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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.  |
November 26-December 2, 2007
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Monday, November 26
A pre-premiere premiere by John Corigliano ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Corigliano (b.1938): selections from The Red Violin Joshua Bell, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond. Sony 63010 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On John Corigliano ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1932—Amnerican composer and teacher Alan Stout, in Baltimore; Deaths: 1959—British light-music composer Albert W. Ketèlbey, age 84, on the Isle of Wight; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 116 ("Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ") performed on the 25th Sunday after Trinity as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1887 — Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 4 (“Mozartiana”), on an all Tchaikovsky program in Moscow conducted by the composer (see Julian date: Nov. 14); 1937 — R. Schumann: Violin Concerto in d (composed 1853 for the great violinist Joseph Joachim, who never performed it in public), in Berlin, by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Karl Boehm, with Georg Kulenkampff as soloist; 1948 — Virgil Thomson: "Louisiana Story" Suite, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1954 — Lutoslawski: "Concerto for Orchestra," in Warsaw; 1993 — Stanislaw Skrowaczewski: Chamber Concerto ("Ritornelli poi Ritornelli") in St. Paul, Minn., by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, with the composer conducting; 1997 — Corigliano: "The Red Violin (Chaconne for Violin and Orchestra), by soloist Joshua Bell with the San Francisco Symphony, Robert Spano conducting; Other: 1760—Franz Joseph Haydn (age 28) marries Maria Anna Keller (age 31) in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna; Ms. Keller was the daughter of the wigmaker Johann Peter Keller, who is said variously to have assisted Haydn in his years of poverty or employed him as a music teacher.
Tuesday, November 27
Spacey music by Strauss and Ligeti ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Richard Strauss (1864-1949): Also Sprach Zarathustra Chicago Symphony; Fritz Reiner RCA/BMG 60833 & György Ligeti (b.1923): Atmospheres Hollywood Bowl Orchestra; John Mauceri, cond. Philips 446 403 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Richad Strauss On Ligeti ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1750—Bohemian composer Anton Stamitz, in Nemecky Brod (now Havlickuv Brod); 1759—Moravian composer Franz Krommer (Kramár), in Kamenice; 1860—Russian composer Viktor Ewald, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Nov. 15); 1867—French composer Charles Koechlin, in Paris; 1942—American rock guitarist and composer Jimi Hendrix, in Seattle, Wash.; Deaths: 1474—French composer Guillaume Dufay, in Cambrai, age ca. 74; 1955—Swiss-born French composer Arthur Honegger, age 63, in Paris; Premieres: 1743 — Handel: “Dettingen Te Deum and Anthem” in London at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace, to celebrate the safe return of George II to England, after a victory over the French in Bavaria (Gregorian date: Dec. 8); 1745 — Rameau: opera-ballet "Le temple de la gloire" (to a text by Voltaire, for the victory of Fontennoy), at Versailles; 1748 — Rameau: opera-ballet "Les surprises de l'Amour," at Versailles; 1836 — Glinka: opera “A Life for the Tsar,” in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Dec. 9); 1842 — Glinka: opera “Russlan and Ludmilla,” in St. Petesrburg (Gregorian date: Dec. 9); 1843 — Balfe: opera "The Bohemian Girl," in London; 1855 — Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B (first version, American premiere), at Dodworth’s “Saloon” (Hall) in New York, by violinist Theodore Thomas, cellist Carl Bergmann, and pianist William Mason; Mason claimed it was the world premiere of this work; The most recent Grove Dictionary, however, lists this Trio’s European premiere as occurring in Danzig on Oct. 13, 1855 – but does not indicate whether this was a private or public event; 1896 — R. Strauss: tone-poem "Thus spake Zarathustra," in Frankfurt, with the composer conducting; 1903 — Wolf-Ferrari: opera "Le donne curiose" (The Curious Woman), in Munich at the Residenztheater; 1913 — George Tempelton Strong, Jr.: orchestral suite "Die Nacht" (The Night), in Montreux, Switzerland, by the Orchestre du Kursaal, Ernest Ansermet conducting; 1928 — Stravinsky: ballet, "Le Baiser de la fée" (The Fairy's Kiss), at the Paris Opéra, by the Ida Rubinstein Company, with the composer conducting; 1972 — first successful concert performance of Korngold: Symphony, in Munich (posthumously), with Rudolf Kempe conducting; Harold Byrns had conducted the Vienna Symphony in a poorly rehearsed and performed Austrian radio premiere of this work on October 17, 1954.
Wednesday, November 28
Rachmaninoff and Hanson get romantic ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): Piano Concerto No. 3 in d, Op. 30 Martha Argerich, piano; Berlin Radio Symphony; Riccardo Chailly, cond. Philips 446 673 & Howard Hanson (1896-1981): Symphony No. 2, Op. 30 (Romantic) RCA Symphony; Charles Gerhardt, cond. Chesky 112 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Rachmaninoff On Hanson ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1784—Baptismal date of German composer and pianist Ferdinand Ries, in Bonn; 1829—Russian composer and pianist Anton Rubinstein, in Vikhvatinets, Podolia (see Julian date: Nov. 16); Deaths: 1972—British composer Havergal Brian, age 96, in Shoreham-by-Sea; He composed 32 symphonies between 1919-1968 (most remained unperformed during his lifetime); Premieres: 1723 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 61 ("Nun komm der Heiden Heiland" I) performed on the 1st Sunday in Advent as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1811 — Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Johann Philip Christian Schultz conducting, and Friedrich Schneider as the soloist; 1895 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera “Christmas Eve,” in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Dec. 10); 1896 — Mussorgsky: opera “Boris Godunov” (Rimsky-Korsakov version), in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Dec. 10); 1909 — Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3, in Carnegie Hall, composer at piano, Walter Damrosch conducting New York Symphony Society Orchestra; 1919 — Charles Tomlinson Griffes: "The Pleasure Dome of Kublai Khan," Pierre Monteux conducting Boston Symphony Orchestra; 1930 — Hanson: Symphony No. 2 ("Romantic"), by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1930 — Kodály: "Marosszék Dances," in Dresden; 1940 — Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 20, in Moscow; 1990 — Christopher Rouse: “Concerto per Corde” (Concerto for Strings), at Avery Fisher Hall in New York, by the American Symphony Orchestra, Catherine Comet conducting;
Thursday, November 29
New York City "firsts" by Rossini and Cole Porter ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868): selections from The Barber of Seville Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; Neville Marriner, cond. Philips 412 266 & Cole Porter (1891-1964): Gay Divorce Overture London Sinfonietta; John McGlinn, cond. EMI 68589 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Manuel Garcia (PDF) On Cole Porter ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1632 —Baptism of Italian-French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, in Florence, Italy; 1797—Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti, in Bergamo; 1915—American jazz pianist and composer Billy Strayhorn, in Dayton, Ohio; Deaths: 1643—Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi, age 76, in Venice; 1924—Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, age 65, in Brussels, Belgium; 1957—Austrian-born composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, age 60, in Los Angeles; Premieres: 1862 — Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 2 in A, Op. 26, at the old Gesellschaft for Musikfreunde Vereinsaal in Vienna, by the Hellmesberger Quartet, with the composer at the piano; 1879 — Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G, in Vienna; 1964 — Cowell: "26 Simultaneous Mosacis" for 5 players, at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, in Buffalo, N.Y., by an ensemble from the Music Department of the State University of New York, Buffalo, directed by Lukas Foss; 1983 — Messiaen: opera "St. Francis of Assisi," at the Paris Opéra, conducted by Seiji Ozawa; 1989 — Lukas Foss: “American Landscapes,” for guitar and orchestra, with guitarist Sharon Isbin and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the composer conducting; On the same program were the premiere performances of John Duffy: Symphony No. 1 (“Utah”) and Joan Tower: “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman” No. 2 (dedicated to Joan Briccetti, general manager of the St. Louis Symphony), with Peter Connelly conducting the Duiffy and Tower pieces; 1997 — Anthony Davis: opera "Amistad," by the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dennis Russell Davies conducting; Other: 1741—Handel arrives in Dublin for an extended stay (see Julian date: Nov. 18); 1919 —Leo Ornstein performs a recital of his own works in New York City.
Friday, November 30
Massenet (and Laurie Anderson) ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Jules Massenet (1842-1912): O souverain, o juge, o pere, from Le Cid Ben Heppner, tenor; Munich Radio Orchestra; Roberto Abbado, cond. RCA/BMG 62504 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Massenet On Laurie Anderson (her official website) A Laurie Anderson fan website ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1796—German composer Carl Loewe, near Halle; 1813—French composer and pianist Charles-Henri-Valentin Alkan (née Morhange), in Paris; 1861—Austrian composer Ludwig Thuille, in Bozen, the Tyrol; 1884—Swedish composer Ture Rangström, in Stockholm; 1895—Russian composer and pianist Sergei Liapunov (Lyapunov), in Yaroslavl (see Julian date: Nov. 18); Deaths: 1623—English composer Thomas Weelkes, age ca. 48, in London; 1954—German conductor and composer Wilhelm Furtwängler, age 68, near Baden-Baden; Premieres: 1877 — Tchaikovsky: “Variations on a Rococo Theme” for Cello and Orchestra, in Moscow, with Nicolai Rubinstein conducting, and Wilhelm Fitzenhagen as the soloist (see Julian date: Nov. 18); 1885 — Massenet: "Le Cid," in Paris; 1913 — Rachmaninov: choral symphonic poem, “The Bells,” in St. Petersburg, composer conducting (Gregorian date: Dec. 13); 1930 — Ibert: "Divertissement," in Paris; 1934 — Berg: "Five Symphonic Pieces" from "Lulu," at the State Opera, Berlin; 1945 — Martinu: Symphony No. 4, in Philadelphia; 1963 — Shulamit Ran: "Capriccio" for piano and orchestra, with the teenage composer as soloist, on a New York Philharmonic "Young People's Concert" conducted by Leonard Bernstein; In 1991, Ran would win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for her “Symphony” commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra; 1989 — John Harbison: "November 19, 1928" for piano quartet, in Atlanta, Ga., by the Atlanta Chamber Players; 2000 — Corigliano: Symphony No. 2, by the Boston Symphony, Seiji Ozawa conducting; This symphony is a reworking of Corigliano’s String Quartet of 1995, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2001; 2001 — Philip Glass: "Dancissimo" for violin and orchestra, with Robert McDuffie and the Milwaukee Symphony conducted by Andrea Delfs; 2001 — Tobias Picker: opera “Thérèse Raquin,” by the Dallas Opera; Other: 1903—The old Brooklyn Academy of Music facility (at 176-194 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights) burns to the ground (See Nov. 14, 1908 for gala reopening).
Saturday, December 1
"Four Weddings and a Funeral" by Clarke and Wagner? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Jeremiah Clarke (ca. 1674-1707): Trumpet Voluntary (Prince of Denmark March) Maurice André, trumpet; Jane Parker-Smith, organ EMI 64899 ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1709—German composer Franz Xaver Richter, probably in Holleschau, Moravia; 1823—French opera composer Ernest (Louise-Etienne-Ernest) Reyer, in Marseilles; An ardent admirer of Wagner, Ernest Reyer added a Germanic "-er" to his real last name "Rey"; His most famous opera is "Sigurd"(1884), a retelling of the Siegfried story familiar from Wagner's "Ring" cycle, but set in the style of a French grand opera; 1847—Norwegian composer and pianist Agathe Backer-Grondahl, in Holmestrand; Deaths: 1707—British composer and organist Jeremiah Clarke, age c. 33, commits suicide in London, supposedly after an unhappy love affair; This date is according to the Julian "Old Style" calendar still in use in England that year (Gregorian date: Dec. 12); 1950—Anglo-Irish composer Ernest John Moeran, age 55, near Kenmare, Ireland; Premieres: 1832 — Mendelssohn: Overture, "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage," in Berlin; 1902 — Nielsen: Symphony No. 2 ("The Four Temperaments") in Copenhagen; 1924 — Gershwin: musical "Lady, Be Good," at the Liberty Theater in New York City; This show featured Fred and Adele Astaire and included the classic Gershwin songs "Fascinating Rhythm," "Oh, Lady Be Good," and "The Half of It, Dearie, Blues"; 1934 — Ravel: "Don Quichotte à Dulcinée," his last work, in Paris at a Colonne Concert; 1935 — Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2, by the Madrid Symphony, with the Spanish conductor Enrique Fernández Arbós and the French violinist Robert Soëtens; 1937 — Vaughan Williams: one-act opera "Riders to the Sea," in London; 1944 — Bartók: "Concerto for Orchestra," by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; Bartók composed a revised and more dramatic ending for this work this work soon after the Boston premiere (The original ending heard at the premiere was judged too perfunctory and abrupt); 1944 — Gruenberg: Violin Concerto, Op. 47, by violinist Jascha Heifetz, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1951 — Britten: opera, "Billy Budd" (libretto by E.M. Forester, after Hermann Melville), in London, at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, with the composer conducting; 1956 — Bernstein: musical "Candide" (original version) at Martin Beck Theater in New York City; A trial run opened at the Colonial Theater in Boston on October 29, 1956; Bernstein revised the work in 1973 (Chelsea Theater version), 1982 (New York City Opera version), 1988 ("opera house" version), and 1989 ("concert version" with narrator); 1957 — Stravinsky: ballet "Agon," at the New York City Ballet, choreographed by Georges Balanchine; The first concert performance of Stravinsky's ballet score occurred on June 17, 1957, at a 75th birthday concert for Stravinsky in Los Angeles conducted by Robert Craft; 1977 — Lukas Foss: "American Cantata," in New York City; Other: 1736—J.S. Bach gives an organ recital at the Frauenkirche in Dresden; 1822—The 11 year-old pianist Franz Liszt performs for the first time in Vienna at that city's town hall; His first public appearance ever had occurred in October of 1820, in Oedenberg, when he was 9 years old; 1859—The French Opera House opens in New Orleans with Rossini's "William Tell"; 1886—Wagner's opera "Tristan und Isolde" receives its American premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, with Wagner's protégé, Anton Seidl, conducting;
Sunday, December 2
Bartok in Minneapolis ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Béla Bartók (1881-1945): Viola Concerto (completed by Tibor Serly) Hong-Mei Xiao, viola; Budapest Philharmonic; Janos Kovacs, cond. Naxos 8.554183 ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1866—American baritone and composer Henry Thacker Burleigh, in Stamford, Conn.; 1879 —Bohemian-born American operetta composer Rudolf Friml, in Prague; Deaths: 1916—Sir Francesco Paolo Tosti, age 70, in Rome; 1931—French composer Vincent d'Indy, age 80, in Paris; 1990—American composer Aaron Copland, age 90, in North Tarrytown, N.Y.; Premieres: 1729 — Handel: opera "Lotario," in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Dec. 13); 1840 — Donizetti: opera "La Favorite," at the Paris Opéra; 1883 — Brahms: Symphony No. 3, with Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Hans Richter; The composer and pianist Ignaz Brüll had performed a two-piano arrangement of this symphony the previous month at two private events for friends (including possibly the Viennese music critic, Eduard Hanslick); 1886 — Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A, Op. 100, in Vienna; 1877 — Saint-Saëns: opera "Samson et Dalila" (in German), in Weimar at the Hoftheater; 1900 — Rachmaninoff: second and third movements only of Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 18 (Gregorian date: Dec. 15); 1901 — Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata, Op. 19, in Moscow, by cellist Anatoly Brandukov, with the composer at the piano (Gregorian date: Dec. 15); 1924 — Sigmund Romberg: "The Student Prince," in New York City; 1928 — Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 3, in Vienna; 1928 — Schoenberg: "Variations for Orchestra," in Berlin; 1946 — Milhaud: Symphony No. 2, by the Boston Symphony with the composer conducting; 1949 — Bartók: Viola Concerto (completed by Tibor Serly), posthumously, by violist William Primrose and the Minneapolis Symphony, Antal Dorati conducting; 1949 — premiere of MGM film “On the Town,” based on the 1944 musical by Leonard Bernstein; 1949 — Messiaen: first complete performance of "Turangalila" Symphony, by Boston Symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein; Three of the ten movements of this symphony were premiered in Paris on February 15, 1948); 1955 — Petrassi: Concerto for Orchestra No. 5, by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting; 1955 — Ernst Toch: Symphony No. 3, by the Pittsburgh Symphony, William Steinberg conducting; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1956; 1970 — Tippett: opera "The Knot Garden," in London at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; 1988 — John Harbison: "Fantasy Duo" for violin and piano, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., with violinist David Abel and pianist Julie Steinberg; 1998 — Zwilich: String Quartet No. 2, at Carnegie Hall in New York by the Emerson Quartet; 1999 — James MacMillan: Symphony No. 2, at Ayr Town Hall in Scotland, by the Scottish Chamber Symphony, with the composer conducting; Other: 1717—J.S. Bach is allowed to leave the Duke’s Court at Weimar; He had been imprisoned since Nov. 6 th by his former employer Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Weimar for accepting a new post at Prince Leopold’s court at Cöthen without first asking permission. |
