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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.  |
August 6-12, 2007
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Monday, August 6
An opera debut for Britten and Bernstein ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Sunday Morning and Storm, fr Peter Grimes New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, cond Sony Classical 47541 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Britten On Bernstein ALSO ON THIS DATE: Deaths: 1904—Austrian music critic and university professor Eduard Hanslick, champion of Brahms and enemy of Wagner, dies in Vienna, aged 78 1970—German-born American composer Ingolf Dahl, age 68, in Frutigen, Switzerland; Premieres: 1946 — American premiere of Britten: opera "Peter Grimes," at Berkshire Music Center (Tangelwood), with Leonard Bernstein conducting; 1947 — Villa-Lobos: "Bachianas Brasileiras" No. 8, in Rome, conducted by the composer; 1947 — Von Einem: opera "Dantons Tod" (The Death of Danton) at the Salzburg, Festival in Austria,with Ferenc Fricsay conducting; 1966 — Henze: "Die Bassariden" (after Euripides' play "The Bacchae") at the Salzburg Festival in Austria; 1967 — Piston: Clarinet Concerto, during the Fifth Congregation of the Arts at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire; 1988 — Ned Rorem: “Bright Music” for flute, two violins, cello and piano, at Presbyterian Church, Bridgehampton (New York), by the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Associates; 2000 — Joan Tower: "Big Sky" for piano trio, in LaJolla, Calif., at a SummerFest concert featuring Chee-Yun (violin), David Finckel (cello) and Wu Han (piano); Other: 1826—At his parent's mansion outside Berlin, the 17-year-old German composer Felix Mendelssohn completes his overture to Shakespeare's comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream" after reading the play the previous month; The first private performance (in a two-piano version) was given at the family mansion by Felix and his sister Fanny on November 19, 1826; The first public performance (in its orchestral version) was given in Stettlin on February 20, 1827, conducted by Carl Loewe; Mendelssohn returned to the play nearly two decades later after he had become court composer to the King of Prussia, creating a whole score of incidental music besides the overture, and himself conducted the concert premiere of the expanded incidental music in Berlin on November 14, 1842 in Berlin; The complete incidental music integrated into a staging of Shakespeare's play was performed at the Neue Palais at Potsdam on October 14, 1843.
Tuesday, August 7
Mendelssohn gets wet and wild ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847): The Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave) Overture BBC Symphony; Sir Colin Davis, cond Philips 426 978 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Mendelssohn ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1818—English-born French composer, pianist and music publisher Charles Henry Litolff, in London; 1868—British composer Sir Granville Bantock, in London; 1896—Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, in Havana; He composed a number of popular Latin pop melodies, including his famous "Malagueña"; 1921—Czech-born, American composer and conductor Karel Husa, in Prague; He became an American citizen in 1959; In 1969 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his String Quartet No. 3; 1925—Spanish-born American composer Julián Orbón, in Aviles; Deaths: 1893—Italian opera composer Alfred Caatalani, age 39, in Milan; 1913—Czech composer and cellist David Popper, age 69, in Baden (near Vienna); 1970—German-born American composer Ingolf Dahl, age 58, in Bernem Switzerland; Premieres: 1912 — Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1, in Moscow, with the composer (age 21) as soloist (Julian date: July 26); 1977 — Hanson: Symphony No. 7 ("A Sea Symphony") at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan; 1981 — Cerha: opera "Baal," at the Salzburg Festival in Austria; 1981 — John Harbison: Piano Quintet, at the Sante Fe Chamber Music Festival in New Mexico, with Edward Auer (piano), Ani Kavafian (violin), Walter Trampler (viola), Timothy Eddy (cello); 1991 — David Del Tredici: "An Alice Symphony" (first complete performance), during the Tanglewood Music Festival in Lenox, Mass.; 2001 — Augusta Read Thomas: "Murmurs in the Mist of Memory," at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, by the International Sejong Soloists; Other: 1829—Mendelssohn visits Fingal's Cave in the Hebrides Islands west of Scotland coast and starts composing the 'Hebrides' Overture.
Wednesday, August 8
Chaminade in America ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Cecile Chaminade (1857-1944): L'Ondine, Op. 101 & Scherzo in C, fr Op. 35 Peter Jacobs, p Hyperion 66584 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Chaminade ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1857—French composer Cécile Chaminade, in Paris; 1905—French composer André Jolivet, in Paris; 1938 —Canadian composer Jacques Hétu, in Trois Rivières, Quebec; Deaths: 1950—Russian composer Nikolai Miaskovsky, age 69, in Moscow; 1967—Czech-born composer Jaromir Weinberger, age 71, commits suicide at his home in St. Peterburg, Florida (where he settled in 1939); Weinberger had composed one very popular work, his 1927 opera "Schwanda, the Bagpiper," but was reportedly despondent that he was unable to produce any other equally successful works; Premieres: 1882 — Tchaikovsky: "1812 Overture," in Moscow (Gregorian date: Aug. 20); 1942 — Poulenc: ballet "Les Animaux modèles" (The Model Animals), at the Paris Opéra; 1943 — Piston: “Prelude and Allegro” for organ and strings, on a CBS radio broadcast by organist E. Power Biggs with Arthur Fiedler conducting; 1976 — David Del Tredici: first version of “An Alice Symphony” (after Lewis Carroll) in San Francisco; See also Aug. 7, 1991; 1984 — Berio: opera "Un re in ascolto" (A King Listens), at the Salzburg Festival in Austria;
Thursday, August 9
Grainger and Shostakovich go public ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Percy Grainger (1882-1961): To A Nordic Princess Danish National Radio Orchestra; Richard Hickox, cond. Chandos 9721 & Dmitri Shostakovich(1906-1975): Symphony No. 7 (Leningrad) London Philharmonic; Bernard Haitink, cond. London 417 392 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Grainger On Shostakovich ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1781—Austrian composer, violinist, and conductor Michael Umlauff, in Vienna; He conducted the orchestra, chorus, and soloists assembled for the premiere performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at Vienna's Kärtnertor Theater on May 7, 1824; After the totally deaf Beethoven set the initial tempos for each movement, the performers were instructed to ignore Beethoven if he continued to beat time, and to follow Umlauf; 1874—Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor and music critic Reynaldo Hahn, in Caracas; 1875—English light music composer Albert William Ketèlbey, in Aston; Deaths: 1919—Italian composer Ruggero Leoncavallo, age 62, in Montecatini; 1975—Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich, age 68, in Moscow; 1988—Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi, age 83, in Rome; Premieres: 1862 — Berlioz: opera "Beatrice and Benedick," in Baden-Baden at the Neues Theater, with the composer conducting; The libretto (by Berlioz himself) is based on Shakespeare's comedy "Much Ado About Nothing"; 1949 — Orff: opera "Antigone," in Salzburg at the Felsenreitschile; 1972 — London premiere of Andrew Lloyd-Webber: musical "Jesus Christ Superstar"; 1978 — Dave Brubeck: oratorio “Beloved Son,” at the American Lutheran Women’s Convention in Minneapolis, Minn., with Richard Sieber conducting; 1979 — Hanson: ballet "Nymph and Satyr" in Chautauqua, Tennessee; 1988 — Peter Maxwell Davies: Symphony No. 5, during a BBC Proms Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, by the Philharmonia Orchestra, with the composer conducting; Other: 1703—J.S. Bach appointed organist at Neuekirche, Arnstadt (see also: August 4 and 14) 1928—Austrian-born American composer Percy Grainger marries Swedish poet and painter Ella Viola Strom at the Hollywood Bowl in front of an audience of 22,000 concert-goers; Grainger conducted the LA Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of his "To a Nordic Princess," dedicated to his bride.
Friday, August 10
Two by Mozart ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791): Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Sir Neville Marriner, cond. EMI Classics 65690 & Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791): Symphony No. 41 in C (Jupiter) Marlboro Festival Orchestra; Pablo Casals, cond. CBS/Sony 47294 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Mozart ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1813—American composer and journalist, William Henry Fry, in Philadelphia; Some earlier sources list August 19 as Fry's birth date; 1865—Russian composer Alexander Glazunov, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: July 29); 1893—American opera composer Douglas Moore, in Cutchogue (Long Island), N.Y.; 1932—German-born English composer Alexander Goehr, in Berlin; 1935—Georgian composer Giya Kancheli, in Tbilisi, former USSR; Deaths: 1806—Austrian composer Michael Haydn (younger brother of Franz Joseph), in Salzburg, age 68; 1970—German composer Bernd Alois Zimmermann, age 52, commits suicide in Königsdorf, leaving behind his posthumous "Requiem"; 1997—American composer Conlon Nancarrow, age 84, in Mexico City; Premieres: 1949 — Milhaud: Octet for Strings, at Mills College in California, by the combined Budapest and Paganini Quartets; 1965 — Wm. Schuman: "Philharmonic Fanfare," by the New York Philharmonic conducted by William Steinberg, at the orchestra's first outdoor concert in New York's Central Park; 1968 — Grofé: "Virginia City: Requiem for a Ghost Town," in Virginia City, Nevada; 1981 — John Tavener: "Akhmatova: Requiem," at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland; 1992 — James MacMillan: "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel" (Percussion Concerto), at Royal Albert Hall in London, with soloist Evelyn Glennie and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Sarsate conducting; 2001 — Per Norgard: String Quartet No. 9 ("Into the Source"), at the Sante Fe Chamber Music Festival, by the Orion String Quartet; Other: 1778—Mozart finishes his "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik'" Serenade (K. 525) in Vienna; 1788—Mozart finishes his "Jupiter" Symphony in C Major (No. 41, K. 551) in Vienna; 1825—Mendelssohn, age 16, finishes his opera "Camacho's Wedding"; 1895—The late-summer "Promenade" Concerts"(better known as "The Proms") are launched in London by Sir Henry Wood and Robert Newman.
Saturday, August 11
Bernstein in Hollywood ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Leonard Bernstein(1918-1990): On the Waterfront Suite Israel Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, cond. DG 415 253 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Bernstein ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1900—Soviet composer Alexander Mossolov, in Kiev (Julian date: July 29); 1929—Welsh composer Alun Hoddinott, in Bargoed (Wales); Deaths: 1949—Austrian composer Karl Weigl, age 68, in New York City; Premieres: 1943 — R. Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 2, at the Salzburg Festival by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Karl Böhm, with Gottfried von Freiburg, the principal horn of the orchestra, as soloist; 1955 — Bernstein: "On the Waterfront" Symphonic Suite, at Tanglewood by the Boston Symphony conducted by the composer; 1955 — Avery Claflin: madrigal "A Lament for April 15" (to an IRS text describing how to file an income tax return), at the Berkshire Center in Tanglewood, Mass.; 1957 — Hindemith: opera, "The Harmony of the World," in Munich, with the composer conducting; 1968 — Milhaud: "Music for New Orleans" at the Aspen Festival in Colorado; This work was commissioned originally to celebrate the 250th anniversary of New Orleans in 1966, but was rejected by the anniversary committee as unfit for the occasion; 1984 — Rachmaninoff: opera "Monna Vanna" (Act 1 only, orchestrated by Buketoff), posthumously, as a concert performance in Saratoga, N.Y.; Rachmaninoff left this work unfinished in 1907; 1985 — Han Werner Henze realization of Monteverdi's opera "Il ritorno d'Ulisse" (The Return of Ulysses) at the Salzburg Festival; 2003 — Judith Weir: "The Voice of Desire" for voice and piano, at an afternoon BBC Proms concert at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, with mezzo-soprano Alice Coote and pianist Julius Drake; 2003 — O'Connor: Violin Concerto No. 6 ("Old Brass"), at an evening BBC Proms concert at Royal Albert Hall in London, with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields conducted by Kenneth Sillito and the composer as soloist; Other: 1922—Founding of the International Society for Contemporary Music in after a Festival of Contemporary Music in Salzburg, Austria (with the Society's central office to be located in London).
Sunday, August 12
Del Tredici in Wonderland ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: David Del Tredici (b. 1937): Acrostic Song Carol Wincenc, flute; David Del Tredici, p. Nonesuch 79114 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Del Tredici ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1644—Bohemian composer Heinrich Ignaz Franz Von Biber, in Wartenburg (now Straz pod Ralskem) near Reichenberg (now Liberec); Deaths: 1612—Italian composer Giovanni Gabrieli, age c. 55 (his exact birthdate is uncertain), in Venice; 1928—Czech composer Leos Janácek, age 74, in Ostrava; 1992—American composer John Cage, age 79, in New York; Premieres: 1845 — Verdi: opera "Alzira," in Naples at the Teatro San Carlo; 1964 — David Del Tredici: "I Hear an Army" for soprano and string quartet (based on a poem by James Joyce) at Tangelwood Festival in Massachusetts; 1964 — Panufnik: "Sinfonia Sacra," in Monaco, as the prize-winning work in an international competition sponsored by Prince Rainer III 1984 — Berio: opera "Un Re in ascolto" (A King Listening), at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Lorin Maazel 2001 — Esa-Pekka Salonen: "Foreign Bodies," at the Schlewswig-Holstein Festival in Germany, with the Finnish Radio Symphony conducted by Esa-Pekka Saraste; Other: 1845—A statute of Beethoven is unveiled in Bonn, Germany, the composer's birthplace; Ludwig Spohr conducts a performance of Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" at the Bonn cathedral; Liszt had been instrumental in raising funds for the statue, and was present, as was Hector Berlioz, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Great Britain, and the King and Queen of Prussia; 1877—Frequently listed (and almost certainly incorrect) date on which the American inventor Thomas Alva Edison recorded his own voice reciting, “Mary had a little lamb” on a tin-foil cylinder phonograph of his own design; Edison filed the patent for his new invention on December 24, and it was granted on February 19, 1878; In London in April of 1888, Edison’s phonograph would record excerpts from a live Crystal Palace performance of Handel’s oratorio, “Israel in Egypt”; On December 2, 1889, Theo Wangemann, a representative of Thomas Edison recorded Johannes Brahms playing the piano in Vienna. The latest research suggests the voice introducing this famous recording is probably that of Wangemann, not Brahms himself, as was earlier thought; 1922—First live broadcast concert of the New York Philharmonic over New York radio station WJZ; The concert was broadcast from Lewisohn Stadium during the orchestra's summer series, and included music by Dvorák, Saint-Saens, Mendelssohn, Rimksy-Korsakov, Brahms, and Gluck. The conductor was Willem van Hoogstraten, the orchestra's regular summer-event director; On October 5, 1930, the New York Philharmonic began its regular weekly series of Sunday afternoon national broadcasts over the Columbia radio network |
