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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.  |
September 24-30, 2007
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Monday, September 24
Bach & Hoover “double their pleasure, double their fun” ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: J.S. Bach (1685-1750): Double Concerto in d, S. 1043 Vladimir Spivakov, Arkady Futer, violins; Moscow Virtuosi; Vladimir Spivakov, cond. RCA 7991 & Katherine Hoover (b. 1937): Double Concerto David Perry, Suzanne Beia, violins; Wisconsin Philomusic: Vartan Manoogian, cond. Parnasus 96019 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On J.S. Bach On Katherine Hoover More on Hoover ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1914—Polish composer and conductor Andrzej Panufnik, in Warsaw; 1919—Czech-born American composer Vaclav Nelhybel, in Polanska; 1945—English composer and conductor John Rutter, in London; Deaths: 1813—Belgian-born French composer André Grétry, age 72, in Montmorency; 1892—Irish-born American bandmaster and composer Patrick Gilmore, age 62, in St. Louis; Premieres: 1909 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera "The Golden Cockerel," posthumously, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Oct. 7); 1962 — Barber: Piano Concerto, with soloist John Browning and the Boston Symphony conducted by Erich Leinsdorf; This performance was the second concert scheduled at the newly-opened "Philharmonic Hall" (now Avery Fisher Hall) at Lincoln Center in New York City; 1965 — George Rochberg: "Black Sounds" for winds and percussion, on a "Lincoln Center" television broadcast (as a ballet by Anna Sokolov under the title "The Act"); 1992 — Tobias Picker: "Bang!" by the New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur onducting (A New York Philharmonic 150th Anniversary commission); 1994 — Zwilich: "American" Concerto for trumpet and orchestra, at the inaugural concert of the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, by the San Diego Symphony, JoAnn Faletta conducting, with soloist Doc Severinson; Other: 1947—German-born composer Hans Eisler is questioned about his former membership in the Communist Party by the House Committee on Un-American activities; Eisler had been a member of the Party in the 1920s, left Germany when Hitler came to power in 1933, and had been working in Hollywood on film scores and as the musical assistant to Charlie Chaplin; He left the U.S. in 1948 and settled in East Germany - where he composed that country's national anthem.
Tuesday, September 25
Shostakovich’s 60th ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) : Symphony No. 1, Op 10 St. Petersburg Philharmonic: Yuri Temikanov, cond. BMG 68844 & Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) : Cello concerto No. 2. Op 126 Msistislav Rostropovich, cello; Boston Symphony; Seiji Ozawa, cond. DG 437 952 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Dimitri Shostakovich ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1683—French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, in Dijon; 1862—French organist and composer Léon Boëllmann, in Ensisheim, Alsace; 1896—Catalonian-born British composer Roberto Gerhard, in Valls (near Tarragona, Spain); 1906 —Soviet composer Dimitri Shostakovich, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Sept. 12); 1932—Canadian pianist and occasional composer Glenn Gould, in Toronto; Deaths: 1849—Austrian composer Johann Strauss, Sr., age 45, in Vienna; 1916—Czech band composer Julius Fucik, age 44, in Leitmeritz; He composed the famous "circus" march entitled "Entrance of the Gladiators"; 1997—French composer and pianist Jean Françaix, age 85, in Paris; The composer himself has written that his family name is pronounced with the final "x" sounded (as in "Aix"-en-Provence), although it's commonly pronounced "Français" by many; Premieres: 1870 — Smetana: opera "The Bartered Bride" (4th version), in Prague at the Provisional Theater; 1907 — Sibelius: Symphony No. 3, in Helsinki, with the composer conducting; 1925 — Hindemith: "Kammermusik" No. 4, Op. 36, no. 3, in Dessau, Germany, conducted by Franz von Hoesslin, with Licco Amar the violin soloist; 1936 — R. Vaughan Williams: choral suite "Five Tudor Portraits," in Norwich, England, conducted by the composer; 1960 — Paul Ben-Haim: "Capriccio" for Piano and Orchestra, in Tel Aviv; 1962 — Piston: "Lincoln Center Festival Overture," by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy, at the third concert scheduled at the newly-opened "Philharmonic Hall" (now Avery Fisher Hall) at Lincoln Center in New York City; 1966 — Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 2, in Moscow, by the USSR State Symphony, with Mstislav Rostropovich the soloist and the composer's son, Maxim, conducting; 1980 — Bernstein: "Divertimento" for Orchestra, by the Boston Symphony conducted by Seiji Ozawa; 1986 — Husa: Concerto for Orchestra, by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta; 1997 — John Adams: Piano Concerto ("Century Rolls"), at Severance Hall, with pianist Emanuel Ax and the Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi; Other: 1966—On the occasion of his 60th birthday, Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich is nominated as a "Hero of Socialist Labor" by the Soviet government.
Wednesday, September 26
Weill’s “September Song” ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Kurt Weill (1900-1950): September Song (arr. Morton Gould) Hollywood Bowl Orchestra; John Mauceri, cond. Philips 446 404 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Kurt Weill ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1898—American pianist and composer George Gershwin in Brooklyn; Deaths: 1800—Early American composer William Billings, age 53, in Boston; He died in poverty and was buried in an unmarked grave in Boston Common; 1945—Hungarian pianist and composer Béla Bartók, age 64, in New York City; Premieres: 1835 — Donizetti: opera "Lucia di Lammermoor," at the Teatro San Carlos in Naples; 1898 — Victor Herbert: operetta, "The Fortune Teller," in Toronto; 1907 — Sibelius: Symphony No. 3, by the Helsinki Philharmonic, with the composer conducting; 1915 — Schillings: opera "Mona Lisa," in Stuttgart at the Hoftheater; 1938 — Kurt Weill: musical, "Knickerbocker Holiday," during trial run in Hartford, Conn.; The musical opened in New York on October 19, 1938; 1957 — Bernstein: musical "West Side Story," at the Winter Garden in New York City; A trial run of the musical had premiered during a trial run in Washington, D.C. at the National Theater on August 19, 1957; 1967 — Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 2 by the Moscow Philharmonic, Kirill Kondrashin conducting, with soloist David Oistrakh; 1991 — Wuorinen: cantata "Genesis," in San Francisco, Herbert Blomstedt conducting; 1997 — Kirchner: "Of Things Exactly As They Are," with vocalists Roberta Alexander and William Stone, with the Boston Symphony and Tanglewood Chorus conducted by Seiji Ozawa; 1998 — Philip Glass: opera "The White Raven," by the San Carlos National Theater at the World Expo in Lisbon, Portugal, with Dennis Russell Davies conducting; Other: 1962—Igor Stravinsky concert by the Moscow State Symphony during the composer's first visit to Russia in 48 years; Stravinsky conducts his "Ode" and "Orpheus" Ballet, Stravinsky's assistant Robert Craft conducts "The Rite of Spring," with the composer returning to conduct his 1917 arrangement of the "Volga Boatmen's Song" as an encore.
Thursday, September 27
In Memoriam: Schubert & Oldham ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Piano Sonata in Bb, D. 960 Alfred Brendel, piano Philips 456 573 & Kevin Oldham (1960-1993): Concerto for Piano, Op. 14 Ian Hobson, piano; Kansas City Symphony; Bill McGlaughlin, cond. BMG.Catalyst 61979 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Franz Schubert On Kevin Oldham ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1879—English composer Cyril Scott, in Oxton, Cheshire; 1898—American composer Vincent Youmans, in New York City; 1903—Russian-born American composer and songwriter Vernon Duke (Vladimir Dukelsky), in Parfianovka (Pskov) (Gregorian date: Oct. 10); Deaths: 1921—German composer Engelbert Humperdinck, age 67, in Neustrelitz; 1956—British composer Gerald Finzi, age 55, in Oxford; Premieres: 1960 — Stravinsky: "Monumentum pro Gesualdo di Venosa ad CD annum" (three madrigals by Gesualdo transcribed for orchestra), in Venice, with the composer conducting; Other: 1827—At a private party in Vienna, Franz Schubert performs selections from his last piano sonatas; 1892—Czech composer Antonin Dvorák arrives in New York City to take up a position at the National Conservatory.
Friday, September 28
A DATEBOOK Double-header: Weddings Presents and Brunelle Honored ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: 1) Cesar Franck (1822-1890): Violin Sonata in A Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin; Lambert Orkis, piano DG 445 826 & Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994): Partita Krzysztof Bakowski, violin; Polish National Radio Orchestra; Antoni Wit, cond. Naxos 8.553202 & 2) Dominick Argento (b. 1927): Jonah and the Whale Plymouth Music Series;Philip Brunelle, cond. Plymouth LP-001 (r. 1973 - out of print) & William Bolcom (b. 1938): Songs of Innocence and of Experience (excerpt) VocalEssence et. al.;Philip Brunelle, cond. MPR live recording (April 29, 2007) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Cesar Franck On Witold Lutoslawski On Anne-Sophie Mutter Audio file of the second DATEBOOK program for today On Brunelle and VocalEssence ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1870—French composer Florent Schmitt, in Blámont; 1913—American composer Vivian Fine, in Chicago; Deaths: 1825 —Russian composer Dimitri Bortniansky, age c. 74, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Oct. 10); 1964—English composer Sir George Dyson, age 81, in Winchester; Premieres: 1918 — Stravinsky: "The Soldier's Tale" for narrator and seven instruments, in Lausanne at the Théatre Municipal with Ernest Ansermet conducting; 1961 — Bartók: "Scherzo" for Piano and Orchestra, an early work by the late composer, in Budapest; 1972 — Petrassi: Concerto for Orchestra No. 8, in Chicago; 1997 — James MacMillan: Symphony ("Vigil"), at the Barbican in London, by the London Symphony, Mstislav Rostropovich conducting; Other: 1951—Sci-fi classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still" opens in theaters across America, featuring memorable score by Bernard Herrmann that included eerie, other-worldly sounds imitating the electronic instrument known as a "Theremin" (after its Russian-born inventor, Leon Theremin); In the movie, actress Patricia Neal's rendition of the space alien command "Gort: Klaatu barada nikto" prevents Earth's destruction by a death-ray robot from outer space. 2007—Conductor Philip Brunelle awarded the "Champion of New Music" Award by the American Composers Forum at their 2007 Annual Meeting in St. Paul, Minn.; This award recognizes artists who have commissioned and performed a significant number of new works by living composers.
Saturday, September 29
Holst (and Colin Matthews) in outer space ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Gustav Holst: The Planets Montreal Symphony; Charles Dutoit, cond. London 460 606 & Colin Matthews (b. 1946): Pluto Hallé Orchestra; Mark Elder, cond. Hyperion 67270 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Colin Matthews ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1673—French flutist and composer Jacques-Martin Hottetere, in Paris; Deaths: 1977—Russian composer Alexander Tcherepnin, age 78, in Paris; Premieres: 1918 — Holst: "The Planets," at Queen's Hall, London; 1921 — Sigmund Romberg: operetta "Blossom Time," in New York City; 1949 — Bliss: opera "The Olympians," in London; 1968 — Henze: Piano Concerto No. 2, in Bielefeld, Germany; 1969 — Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14 (to poems of Lorca, Apollinaire, Küchelbecker, and Rilke), in Leningrad, by the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Rudolf Barshai conducting, with vocal soloists Galina Vishnevskaya and Yevgeny Vladimirov; 1983 — Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 3, in Chicago; 1997 — Michael Torke: "Overnight Mail" for chamber ensemble, in Carre, Amsterdam, by the Orkest de Volharding, Jurjen Hempel conducting; 2000 — Tan Dun: "Crouching Tiger Concerto," at the Barbican Festival in London, by the London Sinfonietta; Other: 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in G, Op. 6, no. 1 (Gregorian date: Oct. 10); 1789—Mozart completes in Vienna his Quintet in A for clarinet and strings, K. 581, written for clarinetist Anton Stadler, who gave the first public performance of the new work in December of that year.
Sunday, September 30
Salieri gets comp tickets ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791): excerpts, from The Magic Flute Soloists; Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra; Otto Klemperer, cond. EMI Classics 55173 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Mozart On Salieri ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1840—Norwegian composer Johann Svendsen, in Christiania; 1852—Irish-born British composer Sir Charles Villers Stanford, in Dublin; Deaths: 1989—American composer and music critic Virgil Thomson, age 92, in New York City; Premieres: 1791 — Mozart: opera, "Die Zauberflöte" (The Magic Flute), in Vienna at the Freihaustheater auf der Wieden, conducted by the composer; 1863 — Bizet: opera "Les Pecheurs de perles" (The Pearl Fishers), in Paris at the Théâtre Lyrique; 1935 — Gershwin: opera "Porgy and Bess," during trial run at Boston's Colonial Theater; According to Opera America magazine, this is one of the most frequently-produced American operas during the past decade; 1944 — R. Vaughan Williams: Oboe Concerto, with soloist Leon Goosens and the Liverpool Philharmonic conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent; 1960 — Barber: "Toccata Festiva" for organ and orchestra, at Philadelphia's Academy of Music, by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy, with Paul Callaway the soloist; 1979 — Penderecki: "Te Deum" in Assisi, Italy; 1989 — Daniel Asia: Piano Quartet, at Wigmore Hall in London, by the Domus ensemble; 1999 — Michael Tilson Thomas: "Whitman Songs for Orchestra," by the San Francisco Symphony, composer conducting. |
