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Archives Find past shows by date:  Complete archive Your purchase from Public Radio Market helps support the American Composers Forum and Composers Datebook.  |
October 29-November 4, 2012
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Monday, October 29
James P. Johnson's "signature tune" for 1920s ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: James P. Johnson (1894 - 1955): Charleston Leslie Stifelman, piano; Concordia Orchestra; Marin Alsop, cond. MusicMasters 67140 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On James P. Johnson More on Johnson ALSO ON THIS DATE: Premieres: 1787 — Mozart: opera, "Don Giovanni'," in Prague at the Nationaltheater; 1837 — Donizetti: opera, "Roberto Devereux," at the.Teatro San Carlos, in Naples; 1920 — Edward Burlingame Hill: symphonic poem “The Fall of the House of Usher” (after Poe), by the Boston Symphony with Pierre Monteux conducting; 1950 — Copland: Quartet for Piano and Strings, by the New York Quartet at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. at a Coolidge Festival concert; This work was commissioned by Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Coolidge Foundation; 1955 — Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1, by the Leningrad Philharmonic, Yevgeny Svetlanov conducting, with David Oistrakh as the soloist; 1956 — Bernstein: musical "Candide" (original version) in Boston as a trial run at the Colonial Theater, directed by Tyrone Guthrie and conducted by Samuel Krachmalnick; The show opened officially on New York at the Martin Beck Theater on December 1, 1956; According to Opera America magazine, this is one of the most frequently-produced American operas during the past decade; 1966 — Milhaud: "Music for Indiana," by the Indianapolis Symphony; 1967 — Persichetti: Symphony No. 8, in Berea, Ohio, by the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory Orchestra, George Poinar conducting; 1980 — Off Broadway premiere of Sondheim: revue "Marry Me a Little"(compiled from various Sondheim musicals); Other: 1734—The famous Italian castrato Farinelli (Carlo Broschi) makes his debut in London at the opening performance of "The Opera of the Nobility," a company formed to rival Handel's "Royal Academy" (Gegorian date: Nov. 9); The performance takes place at the King's Theater in the Haymarket, formerly the home of Handel's company; 1739—Handel advertises for subscriptions to his new set of Concertos, Op. 6 (Gregorian date: Nov. 9); They are published by John Walsh the younger on April 23 (Gregorian date: May 4) the following year. 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in c, Op. 6, no. 8 (see Julian date: Oct. 18);
Tuesday, October 30
Rorem's "Nantucket Songs" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ned Rorem (b. 1923): Nantucket Songs Phyllis Bryn-Julson, soprano; Ned Rorem, piano CRI 670 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Ned Rorem ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1894—English composer Peter Warlock (real name, Philip Heseltine), in London; Deaths: 1953—Hungarian operetta composer Emmerich Kálmán, age 71, in Paris; Premieres: 1733 — Handel: opera "Semiramide" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Nov. 10); 1876 — Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 in Bb (first public performance), in Berlin, by the Joachim Quartet; This work had been privately premiered at the home of Clara Schumann by the Joachim Quartet on May 23, 1876, and subsequently performed for a small circle of friends at the Joachim home on June 4 that year; 1881 — Serenade for Strings, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Oct. 18); 1882 — Tchaikovsky: Trio, Op. 50 (dedicated to the memory of Nicolas Rubinstein), in Moscow at a Russian Musical Society concert by Ivan Hřimaly (violin), Wilhelm Fitzenhagen (cello) and Sergei Taneyev (piano) (Julian date: Oct. 18); This was the public premiere of the Tchaikovsky Trio, but a private performance featuring the same artists had occurred on Feb. 18 (Gregorian date: Mar. 2) that same year; 1896 — Amy Beach: "Gaelic" Symphony, at the Music Hall in Boston by the Boston Symphony, Emil Paur conducting; This was an afternoon "open rehearsal" performance - the "official" premiere took place the following evening; 1929 — Wallingford Rieger: "Study in Sonority," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1944 — Copland: ballet "Appalachian Spring," by a 13-piece chamber orchestra, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., by the Martha Graham Ballet; 1947 — Elie Siegemeister: Symphony No. 1, by the New York Philharmonic, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1947 — Kurt Weill: musical, "Lost in the Stars," in New York City; 1957 — Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 ("The Year 1905"), in Moscow, by the USSR State Symphony, Natan Rakhlin; 1979 — Ned Rorem: "Nantucket Songs" (to texts by Roethke, Wm. Carlos Williams, Edmund Waller and others) at Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress, with soprano Phylllis Bryn-Julson and the composer at the piano; 1998 — Anthony Davis: "Tales (Tails) of a Signifying Monkey," by the Pittsburgh Symphony, David Zinman conducting; Other: 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in A, Op. 6, no. 11 (Gregorian date: Nov. 10); 1822—Schubert begins work on his Symphony No. 8 in B minor, later known as the "Unfinished." Not played until 37 years later; 1935—First concert at The Composers' Forum-Laboratory in New York City, sponsored by the Federal Music Project and featuring works of Roy Harris.
Wednesday, October 31
Schoenberg arrives for Trick or Treat ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Arnold Schoenberg (1874 – 1951): Violin Concerto, Op 36 Zvi Zeitlin, violin; Bavarian Radio Symphony; Rafael Kubelik, cond. DG 431 740 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Schoenberg ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1833 —Russian composer Alexander Borodin, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Nov. 12); 1806—American composer Louise Talma, in Arcachon, France; 1949—Cuban-American composer and conductor Odaline de la Martinez, in Matanzas, Cuba; Deaths: 1870—Hungarian composer Mihály Mosonyi (Michael Brand), age 55, in Pest; Premieres: 1724 — Handel: opera "Tamerlano" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Nov. 11); This was the London debut of the Italian tenor Francesco Borosini in a work by Handel; 1865 — Brahms: "Theme and Variations" in d (after slow movement of Brahms' String Sextet No. 1), in Frankfurt am Main; 1866 — Offenbach: operetta, "La Vie Parisienne," in Paris, at the Palais-Royal; 1875 — Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 4 in c, Op. 44, in Paris at a concert conducted by Edouard Colonne, with the composer as soloist; 1891 — Mascagni: opera "L'amico Fritz," at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome; 1924 — Hindemith: "Kammermusik" No. 2, Op. 36, no. 1, in Frankfurt, with Clemens Kraus conducting and Emma Lübbecke-Job the piano soloist; 1932 — Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5, by the Berlin Philharmonic, Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting, with the composer as soloist; 1947 — Chávez: "Toccata" for percussion, in Mexico City; 1949 — Mark Blitzstein: opera "Regina," in New York City; 1955 — Hovhaness: Symphony No. 2 ("Mysterious Mountain"), by the Houston Symphony, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1966 — Stravinsky: "The Owl and the Pussycat" (dedicated to Vera Stravinsky), in Los Angeles; This was Stravinsky's last composition; 1970 — Crumb: "Ancient Voices of Children," in Washington, D.C.; 1985 — Rorem: "String Symphony," by the Atlanta Symphony, Robert Shaw conducting. Other: 1739 —Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in b, Op. 6, no. 12 (see Julian date: Oct. 20); 1933—Arnold Schoenberg, accompanied by his wife, baby daughter, and family pet terrier "Witz," arrives in New York on the liner Isle de France.
Thursday, November 1
Show information not yet available.ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1877—English composer Roger Quilter, in Brighton; 1934—Welsh composer William Mathias, in Whitland, Dyfed. Deaths: 1942—German composer Hugo Distler, age 34, commits suicide in Berlin; Premieres: 1892 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera “ Mlada,” at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, with Eduard Nápravník conducting and basso Fyodor Stravinsky (Igor’s father) singing the role of Mstivoy (Julian date: Oct. 20); 1948 — Copland: "The Red Pony" Suite (from the film of the same name), by the Houston Symphony, Efrem Kurtz conducting; 1964 — Virgil Thomson: "The Feast of Love," for baritone and chamber ensemble, at the 13th Coolidge Festival in Washington, D.C.; Other: 1738—Handel completes Part II (“Moses’ Song”) of his oratorio “Israel in Egypt” (Gregorian date: November 12); 1830—Chopin’s friends in Warsaw throw a festival “bon voyage” dinner for the composer-pianist on the eve of his departure for Paris; As it turned out, he would never return to his native land.
Friday, November 2
Show information not yet available.ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1739—Austrian composer and violinist Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, in Vienna; 1752—Russian diplomat, violinist and music lover Count (later Prince) Andrei Razumovsky, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Oct. 22) Razumovsky was the Russian ambassador to Vienna from 1783 to 1809; Beethoven dedicated his three String Quartets, Op. 59, to him, and (with Prince Lokowitz) his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies; 1880—English composer and conductor John Foulds, in Manchester; 1915—New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn, in Wanganui; 1929—American composer and conductor Harold Farberman, in New York; 1946—Italian conductor and composer Giuseppe Sinopoli, in Venice; Sinopoli died of a heart attack on April 20th, 2001, while conducting Verdi’s “Aida” at the German Opera in Berlin; Deaths: 1960—Greek conductor and composer Dimitri Mitropoulos, age 64, of a heart attack, while rehearsing Mahler's Symphony No. 3 with the La Scala Orchestra in Milan; Premieres: 1723 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 194 ("Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest") for the dedication of the Störmthal church and organ; Bach was in Störmthal to inspect the new organ; 1739 — Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in d, Op. 6, no. 10 (see Julian date: Oct. 22); 1873 — Brahms: "Variations on a Theme by Haydn," Felix Otto Dessoff conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; 1877 — Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor, in Paris, composer at piano; 1882 — Dvorák: String Quartet No. 11, in Berlin; 1928 — American premiere of Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1, by Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1945 — Menotti: Piano Concerto, by the Boston Symphony with Richard Burgin conducting with Rudolf Firkusny the soloist; 1959 — Henry Cowell: "Variations for Orchestra," by the Houston Symphony, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1978 — Druckman: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, soloist Sol Greiyzer, with James Levine conducting; 1990 — Lou Harrison: Symphony No. 4, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, by the Brooklyn Philharmonic (with tenor Damon Evan), Dennis Russell Davies conducting; Other: 1748—J.S. Bach writes a letter to his cousin, J.E. Bach of Schweinfurt, regarding a mishap concerning a cask of wine his cousin sent to Leipzig as a gift; 1900—French composer Vincent d'Indy reorganizes the Schola Cantorum of Paris as a music school; 1937—Artur Rodzinski conducts a "dress rehearsal" broadcast of the NBC Symphony, an orchestra formed specifically for Arturo Toscanini; Pierre Monteux led the first "official" broadcast on Nov. 13, 1937; Toscanini's debut concert with the NBC Symphony occurred on Christmas Day, 1937; Toscanini's final NBC Symphony broadcast, an all-Wagner program, occurred on April 4, 1954; 1979—Peter Shaffer's drama "Amadeus" premieres at the National Theatre in London, directed by Peter Hall, starring Simon Callow as Mozart and Paul Scofield as Salieri; The British composer Harrison Birtwistle acted as Music Director for this production.
Saturday, November 3
Show information not yet available.ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1587—Baptism of German composer and organist Samuel Scheidt, in Halle-on-Saale; 1801—Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini, in Catania, Sicily; 1911—Russian-American composer Vladimir Ussachevsky, in Hailar, Manchuria; Deaths: 1939—French composer and organist Charles Tournemire, age 69, in Arcachon, France; 1993—Russian inventor Lev Sergeivitch Termen (anglicized to Leon Theremin), age 97, in Moscow; He invented the "theremin," an electronic instrument whose sound was either used or imitated (by specially constructed and easier to play electronic instruments) in any number of film scores ("Spellbound," "The Day the Earth Stood Still", etc.) and even in the Beach Boys' song "Good Vibrations"; Premieres: 1726 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 49 ("Ich gehe und suche mit Verlangen")performed on the 20th Sunday after Trinity as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27); 1844 — Verdi: opera "I due Foscari" (The Two Foscari), in Rome at the Teatro Argentina; 1888 — Rimsky-Korsakov: “Scheherazade,” in St. Petersburg (see Julian date: Oct. 22); 1898 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera “The Tsar’s Bride,” at the Solodovnikov Theatre in Moscow, with Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov conducting (see Julian date: Oct. 22); 1900 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera “The Tale of Tsar Saltan,” at the Solodovnikov Theatre in Moscow, with Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov conducting (see Julian date: Oct. 21); 1927 — Hindemith: "Kammermusik" No. 5, Op. 46, no. 2, in Berlin at the Kroll Opera, with Otto Klemperer conducting and the composer the viola soloist; 1943 — Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8, at the Moscow Conservatory by the USSR State Symphony conducted by Yevgeny Mravinsky, for an invited audience of musicians, artists, critics, and journalists; The first public performance took place the following evening; 1945 — Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9, by the Leningrad Philharmonic, Yevgeny ravinsky conducting; 1946 — Prokofiev: opera "Betrothal in a Monastery" (or "The Duenna") in Leningrad; 1950 — David Diamond: Symphony No. 3, by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting; 1958 — Per Norgaard: "Constellations" for 12 solo strings, in Copenhagen; 2002 — Milton Babbitt: “From the Psalter,” David Lang: “how to pray,” and Shulamit Ran: “Supplications,” at Carnegie Hall in New York by soloists, the New York Virtuoso Singers and the American Composers Orchestra, Steven Sloane conducting; Other: 1783—Mozart completes his "Linz" Symphony (No. 36 in C, K. 425) the day before its first performance in that Austrian town.
Sunday, November 4
Show information not yet available.ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1841—Polish pianist and composer Carl Tausig, in Warsaw; Deaths: 1847 —German composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, age 38, in Leipzig; 1924—French composer Gabriel Fauré, age 79, in Paris; 1953—Music patroness and amateur composer Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, age 89, in Cambridge, Mass.; She organized concerts and music festivals in Washington, D.C., and her Foundation commissioned works from Bartók, Malipiero, Schoenberg, Copland, Hanson, Piston, and many others; The recital hall at the Library of Congress bears her name; 1957—French composer and writer, Marie Joseph Canteloube (de Malaret), age 78, in Grigny (Seine-et-Oise); Premieres: 1732 — Handel: opera “Catone” in London at the King’s Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Nov. 15); 1783 — Mozart: Symphony No. 36 ("Linz"), by the orchestra of Count Thun in Linz; 1863 — Berlioz: "Les Troyens à Carthage" (The Trojans at Carthage), Part 2 (Acts 3-5) of the opera "Les Troyens" (The Trojans), in Paris at the Théatre-Lyrqiue; The complete opera was not staged in France until 1920; 1876 — Brahms: Symphony No. 1, in Karlsruhe, Germany, with Felix Otto Dessoff conducting; 1883 — Chabrier: "Espana" in Paris, with Charles Lamoureux conducting; 1890 — Borodin: opera “Prince Igor” (completed and arranged posthumously by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov), at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg (see Julian date: Oct. 23); 1922 — Hindemith: String Quartet No. 3, in Donauschingen (Germany), by the Amar Quartet (with Hindemith as the violist); 1924 — R. Strauss: opera "Intermezzo," in Dresden at the State Theater, conducted by Fritz Busch, with vocal soloists Lotte Lehmann (Christine Storch) and Josef Correck (Robert Storch); 1932 — Cowell: “Polyphonica” for 12 instruments, at the New School Auditorium in New York City, by the Pan American Association orchestra, Nicholas Slonimsky conducting; On this same concert was the premiere performance of “Those Everlasting Blues,” by Jerome Moross, with contralto Paula Jean Lawrence as the soloist; 1932 — Revueltas: "Ventanas" for orchestra, in Mexico City; 1948 — Schoenberg: "A Survivor from Warsaw" for narrator, chorus and orchestra, by the Civic Symphony of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with Kurt Frederick conducting; 1957 — José Serebrier: Symphony No. 1, by the Houston Symphony, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1976 — Ned Rorem: “Women’s Voices,” at Alice Tully Hall in New York City, by mezzo Joyce Mathis and pianist Warren Wilson; 1993 — Bright Sheng: String Quartet No. 3, in Boulder, Colo., by the Takacs Quartet; 1993 — David Ward-Steinman: "Night Winds," for woodwind quintet, at the Festival of New American Music in Sacramento, Calif., by the Arioso Wind Quintet. |
