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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.  |
January 14-20, 2008
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Monday, January 14
Harp concertos by Villa-Lobos and Rautavaara ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Harp Concerto Catherine Michel, harp; Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra; Antonio de Almeida, cond. Philips 462 179 & Einojuhani Rautavaraa (b. 1928): Harp Concerto Marielle Nordmann, harp; Helsinki Philharmonic; Leif Segerstam, cond. Ondine 978 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Villa-Lobos On Rautavaara More on Rautavaara ALSO ON THIS DATE: Deaths: 1676—Italian opera composer Pier Francesco Cavalli, age 73, in Venice; 1949—Spanish composer and pianist Joaquin Turina, age 66, in Madrid; 1984—German-born Israeli composer Paul Ben-Haim (originally Frankenburger), age 86, in Tel Aviv; Premieres: 1725 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 3 ("Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid" I) performed on the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25); 1738 — Handel: opera "Faramondo" (Julian date: Jan. 3); 1900 — Puccini: "Tosca," in Rome at the Teatro Constanzi; 1914 — Stravinsky: "Three Japanese Lyrics," in Paris at the Salle Erard; 1932 — Ravel: Piano Concerto in G, at the Salle Pleyel in Paris by the Lamoureux Orchestra conducted by the composer, with Marguerite Long as soloist; 1934 — Gershwin: "I Got Rhythm" Variations for piano and orchestra, at Boston's Symphony Hall by the Leo Reisman Orchestra conducted by Charles Previn, with the composer as soloist; 1955 — Villa-Lobos: Harp Concerto (with soloist Nicanor Zabaleta) & Sinfonia No. 8, with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the composer conducting; 1960 — Creston: Violin Concerto No. 1, in Detroit; 1964 — Quincy Porter: Symphony No. 2, in Louisville, Kentucky; 1965 — Dutilleux: "Cinq métaboles," in Cleveland; 1994 — Michael Torke: Piano Concerto (with the composer as soloist) and Saxophone Concerto (with John Harle as soloist), at the Troy (N.Y.) Music Hall, with the Albany Symphony; 1998 — Michael Torke: "Brick Symphony" for orchestra, by the San Francisco Symphony, Alasdair Neale conducting.
Tuesday, January 15
A Messiaen premiere in a German prisoner of war camp ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): Quartet for the End of Time Tashi RCA/BMG 7835 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Olivier Messiaen ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1893—English composer Ivor Novello (David Ivor Davies), in Cardiff; 1909—American composer Elie Siegmeister, in New York; 1960—American composer Aaron Jay Kernis, in Philadelphia; Deaths: 1775—Italian composer Giovanni Battista Sammartini, age c. 74, in Milan; Premieres: 1732 — Handel: opera "Ezio" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Jan. 26); 1890 — Tchaikovsky: ballet, "Sleeping Beauty," at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan. 3); 1923 — Pierné: "Cydalise et le chèvre-pied," at the Paris Opéra; 1924 — Prokofiev: "Chout" Symphonic Suite, Op. 21a, in Brussels, conducted by F. Ruhlmann; 1941 — Messiaen: "Quartet for the End of Time," at Stalag VIII-A, a German prisoner of war camp in Görlitz (Silesia), with the composer at the piano and fellow-prisoners Jean Le Boulaure (violin), Henri Akoka (clarinet) and Etienne Pasquier (cello); 1947 — Korngold: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35, by the St. Louis Symphony conducted by Vladimir Golschmann, with Jascha Heifetz the soloist; 1958 — Barber: opera "Vanessa" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Dimtri Mitropoulos conducting; 1976 — Paul Chihara: "Missa Carminum" for a capella chorus, in Los Angeles; 1994 — Zwilich: "Fantasy" for orchestra, by the Long Beach Symphony, JoAnn Falletta conducting; 1998 — Danielpour: "Elegies," in Jacksonville, Fla., by mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and baritone Thomas Hampson, with the Jacksonville Symphony conducted by Roger Nierenberg; 1998 — Christopher Rouse: "Der gerettete Alberich" (Alberich Redeemed) for percussion and orchestra, by the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Christoph von Dohnanyi, with Evelyn Glennie the percussion soloist; Other: 1785—Likely date of the premiere performances of three of Mozart's "Haydn" Quartets (K. 387, 421, and 428), at Mozart's apartment in Vienna, with Haydn present and possibly with Mozart playing the viola.
Wednesday, January 16
The birth of "Les Six" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983): Violin Sonata No. 1 Renate Eggebrecht, violin; Angela Gassenhuber, piano Troubadisc 1406 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More on “Les Six” ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1728—Italian opera composer Niccoló Piccinni, in Bari; 1905—Spanish composer Ernesto Halffter, in Madrid; 1934—American composer Richard Wernick, in Boston, Massachusetts; 1943—English composer Gavin Bryars, in Goole, Yorkshire; 1943—English composer Brian Ferneyhough, in Coventry; Deaths: 1886—Italian opera composer Amilcare Ponchielli, age 51, in Milan; 1891—French ballet composer Leo Delibes, age 54, in Paris; 1957—Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, age 89, in New York; 1969—Russian-born American composer and songwriter Vernon Duke (Vladimir Dukelsky), age 65, in Santa Monica, Calif,; Premieres: 1724 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 155 ("Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange") performed on the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1739 — Handel: oratorio, "Saul," in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Jan. 27); 1745 — Handel: musical drama "Hercules" (Julian date: Jan. 5); 1800 — Cherubini: opera "Les deux journées," in Paris at the Théatre Feydeau; 1869 — Borodin: Symphony No. 1, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan. 4); 1876 — Tchaikovsky: "Serenade mélancolique,"in Moscow (Gregorian date: Jan. 28); 1905 — d'Albert: opera "Tiefland" (The Lowlands) (2nd version), in Magdeburg at the Stadttheater; 1916 — Prokofiev: "Scythian" Suite (Gregorian date: Jan. 29); 1933 — Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 11, in Moscow; 1936 — Frank Bridge: "Ovation (Concerto elegiaco)" for Cello and Orchestra, in London, by the BBC Symphony conducted by the composer, with Florence Hooton the soloist; 1942 — Britten: "Diversions on a Theme" for Piano Left Hand, by pianist Paul Wittgenstein, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1969 — Babbitt: "Relata II," by the New York Philharmonic, with Leonard Bernstein conducting; 1983 — Daniel Asia: "Why (?) Jacob" for piano, by Sanford Margolis; 1997 — Esa-Pekka Salonen: "L.A. Variations" for orchestra, by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with the composer conducting.
Thursday, January 17
Einstein and Glass on stage ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Philip Glass (b. 1937): Cadenza and Dance 2, from Einstein on the Beach Philip Glass Ensemble; Michael Riesman, cond. Nonesuch 79323 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Albert Einstein On Philip Glass ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1706—American statesman, composer of string quartets, publisher and inventor of the glass harmonica Benjamin Franklin, in Boston (Gregorian date: Jan. 28); 1712—English composer John Stanley (Gregorian date: Jan. 28); 1734—Belgian composer François-Joseph Gossec, in Vergnies; 1907—Dutch composer Henk Badings, in Bandung, Java; 1927—American composer Donald Erb, in Youngstown, Ohio; 1934—Canadian-born American composer, conductor and clarinetist Sydney Hodkinson, in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Deaths: 1738—French composer and organist Jean François Dandrieu, age c. 56, in Paris; 1750—Italian composer Tomaso Albinoni, age 78, in Venice; 1826—Spanish composer Juan Crisostomo Arriaga, age 19, in Paris; 1869—Russian composer Alexander Dargomizhsky, age 55, in St. Peterburg (Julian date: Jan. 5); 1969—Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz, age 55, in Warsaw; Premieres: 1880 — Franck: Piano Quintet in f, in Paris, by the Marsick Quartet, with Camille Saints-Saëns at the piano; 1901 — Mascagni: opera "Le Maschere" (The Masks), simultaneously in 6 cities; 1944 — Copland: Violin Sonata, at Times Hall in New York, by violinist Ruth Posselt with the composer at the piano; 1991 — Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Oboe Concerto, by soloist John Mack, with the Cleveland Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnanyi conducting; Other: 1745—Handel publishes a letter in the London ":Daily Advertiser" offering to return three-fourths money to the subscribers to his current series of concerts, then in progress, suggesting that his attempts to please the public have proved ineffectual; The letter prompts a flurry of support, and Handel resumes the concerts a week later; In all, 16 out of the promised 24 concerts would take place; The series closed on April 23, 1745, with a revival performance of ":Messiah." (Gregorian dates: Jan. 28 and May 4, respectively); 1919—Polish composer and pianist Ignaz Jan Paderewski becomes premiere of Poland.
Friday, January 18
The Harris Ninth ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony No. 9 Vienna Philharmonic; Sir Simon Rattle, cond. EMI 56850 & Roy Harris (1898-1979): Symphony No. 9 Albany Symphony; David Alan Miller, cond. Albany 350 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Roy Harris ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1835 —Russian composer César Cui, in Vilnius, Lithuania (Julian date: Jan.6); 1841—French composer Emmanuel Chabrier, in Ambert, Puy-de-Dôme; 1903—German-born English composer and conductor Berthold Goldschmidt, in Hamburg; Premieres: 1908 — Delius: "Brigg Fair" in Liverpool; 1930 — Shostakovich: opera "The Nose" (after Nikolai Gogol), in Leningrad at the Maliiy Opera Theater; 1942 — Ibert: "Ouverture de fête" in Paris; 1947 — Elie Siegmeister: "Prairie Legend," by the New York Philharmonic, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1963 — Harris: Symphony No. 9 ("1963"), by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1968 — Richard Rodney Bennett: Symphony No. 2 in New York City; 1991 — David Ott: Symphony No. 2, by the Grand Rapids ( Michigan) Symphony, Catherine Comet conducting; Other: 1958—"What Does Music Mean?", broadcast, the first of a series of televised New York Philharmonic "Young People's Concerts" on CBS-TV hosted by Leonard Bernstein; The series continued until 1972, with 53 different programs hosted by Bernstein; 1962—White House dinner party in honor of Igor Stravinsky hosted by President and Mrs. Kennedy.
Saturday, January 19
Jorja (Fleezanis) and John (Adams) make a concerto ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: John Adams (b.1947): Violin Concerto Robert McDuffie, violin; Houston Symphony; Christoph Eschenbach, cond. Telarc 80494 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On John Adams ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1903—German composer Boris Blacher, in Niu-chang, China; 1936—American composer Elliott Schwartz, in Brooklyn; Deaths: 1576—German "mastersinger" Hans Sachs, age 81, in Nuremberg; Premieres: 1674 — Lully: opera "Alceste," in Paris at the Palais Royal Opéra; 1735 — Handel: opera "Ariodante" (Julian date: Jan. 8); 1787 — Mozart: Symphony No. 38 ("Prague"), conducted by the composer, in Prague; 1853 — Verdi: opera, "Il trovatore," (The Troubador), in Rome the Teatro Apollo; 1873 — Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1, in Paris; 1884 — Massenet: opera, "Manon," at the Opéra-Comique, Paris; 1895 — Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 3 (1st movement only), posthumously, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan.7); 1898 — Glazunov: ballet "Raymonda," in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan. 7); 1924 — Auric: ballet "Les Fâcheux," by the Diaghilev company in Monte Carlo; 1948 — Douglas Moore: "Farm Journal" for chamber orchestra, in New York City; 1953 — Bernstein: musical "Wonderful Town," as a trial run in New Haven at the Schubert Theater, choreographed by Donald Saddler, directed by George Abbott, conducted by Lehman Engel; The show opened in New York City at the Winter Garden on February 26, 1953; 1961 — Bernstein: "Fanfare," at the Inaugural Gala for President John F. Kennedy, in Washington, D.C.; 1969 — Ligeti: "Ten Pieces" for woodwind quintet, in Malmö, Sweden; 1970 — Shulamit Ran: "O, the Chimneys," in New York City; 1986 — Babbitt: Piano Concerto, in New York; 1990 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Strathclyde Concerto" No. 3 for horn, trumpet and orchestra, at Glasgow's City Hall, by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer, with soloists Robert Cook and Peter Franks; 1994 — John Adams: Violin Concerto, with Minnesota Orchestra, Edo de Waart conducting and Jorja Fleezanis the soloist; 1996 — David Ward-Steinman: "Prisms and Reflections," for piano (and piano interior), by David Burge, at the Music Teachers National Association meeting in San Diego; Other: 1973—Leonard Bernstein leads a performance of Haydn's "Mass in Time of War" at a "Concert for Peace" at Washington DC's National Cathedral, with members of National Symphony, in protest against President Nixon, on the eve of Nixon's second term in office; The concert was timed to coincide with Nixon's official inaugural concert, which concluded with Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture"; 1977—Leonard Bernstein conducts his song "Take Care of This House" at Inaugural Concert for President Jimmy Carter at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. with Frederica von Stade as vocal soloist with the National Symphony.
Sunday, January 20
Ives and Adamo meet The Alcotts ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Charles Ives (1874-1954) : The Alcotts, from Piano Sonata No. 2 (Concord) Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano New World 378 & Mark Adamo (b. 1962): Act 2 Introduction, from Little Women soloists; Houston Grand Opera Orchestra; Patrick Summers, cond. Ondine 988 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More on Ives… …and on Adamo PBS “Little Women” website ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1586—German composer Johann Hermann Schein, in Grünhain; 1855—French composer Ernest Chausson, in Paris; 1869—Russian composer and violinist Julius Conus, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Feb. 1); 1894—American composer Walter Piston, in Rockland, Maine; Deaths: 1952—American composer and music educator Arthur Farwell, age 79, in New York; Premieres: 1649 — Cesti: opera "Orontea," in Venice; 1726 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 13 ("Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen") performed on the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27); 1856 — Brahms: Two Sarabandes (in a & b) and Gavotte in A (arranged from Gluck's "Paris ed Elena"), for piano, in Vienna; 1880 — Brahms: Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79, for piano, in Krefeld; 1892 — Catalani: opera "La Wally," in Milan; 1933 — Gershwin: musical "Pardon My English," at the Majestic Theater in New York City; This show included the classic Gershwin songs "Isn't It a Pity," "My Cousin in Milwaukee," and "So What?"; 1939 — Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2 ([Concord, Mass. 1840-1860), by John Kirkpatrick, in New York City; 1941 — Bartók: String Quartet No. 6, in New York City, by the Kolisch Quartet; 1944 — Hindemith: "Symphonic Metamorphosis on a Theme of Weber," by the New York Philharmonic, Artur Rodzinski conducting; 1956 — Hanson: “Elegy” (to the Memory of Serge Kousseviztky), by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting; 1961 — Poulenc: "Gloria," in Boston; 1977 — Tobias Picker: Sextet No. 3, at Alice Tully Hall in New York City, by Speculum Musicae; 1979 — Rochberg: String Quartets Nos. 4-6 ("The Concord Quartets"), at the University of Pennsylvania, by the Concord Quartet. Other: 1626—Payments to the royal musician, lutenist and composer John Dowland cease, and his son, Robert Dowland, succeeds him in his post at court; This date is often cited as the day the famous elder Dowland died, but his burial at St Ann Blackfriars was not recorded until a month later, on February, 20, 1626, which suggests the elder Dowland had perhaps been too ill to continue in service as of January 20-21 when the records state the transfer took place, and that the elder Dowland might have in fact died sometime in mid-February; |
