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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.  |
April 28-May 4, 2008
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Monday, April 28
Diamond's Fifth . . . finally! ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: David Diamond (b. 1915 ): Symphony No. 5 Juilliard Orchestra; Christopher Keene, cond. New World 80396 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Diamond ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1892—American folksinger and folksong collector John Jacob Niles, in Louisville, Ky.; Premieres: 1865 — Meyerbeer: opera "L'Africaine" (The African Woman), at the Paris Opéra; 1892 — Dvorák: "In Nature's Realm" Overture, Op. 91, in Prague; 1892 — Sibelius: symphonic poem/oratorio "Kullervo" for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, in Helsinki, with the composer conducting; 1928 — Cowell: "Sinfonietta," in Boston, Nicholas Slonimsky conducting; 1938 — Diamond: "Elegy in Memory of Maurice Ravel," in Rochester, N.Y. 1948 — Stravinsky: ballet "Orpheus," by the American Society in New York City; 1966 — Douglas Moore: opera "Carrie Nation," in Lawrence, Kan.; 1981 — John Williams: "Pops on the March" by the Boston Pops with the composer conducting. 2005 — Arne Nordheim: “Fonos” for trombone and orchestra, in Bergen, Norway, by the Bergen Philharmonic.
Tuesday, April 29
Happy Birthday, Duke Ellington! ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899-1974): The River Suite Detroit Symphony; Neeme Järvi, cond. Chandos 9154 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Ellington ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1879—British conductor and occasional orchestrator-arranger of Handel scores, Sir Thomas Beecham, in St. Helens (near Liverpool); 1855—Russian composer Anatoly Liadov (Gregorian date: May 11); 1888—American popular song composer Irving Berlin (Isidore Balin) (Gregorian date: May 11); 1885—American composer Wallingford Riegger, in Albany, Ga.; 1899—American composer and jazz band leader, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, in Washington, D.C.; 1920—American composer Harold Shapero, in Lynn, Mass.; 1929—Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe, in Launeceston; Deaths: 1712—Spanish composer and organist Juan Bautista José (Juan Bautista Josep; Joan) Cabanilles (Cavanilles, Cabanillas, Cavanillas), age c. 67, in Valencia; Premieres: 1784 — Mozart: Violin Sonata in Bb, K. 454, at Vienna's Kärtnertor Theater in the presence of Emperor Joseph II, with the composer at the piano with Italian violinist Regina Strinasacchi; Mozart also performed one of his Piano Concertos, possibly the premiere performance of the Concerto No. 17 in G, K. 453 (see also June 13, 1784); 1798 — Haydn: oratorio "The Creation" at a private performance in Vienna at Schwarzenbgerg Palace; The first public performance occurred n March 19, 1799 (Haydn's nameday), at the University of Vienna; 1927 — Vladimir Dukelsky (Vernon Duke): "Zephyr et Flore"ballet suite, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1928 — Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 9, in Moscow; 1929 — Prokofiev: opera "The Gambler" (sung in French) in Brussels; 1962 — Stravinsky: "Eight Instrumental Miniatures" (based on his "Five Fingers" of 1921), in Toronto by the CBC Symphony conducted by the composer; 1980 — John Williams: "The Reivers " (Suite for narrator and orchestra) with a William Faulkner, as part of the first concert Williams conducted as music director of the Boston Pops, with Burgess Meredith as narrator; 1988 — Peter Maxwell Davies: "Strathclyde Concerto" No. 1 for oboe and orchestra, at Glasgow's City Hall, by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer, with soloist Robin Miller; 1990 — Philip Glass: chamber opera "Hydrogen Jukebox" (to poems by Allen Ginsberg), by the Philip Glass ensemble conducted by Martin Goldray, in a concert version presented at the American Music Theater Festival in Philadelphia; A staged production was presented at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C,, on May 26, 1990; 1993 — Michael Torke: "Run" for orchestra, by the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Slatkin conducting; Other: 1906—Victor Herbert conducts a benefit concert at the Hippodrome in New York City for victims of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; 1969—On his 70th birthday, Duke Ellington receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House from then-President Richard Nixon.
Wednesday, April 30
Operatic Intrigue and Debussy's "Pelleas" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918): Pelléas et Mélisande soloists & Montréal Symphony; Charles Dutoit, cond. London 430 502 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Debussy On Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande” ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1870—Hungarian-born Austrian composer Franz Léhar, in Komorn; 1939—American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, in Miami, Fla.; She was the first female composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music (in 1983 for her Symphony No. 1); Premieres: 1728 — Handel: opera "Tolomeo, re d'Egitto" (Ptolomy, King of Egypt), in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: May 11); 1855 — Berlioz: "Te Deum," at the church of St. Eustache in Paris; 1902 — Debussy: opera "Pelléas and Mélisande," in Paris at the Opéra-Comique; 1925 — Hindemith: "Kammermusik" No. 3, Op. 36, no. 2, in Bochum, Germany, conducted by the composer with Rudolf Hindemith the cello soloist; 1934 — Stravinsky: opera "Persephone," at the Paris Opéra, with Ida Rubinsetin in the principal role (spoken part) and the composer conducting; 1973 — Lou Harrison: Concerto for Organ, at San Jose State University, with organist Philip Simpson; 1991 — Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Bass Trombone Concerto, by soloist Charles Vernon with the Chicago Symphony, Daniel Barenboim conducting; 1994 — John Harbison: String Quartet No. 3, at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., by the Lydian String Quartet; Other: 1932—Opening of the first "Yaddo" Festival of Contemporary Music at Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Thursday, May 1
Mozart and Gershwin go pop? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: W.A. Mozart (1756 - 1791):: Marriage of Figaro Wind Suite Amadeus Ensemble; Julius Rudel, cond. MusicMasters 67118 & George Gershwin (1899 - 1937): : Catfish Row Suite, fr Porgy and Bess Chicago Symphony; James Levine, cond. DG 445 768 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Mozart On Gershwin ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1582—Early Italian opera composer Marco da Gagliano, in Gagliano; 1602 —Baptism of English madrigal composer William Lawes, in Salisbury ; He was the younger brother of the more famous English composer Henry Lawes (1696-1662); 1872—Swedish violinist and composer Hugo Alfvén in Stockholm; 1895—American organist and composer Leo Sowerby, in Grand Rapids, Mich.; 1899—Icelandic composer Jón Leifs, in Sólheimar; Deaths: 1904—Czech composer Antonin Dvorák, age 62, in Prague; 1978—Soviet composer Aram Khachaturian, age 74, in Moscow; Premieres: 1786 — Mozart: "The Marriage of Figaro" in Vienna at the Old Burgtheater; 1886 — Franck: "Symphonic Variations" for piano and orchestra, in Paris; 1909 — Rachmaninoff: "The Isle of the Dead," in Moscow, conducted by the composer (Julian date: April 18); 1925 — Piston: Three Pieces for flute, clarinet, and bassoon (his first published work), at the École Normale in Paris, by the Blanquart-Coste-Dherin trio; 1939 — Barber: "The Virgin Martyrs," with students from the Curtis Institute of Music on a CBS Radio broadcast, with the composer conducting; 1971 — Dave Brubeck: oratorio "Truth Has Fallen," at the opening of the Center for the Arts in Midland, Mich.; 1987 — Harrison Birtwistle: "Endless Parade" for trumpet, vibraphone and strings, in Zurich (Switzerland) by the Collegium Musicum conducted by Paul Sacher, with trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger; 2002 — Jennifer Higdon: "Blue Cathedral," by the Curtis Institute Symphony conducted by Robert Spano, commissioned to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Curtis Institute of Music; 2003 — Lukas Foss: Concertino ("Passacaglia, Bachanalia, Passacaglia") for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, by the New York Choral Artists and the New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur conducting; Other: 1761—Franz Joseph Haydn begins his 30-year tenure as Second-Kapellmeister at Prince Esterhazy's estate in Eisenstadt; In 1766, Haydn succeeded the much older composer Gregor Joseph Werner as First-Kapellmeister; 1825—first documented American performance of Haydn's Symphony No. 100 ("Military") at Boylston Hall in Boston, at a benefit concert for Haydn's former pupil, Johann Christian Gottlieb Graupner (1767-1836); 1837—American premiere of Rossini's opera "Semiramide" in New Orleans; 1938—The German Reichsmusikkammer (Imperial Ministry of Music) forbids Aryan music instructors to teach pupils of Jewish extraction.
Friday, May 2
Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Sergei Prokofiev (1873 - 1943) arr. Albert Markov: Peter and the Wolf Alexander Markov, violin; Dmitri Cogan, piano Erato 98481 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Prokofiev ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1660—Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti, in Palermo; founder of the "Neopolitan School" of music and father of the composer, Dominico Scarlatti; 1752—Baptismal date of German oboist and composer Ludwig August Lebrun, in Mannheim; 1810—Danish conductor and composer Hans Christian Lumbye, in Copenhagen; 1843—Austrian conductor and operetta composer Carl Michael Ziehrer, in Vienna; 1905—English composer Alan Rawsthorne, in Haslingden; Deaths: 1864—German composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Jakob Liebmann Beer), age 72,in Paris; 1990—American composer William Levi Dawson, age 90, in Montgomery, Ala.; Premieres: 1692 — Purcell: opera "The Fairy Queen," in London at the Queen's Theater, Dorset Garden; 1935 — Ibert: "Concertino da Camera" for saxophone and chamber orchestra, in Paris; 1936 — Prokofiev: "Peter and the Wolf" at a children's concert by the Moscow Philharmonic, conducted by the composer; 1947 — Copland: "In the Beginning" for mezzo-soprano and chorus, at Harvard University; 1947 — Schoenberg: String Trio, Op. 45, at Harvard University; 1951 — Cage: "Imaginary Landscape No. 4" for 12 radios, in New York; 1951 — Ulysses Kay: "Sinfonia" for orchestra, in Rochester, N.Y.; 1965 — Bolcom: "Oracle" for orchestra, in Seattle; 1965 — Grofé: "Trick or Treat: Halloween," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, André Kostelanetz conducting; 1981 — David Amram: Violin Concerto, by the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting, with Charles Castleman the soloist; 1984 — Ezra Laderman: String Quartet No. 7, in New York City, by the Colorado Quartet; 1984 — Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical "Sunday in the Park with George"; 1990 — Elliott Carter: Violin Concerto, by the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Herbert Blomstedt, with Ole Böhn as soloist; Other: 1855—American premiere of Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" (The Troubadour) at the Academy of Music in New York. 1872—First documented American performance of Beethoven's "Missa solemnis" in D (Op. 123), at Steinway Hall in New York , by the Church Music Association, Dr. James Pech conducting; Subsequent regional premieres of this work occurred in Cincinnati (May 19, 1880) and Boston (Mar. 12, 1897).
Saturday, May 3
Bloch's "Greatest Hit" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ernest Bloch (1880 - 1959): Schelomo Mischa Maisky, cello; Israel Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, cond. DG 427 347 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Bloch ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1886—French organist and composer Marcel Dupré, in Rouen; 1920—American composer and jazz pianist John Lewis, in LaGrange, Ill.; Deaths: 1704—Austrian composer Heinrich Biber, age 59, in Salzburg; Premieres: 1831 — Hérold: "Zampa," at the Opéra-Comique in Paris; 1893 — Horatio Parker: oratorio "Hora Novissima," in New York City; 1917 — Bloch: "Schlemo" and "Israel" Symphony at Society of the Friends of Music Concert, Artur Bodanzky conducting; 1919 — Debussy: Clarinet Rhapsody (orchestral version), in Paris, with clarinetist Gaston Hamelin, at Pasdeloup Concert; 1929 — Poulenc: "Concert champêtre" for harpsichord and orchestra, at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, by the Paris Symphony with Pierre Monteux conducting and Wanda Landowska the soloist; 1934 — Bernard Rogers: "Three Japanese Dances," in Rochester, N.Y.; 1943 — Cowell: "American Melting Pot" (Set for Chamber Orchestra), at Carnegie Hall in New York, by the Orchestrette of New York, Frédérique Petrides conducting; 1952 — Vaughan Williams: "Romance" for harmonica and orchestra, in New York City; 1958 — Walter Hartley: Concerto for 23 Winds, at the Eastman School in Rochester, N.Y., by the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Frederick Fennell conducting; 1963 — Cowell: Quartet for Flute, Oboe, Cello and Harp, at the University of Miami, by John Bitter (flute), Julien Balogh (oboe), Hermann Busch (cello), and Mary Spalding (Mrs. Fabien) Sevitzky (harp); The work is dedicated to the conductor Fabien Sevitzky "in honor of his many services to American music"; 1969 — Shostakovich: Violin Sonata, in Moscow, with David Oistrakh and Sviatoslav Richter; 1989 — James MacMillan: "Visions of a November Spring" for string quartet, at University Concert Hall in Glasgowm Scotland, by the Bingham String Quartet; Other: 1971—Debut broadcast of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" with an electronic theme by composer Don Voegeli of the University of Wisconsin (In 1974, Voegeli composed a new electronic ATC theme, the now-familiar signature tune of the program).
Sunday, May 4
Virgil Thomson reviews Elliott Carter ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Elliott Carter (b. 1908): String Quartet No. 1 The Composers Quartet Nonesuch 71249 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Elliott Carter ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1744—Austrian composer of Spanish descent Marianne (Anna Katharina) von Martínez, in Vienna; She studied composition with Haydn, and Haydn and Mozart attended her musical soirées; 1860—Austrian composer Emil Nikolaus Von Reznicek, in Vienna; 1905—Hungarian-born British composer and teacher Mátyás(György) Seiber, in Budapest; Deaths: 1604—Italian composer and publisher Claudio Merulo, age 71, in Parma; 1955—Rumanian composer Georges Enesco, age 73, late on May 3 or early on May 4, in Paris; Premieres: 1795 — Haydn: Symphony No. 104, conducted by the composer, at the King's Theater in London; This symphony is sometimes nicknamed the "Salomon" Symphony, although it (along with Haydn's Symphonies 102 and 103) was in fact commissioned for and premiered at Viotti's Opera Concerts, not as part of the earlier series of Haydn concerts arranged by the impresario Salomon; 1895 — Dvorák: cantata "The American Flag," Op. 102, in New York; 1920 — Vaughan Williams : revised version of Symphony No.2 ("A London Symphony") at Queens Hall in London, conducted by Albert Coates; The first version of this symphony had premiered at Queen's Hall in London on March 27, 1914, conducted by Geoffrey Toye; A final (twice revised) version of this symphony was published in 1936; 1924 — Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 6, in Moscow; 1974 — Rautavaara: Flute Concerto, in Stockholm, with flutist Gunilla von Bahr and the Swedish Radio Symphony, Stig Westerberg conducting; 1976 — Bernstein: musical "1700 Pennsylvania Avenue" at the Mark Hellinger Theater in New York City, conducted by Roland Gagnon; A trial run of this show had opened in Philadelphia at the Forrest Theater on February 24, 1976; 1976 — Sondheim: revue "Side by Side by Sondheim" (compiled from various Sondheim musicals by British singer-actor David Kernan and others); This revue opened on Broadway on April 18, 1977; 1989 — Joan Tower: "Island Prelude" for oboe and strings, by soloist Peter Bowman and the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting. |
