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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive
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February 6-12, 2012
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Monday, February 6
Brant's "Angels and Devils" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Henry Brant (1913 - 2008): Angels and Devils Bonita Boyd, flute; Eastman Wind Ensemble; Donald Hunsberger, cond. Centaur 2014 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Henry Brant An interview with Brant ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1941—American composer Stephen Albert, in New York; Deaths: 1497—Flemish composer Johannes Ockeghem, age c. 76, in Tours; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 144 ("Nimm, was dein ist, und gehe hin") performed on Septuagesimae Sunday as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1727 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 157 ("Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich denn") for a funeral service in Leipzig; 1813 — Rossini: opera "Tancredi," in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice; 1851 — R. Schumann: Symphony No. 3 ("Rhenish"), in Düsseldorf, conducted by the composer; 1930 — Roussel: "Petite Suite" for orchestra, in Paris; 1933 — Henry Brant: "Angels and Devils" for solo flute and flute ensemble, at a Pan-American Association of Composers concert at Carnegie Chapter Hall in New York City, with the famous French-born flautist Georges Barrère as the soloist; On the same program, Brant accompanied soprano Judith Litante at the piano in the premiere performances of three songs by Charles Ives: "Afterglow," "Ann Street," and "Like a Sick Eagle"; 1941 — Hindemith: Cello Concerto, at the Sanders Theater (Cambridge, Mass.) by the Boston Symphony conducted by Serge Koussevitzky, with Gregor Piatigorsky the soloist; 1944 — Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, by the NBC Symphony conducted by Leopold Stokowski, with Eduard Steuermann as soloist; 1959 — Poulenc: opera "La voix humaine" (The Human Voice), in Paris at the Opéra Comique; 1976 — John La Montaine: opera "Be Glad, Then, America," at University Park, Pa.; 1996 — Stephen Paulus: "Dramatic Suite," for flute, viola, cello and piano, in St. Cloud, Minn., by members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; Other: 1838—Mendelssohn finishes his String Quartet in Eb, Op. 44, no. 3.
Tuesday, February 7
Eubie Blake flunks retirement ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Sousa arr. Eubie Blake (1887 - 1983): Semper Fidelis Eubie Blake, piano Columbia (LP) C2S-847 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Eubie Blake Max Morath interview with Eubie Blake ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1871—Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar, in Stockholm; 1883—American jazz pianist and song composer Eubie Blake, in Baltimore; 1897—American composer Quincy Porter, in New Haven, Conn.; 1925—Rumanian-born French composer Marius Constant, in Bucharest; Deaths: 1652—Italian composer and Papal Chapel singer Gregorio Allegri, age .c 70, in Rome; 1779—English composer and organist William Boyce, age 67, in Kensington; Premieres: 1733 — Handel: opera “Orlando” in London (Julian date: Jan.27); 1786 — Mozart: opera "Der Schauspieldirektor" (The Impressario), in Vienna at the Orangerie at Schönbrunn; 1792 — Cimarosa: opera "Il Matrimonio segreto" (The Secret Marriage), in Vienna at the Burgtheater; 1873 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 (“Little Russian”), in Moscow (Julian date: Jan. 26); 1875 — Lalo: "Symphonie espagnole" for Violin and Orchestra, in Paris, Edouard Colonne conducting, with Pablo de Sarasate the soloist; 1882 — Borodin: String Quartet No. 2 in D, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan.26); 1893 — Brahms: Capriccio in d, No. 7 from "Fantasies" for Piano, Op. 116, in Vienna; 1908 — Chadwick: "Symphonic Sketches," by the Boston Symphony, with Karl Muck conducting; 1907 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera “Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh,” in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 20); 1922 — Stenhammar: incidental music for Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," at the Lorensberg Theater in Gothenburg, Sweden; 1931 — Deems Taylor: opera "Peter Ibbetson" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York; 1941 — first public performance of Barber: Violin Concerto, by Philadelphia Orchestra, with Eugene Ormandy conducting and Albert Spalding the soloist; 1941 — Hindemith: Cello Concerto, Op. 7, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting with Gregor Piatigorsky the soloist; 1953 — Martinu: "The Marriage," one-act opera (after Gogol) on the NBC TV network; One of the earliest operas specifically written for television, it is nowadays all but forgotten; 1957 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 7 (arr. Bogatiiryov), in Moscow; This arrangement uses sketches for Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 3 and for another unfinished work for piano and orchestra as the basis for a "new" symphonic work by the late composer; 1964 — Sessions: Symphony No. 5, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1988 — Tan Dun: "Out of Peking Opera" for violin and orchestra, at Lincoln Center, with soloist Vera Weiling Tsu and the New York City Symphony, David Eaton conducting; 1996 — Zwilich: Triple Concerto for violin, cello, piano and orchestra, by the Minnesota Orchestra, Zdenek Macal conducting, with the Kalichstein/Laredo/Robinson Trio as the soloists; Other: 1973—On his 90th birthday, Jazz pianist and song composer Eubie Blake, the son of former slaves, is honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
Wednesday, February 8
Wagner on the banks of the Mississippi? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883): Das Rheingold excerpt Soloists & Bavarian Radio Symphony; Bernard Haitink, cond. EMI 54633 & Parsifal excerpt: Netherlands Radio Philharmonic; Edo de Waart, cond. BMG 44786 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Richard Wagner More on Wagner ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1741—Belgian-born French composer André Grétry, in Liège; 1932—American composer and conductor John Williams, in New York City; Deaths: 1709—Italian composer Giuseppe Torelli, age 50, in Bologna; 1909—Polish composer Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, age 32, near Zakopane, Tatra Mountains; Premieres: 1874 — Mussorgsky: opera “Boris Godunov”, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, with bass Ivan Melnikov in the title role, and Eduard Napravnik conducting; This was the composer’s own revised, nine-scene version of the opera, which originally consisted of just seven scenes (Julian date: Jan.27); 1897 — Kalinnikov: Symphony No. 1 (Gregorian date: Feb. 20); 1904 — Sibelius: Violin Concerto (first version), in Helsinki, by the Helsingsfors Philharmonic conducted by the composer, with Victor Novácek as soloist; The revised and final version of this concerto premiered in Berlin on October 19, 1905, conducted by Richard Strauss and with Karl Halir the soloist; 1907 — Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 in Vienna, with the Rosé Quartet and members of the Vienna Philharmonic; 1908 — Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in St. Petersburg, with the composer conducting (Julian date: Jan. 26); 1909 — Liadov: “Enchanted Lake” (Gregorian date: Feb. 21); 1910 — Webern: Five Movements, Op. 5, for string quartet, in Vienna; 1925 — Cowell: "Ensemble" (original version for strings and 3 "thunder-sticks"), at a concert sponsored by the International Composers' Guild at Aeolian Hall in New York, by an ensemble led by Vladimir Shavitch that featured the composer and two colleagues on "thunder-sticks" (an American Indian instrument also known as the "bull-roarer"); Also on program was the premiere of William Grant Still's "From the Land of Dreams" for three voices and chamber orchestra (his first concert work, now lost, dedicated to his teacher, Edgard Varèse); 1925 — Miaskovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 7, in Moscow; 1934 — Virgil Thomson: opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" (libretto by Gertrude Stein), in Hartford, Conn.; 1942 — Stravinsky: "Danses concertantes," by the Werner Janssen Orchestra of Los Angeles, with the composer conducting; 1946 — Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3 (completed by Tibor Serly after the composer's death), by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting and György Sándor as the soloist; 1959 — Elie Siegmeister: Symphony No. 3, in Oklahoma City; 1963 — Benjamin Lees: Violin Concerto, by the Boston Symphony, with Erich Leinsdorf conducting and Henryk Szeryng the soloist; 1966 — Lou Harrison: "Symphony on G" (revised version), at the Cabrillo Music Festival by the Oakland Symphony, Gerhard Samuel condicting; 1973 — Crumb: "Makrokosmos I" for amplified piano, in New York; 1985 — Earle Brown: "Tracer," for six instruments and four-track tape, in Berlin; 1986 — Daniel Pinkham: Symphony No. 3, by the Plymouth (Mass.) Philharmonic, Rudolf Schlegel conducting; 2001 — Sierra: "Concerto for Orchestra," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting; Other: 1875—American composer Edward MacDowell admitted to the Paris Conservatory; 1877—German-born (and later American) composer Charles Martin Loeffler admitted to the Paris Conservatory; 1880—German opera composer Richard Wagner writes a letter to his American dentist, Dr. Newell Still Jenkins, stating "I do no regard it as impossible that I decide to emigrate forever to America with my latest work ["Parsifal"] and my entire family" if the Americans would subsidize him to the tune of one million dollars.
Thursday, February 9
Verdi's "Falstaff" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Antonio Salieri (1750 - 1825): Falstaff Overture London Mozart Players; Matthias Bamert, cond. Chandos 9877 & Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901): Finale, fr Falstaff Cincinnati Pops; Erich Kunzel, cond. Telarc 80364 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On composer Giuseppe Verdi and his operas On Falstaff in both Shakespeare and Verdi (PDF) ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1834—German composer Franz Xaver Witt, in Walderbach, Bavaria; 1885—Austrian composer Alban Berg, in Vienna; 1909—German composer Harald Genzmer, in Blumenthal, near Bremen; Deaths: 1740—German composer, organist and teacher Vincent Lübeck, age c. 85, in Hamburg; 1812—German composer Franz Anton Hoffmeister, age 57, in Vienna; 1960—Hungarian composer Ernö (Ernst von) Dohnányi, age 82, in New York City; Premieres: 1722 — ; first documented concert performance of Handel: “Water Music” at the Stationer’s Hall in London (Gregorian date: Feb. 20); Handel’s “Water Music” had been premiered on July 17/28, 1717, during a famous royal barge excursion on the river Thames; 1727 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 84 ("Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke") probably performed on Septuagesimae Sunday as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27); 1728 — Gay & Pepusch: ballad-opera, “The Beggar’s Opera,” in London (Julian date: Jan. 29); 1812 — Beethoven: private premieres of "The Ruins of Athens" and "King Stephen" Overture and Incidental Music, as part of a production at the opening of a new theater in Pest, Hungary (see also Feb. 10 for offical public premiere); 1886 — Mussorgsky (arr. Rimsky-Korsakov): opera “Khovanschchina,” posthumously, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 21); 1893 — Verdi: opera, "Falstaff," in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; This was Verdi's last opera; 1909 — Albéniz: piano suite, "Iberia," in Paris; 1919 — Chadwick: symphonic poem "Angel of Death" in New York; Other: 1784—Mozart finishes his Piano Concerto No. 14 in Eb, K. 449, and enters it as the first item in his own catalogue of his compositions; The concerto may have been performed by Mozart in Vienna on March 17 that year, and also outside Vienna at the home of Barbara von Ployer, one of Mozart's pupils, for whom the work was written.
Friday, February 10
Maslanka's Symphony No. 4 ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: David Maslanka (b. 1943): Symphony No. 4 Dallas Wind Symphony; Jerry Junkin, cond. Reference Recordings RR-108 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Maslanka ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1908—Canadian composer and pianist Jean Coulthard, in Vancouver; 1929—American film score composer Jerry Goldsmith; 1939—American composer Barbara Kolb, in Hartford, Conn.; Premieres: 1744 — Handel: oratorio “Semele,” in London at the Covent Garden Theater (Gregorian date: Feb. 21); 1749 — Handel: oratorio “Susanna” in London at the Covent Garden Theater (Gregorian date: Feb. 21); 1794 — Haydn: Symphony No. 99, conducted by the composer, at the King's Theatre in London; 1812 — Beethoven: public premieres of "The Ruins of Athens" and "King Stephen" Overture and Incidental Music, as part of a production at the opening of a new theater in Pest, Hungary (see also Feb. 9); 1860 — Brahms: Serenade No. 2 in A, Op. 16, in Hamburg, with the composer conducting; 1878 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 22); 1881 — Offenbach: opera "The Tales of Hoffmann," posthumously, in Paris at the Opéra Comique; 1882 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera “The Snow Maiden” (first version), in St. Petersburg, Napravnik conducting (Julian date: Jan. 29); 1896 — Walter Damrosch: opera "The Scarlet Letter," in Boston; 1903 — Rachmaninoff: Piano Preludes Nos. 1, 2, and 5, from Op. 23 and “Variations on a Theme of Chopin” (Gregorian date: Feb. 23); 1927 — Krenek: "jazz" opera "Jonny spielt auf" (Johnny Strikes Up the Band), in Leipzig at the Stadttheater; 1934 — Howard Hanson: opera "Merry Mount," (staged premiere) at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Tulio Serafin conducting; 1949 — Antheil: Symphony No. 6, by the San Francisco Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting; 1950 — William Schuman: Violin Concerto, by Isaac Stern with the Boston Symphony with Charles Munch conducting and Isaac Stern the soloist; 1961 — Piston: Symphony No. 7, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1961; 1966 — Richard Rodney Bennett: Symphony No. 1, in London; 1976 — Ulysses Kay: "Southern Harmony," by the North Carolina Symphony; 1995 — Daniel Asia: Piano Concerto, by the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Symphony, conducted by Carl St. Clair, with André-Michel Schub the soloist; 2001 — Pierre Jalbert: "L'amour infini," (Infinite Love), by the Albany Symphony, David Alan Miller conducting; Other: 1859 —First documented complete American performance of Handel's oratorio "Israel in Egypt," at Boston's Melodeon, by the Handel and Haydn Society, Carl Zerrahn conducting; Selections from this work had been performed previously in New York and Boston; The Feb. 19 edition of Dwight's Journal enthused: "Israel at last! The great work, occasionally nibbled at, attacked in fragments, in fits of resolution few and far between, was finally essayed in earnest; and after eight more rehearsals, the giant Handel's greatest work, with the sole exception of the 'Messiah' . . . was offered to the public, and the public wouldn't have it . . . the hall was only two-thirds full"; 1921—Charles Ives hears Igor Stravinsky's "The Firebird" Ballet Suite at an all-Russian program by the New York Symphony at Carnegie Hall; Also on the program were works of Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Rachmaninoff (with Rachmaninoff as piano soloist); Walter Damrosch conducted.
Saturday, February 11
Donizetti's "Daughter" in 1840 and 1940 ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Gaetano Donizetti (1797 - 1848): La Fille deRegiment excerpt Joan Sutherland, soprano; Covent Garden Orchestra; Richard Bonynge, cond. London 414 520 & Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle (1760 - 1836)/arr. Berlioz: La Marseillaise Jessye Norman, soprano; Paris Orchestra; Semyon Bychkov, cond. Philips 422 922 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Donizetti and his operas ALSO ON THIS DATE: Deaths: 1795—Swedish song composer Carl Mikael Bellman, age 55, in Stockholm; 1939—Austrian composer Franz Schmidt, age 72, in Perchtoldsdorf; Premieres: 1725 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 127 ("Herr Jesu Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott") performed on Estomihi Sunday as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1727 — Handel: opera “Admeto” in London (Julian date: Jan. 31); 1785 — Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in d, in Vienna, with the composer as soloist; 1840 — Donizetti: opera "La fille du régiment" (The Daughter of the Regiment), at the Opéra-Comique in Paris; 1843 — Verdi: opera "I Lombardi" (The Lombards) in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; 1883 — Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 (2nd and 3rd movements only), by Vienna Philharmonic, with Wilhelm Jahn conducting; Gustav Mahler led the Vienna Philharmonic on February 26, 1899, in the first, heavily cut, performance of the complete work; 1892 — Rachmaninoff: “Trio élégiaque” (Elegiac Trio) No. 1 in G minor, for violin, cello, and piano, in Moscow, with David Kreyn (violin), Anatoly Brandukov (cello), and the composer at the piano (Julian date: Jan. 30); 1903 — Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in a version prepared by Ferdinand Löwe, by the Vienna Symphony, with Löwe conducting; The original version of Bruckner's Ninth was first performed at a private concert in Munich on April 2, 1932, and then at a public Vienna Philharmonic concert conducted by Clemens Krauss on October 23, 1932; 1938 — Ernest Bloch: "Evocations" for orchestra, by the San Francisco Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting; 1949 — Stravinsky: "Orpheus" ballet (as a concert work), by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; The staged ballet had premiere in New York on April 28, 1948; 1952 — Hugo Weisgall: opera 'The Tenor," in Baltimore; 1953 — Chávez: Symphony No. 4 ("Sinfonía romantica") by the Louisville Orchestra, with the composer conducting; 1971 — Henze: "Compases para Preguntas ensimismandes" in Basel, Switzerland; 1973 — Feldman: "Voices and Instruments II," in Buffalo, N.Y.; Other: 1841—First documented American performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 at the New York's Broadway Tabernacle, by the German Society of New York, Uri Corelli Hill conducting; Three movements of Beethoven's symphony (excluding the third) were given in April 3, 1841, at Boston's Odeon by the Academy of Music, Henry Schmidt conducting; The complete symphony was included on the first program given by the New York Philharmonic on December 7, 1842; The Symphony was presented next in Philadelphia (April 3, 1848), Baltimore (March 9, 1849), Louisville (May 14, 1853), St. Louis (May 17, 1853), and Milwaukee (April 27, 1855); On March 28, 1856, 30 players of the San Francisco German Society performed Beethoven's Fifth at the Music Hall in that city, with Rudolf Herold conducting (The San Francisco Chronicle review the following day noted: "The pieces in the program are very beautiful, but it must be said that some of them appeared to be considered very tedious by the greater number of the audience. The Adagio, Scherzo and Finale of Beethoven's Symphony in C Minor, for instance, are portions of a very grand and celebrated composition, but they caused many to yawn."); The first public performance of this symphony had occurred in Vienna, with the composer conducting, on Dec. 22, 1808; 1847—American inventor Thomas A. Edison, the developer of the phonograph, is born in Milan, Ohio; 1907—Italian composer Giacomo Puccini attends the American premiere of his opera "Madama Butterfly," conducted by Arturo Toscanini at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Sunday, February 12
Haydn's imperial anthem ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809): String Quartet, Op. 76, no. 3 (Emperor) Emerson Quartet DG 427 657 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On the history of the Haydn's anthem ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1567—Baptism of English composer and poet Thomas Campion, in London; 1760—Bohemian composer and keyboard virtuoso Jan Ladislav (Johann Ladislaus/ Ludwig) Dussek (Dusik), in Cáslav; 1898—American composer Roy Harris, in Chandler, Oklahoma; 1923—American composer Mel Powell, in New York City; Deaths: 1799—Czech composer and pianist František Xaver Dušek (Duschek, Duscheck or Dussek), age 67. in Prague; He was a friend and colleague of Mozart; 1896—French composer Amboise Thomas, age 84, in Paris; 1906—Russian composer Anton Arensky (Gregorian date: Feb. 25); 1915—French composer, conductor and pianist Emile Waldteufel, age 77, in Paris; 1959—American composer George Antheil, age 58, in New York; 1972—English composer Benjamin Frankel, age 67, in London; Premieres: 1760 — Rameau: comedy-ballet "Les Paladins," in Paris; 1797 — Haydn: "A National Song," in Vienna, in honor of the birthday of the Austrian Emperor Franz II (who reigned from 1792-1835); This melody was later used as a theme in Haydn's "Emperor" String Quartet, Op. 76, no. 3, and eventually became the Austrian national anthem; 1894 — Rachmaninoff: “Trio élégiaque” (Elegiac Trio) No. 2 in d minor, for violin, cello, and piano, in Moscow, with Yuly Konyus (Julius Conus) (violin), Anatoly Brandukov (cello), and the composer at the piano (Julian date: Jan. 31); 1905 — Koussevitzky: Double-Bass Concerto (Gregorian date: Feb. 25); 1909 — Paderewski: Symphony in b ("Polonia"), by the Boston Symphony, Max Fiedler conducting; 1924 — Gershwin: "Rhapsody in Blue," at Aeolian Hall in New York, with Paul Whiteman conducting and the composer as soloist; 1936 — David Diamond: Three "Vocalises" for soprano and viola, at the third "Composer's Forum Laboratory" in New York City (sponsored by the WPA Federal Music Project), by soprano Louise Taylor and violist John Howell; 1964 — Cowell: "Quartet Euphometric," at Philharmonic Hall in New York City, by the Galimir String Quartet; This music was composed between 1916-1919; Other: 1785—Likely date of the premiere performances of three of Mozart's "Haydn" Quartets (K.458, 464, and 465), at Mozart's apartment in Vienna, with Haydn present and a quartet made up of Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart with the Barons Anton and Bartholmaus Tinti. |
