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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.  |
March 17-23, 2008
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Monday, March 17
(St. Patrick's Day)
Handel and Cowell go Irish ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: George Frederic Handel (1685-1757): excerpt, fr Solomon English Baroque Soloists; John Eliot Gardiner, cond. Philips 412 612 & Henry Cowell (1897-1965): A Blarneying Bit Carol Wincenc, flute; Samuel Sanders, piano Nonesuch 79114 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Handel's life and works On Henry Cowell An essay on Cowell's legacy ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1839—German composer Josef Rheinberger, in Vaduz, Liechtenstein; 1920—American composer John LaMontaine, in Chicago; Deaths: 1862—French opera composer Jacques François Halévy, age 62, in Nice; Premieres: 1733 — Handel: oratorio "Deborah" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: March 28); 1846 — Verdi: opera "Atilla," in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice; 1867 — Brahms: Waltzes, Op. 39, for piano, in Vienna; 1879 — Tchaikovsky: opera "Eugene Onegin," in Moscow (Gregorian date: Mar. 29); 1882 — Glazunov: Symphony No. 1, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Mar. 29); 1892 — Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 (first movement only) (Gregorian date: Mar. 29); 1945 — Miakovsky: Cello Concerto, in Moscow; 1951 — Dessau: opera "Die Verhör des Lukullus" (The Sentencing of Lucullus), in East Berlin at the Deutsche Staatsoper (Berlin State Opera); This opera was revised as "Die Verurteilung des Lukullus" (The Judgement of Lucullus) at the same theater on October 12, 1851; The libretto is by the German poet and playwright Bertold Brecht; 1954 — Quincy Porter: "Concerto Concertante" for two pianos and orchestra, in Louisville, Ky.; This work won that year's Pulitzer Prize for Music; 1967 — Levy: opera "Mourning Becomes Electra" (after the play by Eugene O'Neill) at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City; 1972 — Crumb: "Vox balaenae" for three masked musicians, in Washington, D.C.; 2002 — Paul Schoenfield: "Partita" for violin and piano, at a Chamber Music Society of Minnesota concert in St. Paul, by violinist Young-Nam Kim, with the composer at the piano; Other: 1830—Frederic Chopin makes his concert debut in Warsaw, performing his own Piano Concerto in f-minor.
Tuesday, March 18
Beethoven's Tenth? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Symphony No. 10 in Eb (arr. Dr. Barry Cooper) London Symphony; Wyn Morris, cond. MCA 6269 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Beethoven On some rarely-heard and recently discovered Beethoven scores ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1844—Russian composer Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, in Tikhvin (Julian Date: Mar. 6); 1882—Italian composer and first editor of the collected works of Monteverdi and Vivaldi, Gian Francesco Malipiero, in Venice; Deaths: 1994—American composer Williams Bergsma, age 72, in Seattle; Premieres: 1902 — Schoenberg: "Verklärte Nacht" (Transfigured Night) for string sextet, in Vienna, by the Rosé Quartet and two extra players; 1904 — Liadov: symphonic poem "Baba Yaga," in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Mar.5); 1927 — Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 4,Op. 40 (original version) in Philadelphia, with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski and the composer as soloist; On the same program was the premiere performance of Rachmaninoff's "Three Russian Songs" for chorus and orchestra (dedicated to Stokowski); A revised (and much shortened) version of this concerto premiered in Philadelphia on October 17, 1941, with Eugene Ormandy conducting and the composer again as soloist; 1949 — Peter Mennin: Symphony No. 4 ("The Cycle"), in New York City; 1965 — Broadway premiere of Richard Rodgers: musical "Do I Hear a Waltz?," with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; The musical had its trail-run premiere in New Haven on Feb. 1, 1965; 1970 — Roger Sessions: "Rhapsody" for orchestra, in Baltimore. 1994 — James Mobberley: Piano Concerto, at the Lyric Theater in Kansas City, Mo., by the Kansas City Symphony, with Richard Cass the soloist and Bill McGlaughlin conducting.
Wednesday, March 19
Dvorak's last "American" work ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904): Cello Concerto in b, Op. 104 Yo Yo Ma, cello; New York Philharmonic; Kurt Masur, cond. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Antonin Dvorak ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1872—Russian ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev (Gregorian date: Mar. 31); 1873—German composer Max Reger, in Brand (near Bayreuth); 1907—English composer (of Irish descent) Elizabeth Maconchy, in Broxbourne; 1929—American composer Robert Muczynski, in Chicago; Premieres: 1859 — Gounod: opera "Faust," in Paris at the Théâtre-Lyrique; 1864 — Gounod: opera "Mireille," in Paris at the Théâtre-Lyrique; 1870 — Gomes: opera "Il Guarany" (The Guarani), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; 1892 — Tchaikovsky: "The Nutcracker" Suite, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Mar. 7); The first staged performance of the complete "Nutcracker" Ballet occurred later that same year in St. Petersburg on Dec. 6 (Julian)/Dec. 18 (Gregorian); 1896 — Dvorák: Cello Concerto in b, Op. 104, at London's Queens Hall by the London Philharmonic conducted by the composer, with Leo Stern as soloist; 1910 — Bartók: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7, in Budapest, by the Waldbauer Quartet; 1915 — John Alden Carpenter: "Adventures in a Perambulator," by the Chicago Symphony, Frederick Stock conducting; 1919 — Gabriel Fauré's "Fantasie" for piano and Orchestra, at a Société Nationale de Musique concert at the Salle Gaveau in Paris, with Alfred Cortot as the soloist, 1944 — Tippett: oratorio, "A Child of Our Time," in London; 1972 — George Perle: "Sonata quasi una fantasia" for clarinet and piano, in Buffalo, N.Y.; 1991 — John Adams: opera "The Death of Klinghoffer," in Brussels at the Théatre Royal de la Monnaie; 1998 — Robert X. Rodriguez: "Sinfonia a la Mariachi," by the San Antonio Symphony, Christopher Wilkins conducting; Other: 1931—American premiere of Alban Berg's opera "Wozzeck" in Philadelphia, with Leopold Stokowski conducting.
Thursday, March 20
Passing the hat for Barber ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Summer Music Bergen Wind Quintet BIS 291 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Samuel Barber: ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1873—Russian-born American composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff (Gregorian date: April 1); 1918—German composer Bernd Alois Zimmermann, in Bleisheim; Deaths: 1812—Bohemian composer and keyboard virtuoso Jan Ladislav (Johann Ladislaus/Ludwig) Dussek (Dusik), age 51, in Saint Germain-en-Laye or Paris; 2000—American composer Vivian Fine, age 86, in Bennington, Vt., following an auto accident; Premieres: 1723 — Handel: Concerto in F (HWV 331), in London at the Drury Lane Theater (Gregorian date: March 31); 1739 — Handel: Organ Concerto in A (HWV 296a) as a novelty at a benefit performance of Handel's cantata "Alexander's Feast"; This concert was organized "for the benefit and increase of a fund established for the support of decay'd musicians and their families" (Gregorian date: March 31); 1748 — Handel: oratorio "Joshua," (see March 9); 1887 — d'Indy: "Symphony on a French Mountain Air" for piano and orchestra, in Paris at a Lamoureux Concert; 1894 — Rachmaninoff: symphonic fantasy "The Rock" (Gregorian date: April 1); 1898 — Dvorák: symphonic poem, "The Wild Dove," Op. 110, in Brno; 1914 — Butterworth: "The Banks of Green Willow" in London; 1929 — Bartók: String Quartet No.4, in Budapest, by the Waldbauer Quartet; 1956 — Barber: "Summer Music," Op. 31, at the Detroit Institute of Arts by the Detroit Chamber Music Society (principal wind players of the Detroit Symphony); Other: 1928—The New York Symphony and the New York Philharmonic Society unite to form the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York - now known as simply "The New York Philharmonic."
Friday, March 21
Strauss depicts "family values" in music ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Richard Strauss (1864-1949): Sinfonia Domestica, Op. 53 Minnesota Orchestra; Edo de Waart, cond. Virgin 61460 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Richard Strauss More on Strauss ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1685—German composer and organist Johann Sebastian Bach, in Eisenach; 1839—Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, in Karevo, Pskov district (Julian date: March 9); Deaths: 1934—German composer Franz Schreker, age 55, in Berlin; 1936—Russian composer Alexander Glazunov, age 70, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France; Premieres: 1826 — Beethoven: String Quartet in Bb, Op. 130, in Vienna, by the Schuppanzigh Quartet; 1839 — Schubert: "Great" Symphony in C (old No. 9, now No. "7"), in a posthumous, heavily cut premiere performance by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, conducted by Felix Mendelssohn; 1860 — Brahms: Ballads Nos. 2-3, from Op. 10, for piano, in Vienna; 1904 — R. Strauss: "Sinfonia domestica," at Carnegie Hall in New York, with Strauss conducting; 1918 — Stravinsky: "Ragtime" for Eleven Instruments, in Morges; 1925 — Ravel: opera "L'enfant et les sortiléges" (The Child and the Spells), in Monte Carlo at the Grand Théatre; 1971 — William Mayer: "Octagon" for piano and orchestra, in New York City, by the American Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting, with William Masselos, piano; 1972 — David Amram: Bassoon Concerto, in Washington, DC, by the National Symphony, Antal Dorati conducting, with Kenneth Pasmanick the soloist.
Saturday, March 22
Sir Stephen Lloyd Sondheim-Webber? ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930): A Little Night Music New York City Opera Orchestra; Paul Gemignani, cond. MusicMasters 67099 & Andrew Lloyd Webber (b. 1948): Angel of Music Cincinnati Pops; Erich Kunzel, cond. Telarc 80405 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Stephen Sondheim More on Sondheim On Andrew Lloyd Webber More on Lloyd Webber ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1930—American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, in New York City; 1868—Scottish composer and conductor Hamisch MacCunn, in Greenock; 1943—American composer Joseph Schwantner, in Chicago; 1948—British composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, in London; Deaths: 1687—Italian-born French composer Jean Baptiste Lully, age 54, in Paris, following an inadvertent self-inflicted injury to his foot (by a staff with which he would beat time for his musicians) which developed gangrene; Premieres: 1963 — William Kraft: "Concerto grosso," in San Diego, Calif.; 1973 — Ginastera: Piano Concerto No. 2, in Indianapolis, with Hilde Somer as soloist; 1984 — John Harbison: Symphony No. 1, in Boston, with the Boston Symphony, Seiji Ozawa conducting; 1985 — John Harbison: "Twilight Music" for horn, violin and piano, at Alice Tully Hall, by members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (David Jolley, horn; James Buswell, violin; Richard Goode, piano); 1997 — Zwilich: "Peanuts Gallery" (after the "Peanuts" comic strip characters by Charles Schultz) for piano and chamber orchestra, at Carnegie Hall in New York by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with soloist Albert Kim.
Sunday, March 23
"A good story, but not exactly true," says Haydn ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony No. 94 in G (Surprise) Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Sir Colin Davis, cond. Philips 442 614 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Haydn ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1834—German composer, pianist and organist Julius Ruebke, in Hausneindorf, near Quedlinburg; 1878—Austrian composer Franz Schrecker, in Monaco; 1895—French-born American composer, painter and mystical philosopher Dane Rudhyar, in Paris; Premieres: 1731 — Bach: "St. Mark Passion" (S. 247, now lost) performed in Leipzig at Vespers on Good Friday; 1748 — Handel: oratorio "Alexander Balus" in London at the Covent Garden Theater; The event possibly included the premiere of Handel's "Concerto a due cori" No. 1 as well (Gregorian date: April 3); 1783 — Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 13 and final version of Symphony No. 35 ("Haffner"), at the Vienna Burgtheater, with composer as piano soloist and conductor; An earlier version of the symphony was performed in Salzburg at private concerts arranged by the wealthy Haffner family in the summer of 1782; 1792 — Haydn: Symphony No. 94 ("Surprise"), conducted by the composer, at the Hanover-Square Concert Rooms in London; 1828 — Beethoven: String Quartet in F, Op. 135 (posthumously, and almost one year to the day after the composer's death on March 26, 1827), in Vienna, by the Schuppanzigh Quartet; 1886 — Tchaikovsky: "Manfred" Symphony (after Byron), in Moscow (Julian date: Mar. 11); 1912 — Gliere: Symphony No. 3 ("Ilya Murometz") in Moscow (Julian date: Mar. 10); 1917 — Bloch: "Trois poèmes juifs" (Three Jewish Poems), in Boston, with the composer conducting; 1923 — de Falla: opera "El retrablo de maese Pedro" (Master Peter's Puppet Show) (concert version), in Seville at the Teatro San Fernando; 1935 — Barber: "Music for a Scene from Shelley," by the New York Philharmonic; 1939 — Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2, by the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, Willem Mengelberg conducting and Zoltán Székely as the soloist; A live recording of this premiere performance has been issued on both LP and CD; 1944 — Cowell: "Hymn and Fuguing Tune" No. 2 for strings, in New York on a WEAF radio broadcast featuring Henri Nosco and his Concert Orchestra; The first concert hall performance took place at Town Hall in New York on October 8, 1944, with the Daniel Saidenburg Little Symphony; 1945 — Copland (and 9 other composers): "Variations on a Theme by Eugene Goosens," by the Cincinnati Symphony; 1946 — Marc Blitzstein: "Airbourne Symphony," in New York City; 1962 — Irving Fine: "Symphony 1962" by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting; 1969 — Gene Gutchë: "Genghis Khan," by American Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1999 — James MacMillan: "Cumnock Fair" for piano and strings, at Cumnock Academy by members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Other: 1703—Antonio Vivaldi becomes a Roman Catholic priest at age 25; 1721—Handel completes the composition of Act 3 of "Muzio Scevola," as part of a "competition" arranged by the directors of the Royal Academy of Music to settle the rivalry between their three house composers (Filippo Amadei composed Act 1, Giovanni Bononcinni Act 2, and Handel Act 3); Handel was deemed the victor in this "contest" (Gregorian date: April 3); 1729—J.S. Bach visits Coethen to perform funeral music for his former employer, Prince Leopold; 1743—London premiere of what is billed as "A New Sacred Oratorio" by Handel(Gregorian date: April 3); This was his "Messiah" which had its first performance in Dublin the previous year; |
