from "Billy the Kid" ballet, by the Boston Symphony; 1948 — Harold Shapero: "Symphony for Classical Orchestra," by the Boston Symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein; 1958 — Walton: "Partita" for orchestra, in Cleveland; 1959 — Hindemith: "Pittsburgh Symphony," by the Pittsburgh Symphony, conducted by the composer; 1970 — William Schuman: "In Praise of Shahn," in New York; 1985 — Libby Larsen: Symphony ("Water Music"), by the Minnesota Orchestra, Sir Neville Marriner conducting.
Tuesday, January 31
Maslanka for winds ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: David Maslanka (b. 1943): Wind Quintet No. 2 Manhattan Wind Quintet Albany 246 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On David Maslanka ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1759—French composer a François Devienne, in Joinville; 1797—Austrian composer Franz Schubert, in Lichtenthal near Vienna; 1906—English composer Benjamin Frankel, in London; 1937—American composer and performer Philip Glass, in Baltimore, Maryland; 1960—English composer and pianist George Benjamin, in London; Premieres: 1727 — Handel: opera "Admeto" in London at the Haymarket Theater in London; This premiere was scheduled for earlier in the month, but was delayed awaiting the arrival in London of the Italian castrato Senesino, who was recovering from an illness (Gregorian date: Feb. 11); 1925 — Vladimir Dukelsky(a.k.a. Vernon Duke): ballet "Zéphir et Flore" in Paris; 1935 — Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Cello Concerto, by the New York Philharmonic, with Gregor Piatigorsky as the soloist; 1943 — R. Strauss: "Divertimento on pieces by Couperin," in Vienna; 1952 — Leon Kirchner: "Sinfonia" in New York City; 1953 — Vittorio Giannini: opera "The Taming of the Shrew" (in concert form) in Cincinnati; 1959 — Martinu: “Fantasia concertante” for piano and orchestra, in Berlin, with Margrit Weber the soloist; 1986 — Joan Tower: Piano Concerto ("Homage to Beethoven"), by the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra conducted by Imre Pallo, with piano soloist Jacquelyn M. Helin; 1987 — David Maslanka: Wind Quintet No. 2 at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in New York, by the Manhattan Quintet.
Wednesday, February 1
The Tales of Offenbach? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Jacques Offenbach (1819 - 1880): Tales of Hoffmann Suite Detroit Symphony; Paul Paray, cond. Mercury 434 332 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Offenbach On the different versions of "The Tales of Hoffmann" ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1690—Italian composer Francesco Maria Veracini, in Florence; 1701—Swedish composer Johan Joachim Agrell, in Löth; 1859—Irish-born American composer and cellist Victor Herbert, in Dublin; 1869—Russian composer and violinist Julius Conus (Yuly Konyus), in Moscow (Julian date: Jan. 20); 1907—Hungarian-born Swiss composer Sándor Veress, in Kolozsvár; 1928—German-born American composer Ursula Mamlok, in Berlin; Deaths: 1824—Austrian composer and pianist Maria Theresia von Paradis, age 64, in Vienna; 1875—British composer Sir William Sterndale Bennett, age 58, in London; 1981—German composer Ernst Pepping, age 79, in Berlin; 1981—Norwegian composer Nils Geirr Tveitt, age 72, in Oslo; Premieres: 1893 — Puccini: opera, "Manon Lescaut," in Turin at the Teatro Regio; 1896 — Puccini: opera "La Bohème," in Turin at the Teatro Regio, with Arturo Toscanini conducting; 1916 — Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 ("The Inextinguishable") with the orchestra of the Copenhagen Music Society, the composer conducting; 1918 — Lehar: operetta "Wo die Lerche singt" (Where the Lark Sings) in Budapest; 1930 — Schoenberg: opera "Von Heute af Morgen" (From One Day to the Next), at the Frankfurt Opera; 1947 — Hindemith: "Sinfonia Serena" by the Dallas Symphony, Antal Dorati conducting; 1982 — Tobias Picker: Violin Concerto, by the American Composers Orchestra, Paul Dunkel conducting, with Rolf Schulte the soloist; 1984 — John Harbison: chamber orchestra version of “Mirabai Songs” (to poems of Mirabai, translated by Robert Bly), at Sanders Theater in Cambridge, Mass., with mezzo-soprano Hance Felty and the ensemble Collage, Gunther Schuller conducting; The original voice and piano version of this work premiered in Boston on Nov. 15, 1983; 1996 — George Walker: "Lilacs" for voice and orchestra, by soprano Faye Robinson and the Boston Symphony, Seiji Ozawa conducting; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music; 2002 — Michael Torke: "An American Abroad" for orchestra, in Edinburgh, Scotland, by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Marin Alsop conducting; Other: 1881—After a private performance of the late Jacques Offenbach's final work, "The Tales of Hoffmann," at the Opéra Comique in Paris, runs longer than anticipated, extensive cuts and alterations are made to the score before its first public staging. 1862—American premiere of Brahms's Serenade No. 2 in A, at Irving Hall in New York, by the New York Philharmonic, Carl Bergmann conducting; The world premiere performance of this work had occurred in Hamburg, Germany, on Feb. 10, 1860, with the composer conducting; 1864 —First documented American performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto, at Milwaukee's Music Hall, by the Musical Society under Frederick Abel, with three unnamed soloists;
Thursday, February 2
Maxwell Davies tackles the Symphony ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): Symphony No. 1 Berlin Philharmonic; Herbert von Karajan, cond. DG 447 408 & Peter Maxwell Davies (b. 1934): Symphony No. 1 BBC Philharmonic; Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, cond. Collins Classics 14352 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Sir Peter Maxwell Davies On traditional symphonic form ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1669—French composer and organist Louis Marchand, in Lyons; 1813—Russian composer Alexander Dargomizhsky (Gregorian date: Feb. 14); 1873—Austrian operetta composer Leo Fall, in Olmütz; 1875—Austrian-American composer and violinist Fritz Kreisler, in Vienna; Deaths: 1594—Italian composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, age 68, in Rome; 1789—French composer, organist and harpsichordist Armand-Louis Couperin, age 61, in Paris; 1934—Brazilian composer and pianist Ernesto Nazareth, age 70, in Rio de Janeiro; 1974—Belgian composer Jean Absil, age 80, in Brussels; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 83 ("Erfreute Zeit im neuen Bunde") performed on the Feast of the Purification as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1725 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 125 ("Mit Fried und Frued ich fahr dahin") performed on the Feast of the Purification as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1795 — Haydn: Symphony No. 102, in London at the King's Theater, with the composer conducting; 1884 — Loeffler: "Fantastic Concerto," by the Boston Symphony, Emil Paur conducting; 1890 — Dvorák: Symphony No. 8, Op. 88, in Prague, with the composer conducting; 1900 — Chadwick: "Adonais" (Elegiac Overture), by the Boston Symphony, Wilhelm Gericke conducting; 1900 — Gustave Charpentier: opera, "Louise," in Paris at the Opéra-Comique; 1920 — Stravinsky: ballet, "The Song of the Nightingale," at the Paris Opéra, with choreography by Massine; 1921 — Bretan: opera "Luceafarul" (The Evening Star), in Cluj, Romania; 1926 — Cowell: String Quartet No. 1 ("Quartett Pedantic"), at Aeolian Hall in New York City by the Ralph Henkle String Quartet; 1977 — Ned Rorem: "A Quaker Reader" for organ, in New York City; 1978 — Peter Maxwell Davies: Symphony No. 1, in London at Royal Festival Hall, by the Philharmonia Orchestra, Simon Rattle conducting.
Friday, February 3
A summer Sextet by Brahms ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): String Sextet No. 2, Op. 36 L'Archibudelli Sony Classical 68252 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Johannes Brahms More on Brahms ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1525—earliest possible birth date for the Italian composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, who was probably born between February 3, 1525 and February 2, 1526, most likely at Palestrina (near Rome); 1809—German composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, in Hamburg; 1842—American poet, flutist and composer Sidney Lanier, in Macon, Ga.; 1904—Italian composer Luigi Dallapiccola, in Pisino, Istria; 1910—Mexican composer Blas Galindo Dimas, in San Gabriel, Jalisco; 1911—French composer and organist Jehan Alain, in Paris; Deaths: 1814—Bohemian composer Johann Antonin Kozeluch, age 75, in Prague; Premieres: 1823 — Rossini: opera "Semiramide," in Venice at the Teatro la Fenice; 1844 — Berlioz: "Roman Carnival" Overture, in Paris at the Salle Herz, with the composer conducting; 1867 — Brahms: String Sextet No. 2, Op. 36, in Vienna, by the Hellmesberger Sextet; This work had received some informal performances in Zürich the preceding year; 1868 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 15); 1884 — Tchaikovsky: opera “Mazeppa” in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 15); 1894 — Glazunov: Symphony No. 4, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan. 22); 1945 — Stravinsky: "Scènes de ballet," in New York City by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by the composer; This work was commissioned by Broadway impresario Billy Rose for a 1944 revue titled "The Seven Lively Arts"; 1956 — Elie Siegmeister: Clarinet Concerto, in Oklahoma City; 1989 — Michael Torke: "Ash," in St. Paul, Minn., by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, John Adams conducting; 2002 — Philip Glass: Symphony No. 6, at Carnegie Hall, by the American Composers Orchestra conducted by Dennis Russell Davies.
Saturday, February 4
Liszt pulls a switcheroo ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Piano Trio, Op. 1, no. 2 Kempff-Szeryng-Fournier Trio DG 453 751 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Franz Liszt ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1740—Swedish song composer Carl Michael Bellman, in Stockholm; 1892—Finnish song composer Yrjo Kilpinen, in Helsingfors; 1893—American composer Bernard Rogers, in New York; Deaths: 1781—Bohemian-born composer Josef Mysliveczek, age 43, in Rome; 1997—American composer Ross Lee Finney, age 90, in Carmel, Calif.; 2001—Romanian born, Greek-French composer and architectural engineer Iannis Xenakis, age 78, in Paris; Premieres: 1725 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 126 ("Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort") performed on Sexagesimae Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1884 — Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 2, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 16); 1908 — First public performance of Stravinsky: Symphony in Eb in St. Petersburg, conducted by Felix Blumenfeld (Julian date: Jan. 22); A private performance of two movements of this symphony had occurred on April 14/27, 1907, also in St. Petersburg; 1945 — Hovhaness: "Lousadzek" (Coming of Light) for piano and strings, in Boston, with the composer conducting from the piano; Other: 1837—Franz Liszt performs a chamber recital in Paris, featuring the then-unfamiliar Piano Trios of Beethoven; At the last minute, the performers decided to reverse the printed order of the program, performing on the first half of the concert a trio by Pixis, and a Beethoven trio on the second half; The audience (and critics) warmly applaud the Pixis, mistakenly thinking it was the Beethoven work, and react coolly to the Beethoven, assuming it was by Pixis; Among the critics, only Berlioz notices the program switch. 1854—First documented American performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G, at Boston's Odeon by the Germania Musical Society conducted by Carl Bergmann, with Robert Heller the soloist; 1887—American premiere of Bruckner: Symphony No. 7, by the Boston Symphony, Wilhelm Gericke conducting;
Sunday, February 5
Zwilich's "Gardens" Symphony ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: W.A. Mozart (1756 - 1791): Symphony No. 35 (Haffner) Prague Chamber Orchestra; Sir Charles Mackerras, cond. Telarc 80203 & Ellen Taaffe Zwillich (b. 1939): Symphony No. 4 (The Gardens) MSU Symphony and Choirs; Leon Gregorian, cond. Koch International 7487 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Ellen Taaffe Zwilich More on Zwilich ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1810—Norwegian composer and violinist Ole Bull, in Bergen; 1909—Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz, in Lódz; 1943—French-American composer Ivan Tcherepnin, in Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris; Deaths: 1907—German composer Ludwig Thuille, age 45, in Munich; 1962—French composer Jacques Ibert, age 71, in Paris; Premieres: 1887 — Verdi: opera "Otello," in Milan at the Teatro all Scala, with composer conducting (and cellist Arturo Toscanini in the orchestra); 1895 — Ippolitov-Ivanov: “Caucasian Sketches,” in Moscow, with the composer conducting (Julian date: Jan. 24; 1907 — Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 1 in d, Op. 7, in Vienna, by the Rosé Quartet; 1939 — Carl Orff: opera "Der Mond" (The Moon), in Munich at the Nationaltheater; 1958 — Tippett: Symphony No. 2, in London, by the BBC Symphony, with Sir Adrian Boult conducting; 1969 — Thea Musgrave: Clarinet Concerto, in London; 1970 — Elliott Carter: "Concerto for Orchestra" by the New York Philharmonic, Pierre Boulez conducting; 1995 — Olly Wilson: "Shango Memory" for orchestra, by the New York Philharmonic, Neeme Järvi conducting; 2000 — Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Symphony No. 4 ("The Gardens"), for chorus, children's chorus and orchestra, by Michigan State University ensembles conducted by Leon Gregorian. Other: 1875—American premiere of J.S. Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, with the Theodore Thomas Orchestra and soloists S.E. Jacobsohn and Richard Arnold; The same performers also gave the New York City premiere at Steinway Hall the following day; Following a Dec. 10, 1881, New York Philharmonic performance under Thomas with the same soloists, the New York Times reviewer wrote: "The concert possesses no interest to anyone but a violinist and even for a musically disposed audience is not a felicitous selection." |
