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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.  |
October 27-November 2, 2008
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Monday, October 27
"Eating Greens" with Mackey ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Steven Mackey (b. 1956): Eating Greens New World Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, cond. RCA/BMG 63826 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Steven Mackey More on Mackey ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1782—Italian composer and violinist Niccolò Paganini, in Genoa; 1912—American-born Mexican composer Conlon Nancarrow, in Texarkana, Arkansas (He became naturalized Mexican citizen in 1956); 1927—American composer and teacher Dominick Argento, in York, Pennsylvania; Deaths: 1678 —English composer John Jenkins, age c. 86, in Kimberley, Norfolk; 1975 —American jazz composer and arranger Oliver Nelson, age 43, in Los Angeles; 1991—Polish-born British composer Sir Andrzej Panufnik, age 77, in London; Premieres: 1827 — Bellini: opera "Il Pirata," at La Scala in Milan; 1886 — Mussorgsky: "A Night on Bald Mountain," posthumously, in a re-orchestration by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, in St. Petersburg, by the Russian Symphony conducted by Rimsky-Korsakov (see Julian date: Oct. 15); 1901 — Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2, in Moscow, composer as soloist (Gregorian date: Nov. 9); 1916 — Stenhammar: incidental music for Strindberg's "A Dream Play," at the opening of the Lorensberg Theater in Gothenburg, Sweden; 1948 — Stravinsky: "Mass," in Milan at La Scala, with Ernest Ansermet conducting; 1950 — Creston: Symphony No. 3, Op. 48, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 1957 — Villa-Lobos: Harmonica Concerto in Jerusalem; 1958 — Henze: ballet "Undine," in London; 1975 — Druckman's "Lamia" at New York Philharmonic concert; 1988 — Steven Stucky: "Concerto for Orchestra," in Philadelphia; 1989 — Christopher Rouse: “Iscariot” for chamber orchestra, in St. Paul, Minn., by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, John Adams conducting; 1993 — Daniel Asia: Symphony No. 4, by the Phoenix Symphony, the composer conducting; 1994 — Steven Mackey: "Eating Greens" for orchestra, by the Chicago Symphony, Dennis Russell Davies conducting. 1994 — Christopher Rouse: Flute Concerto, by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Vonk, with soloist Carol Wincenc; 1995 — Michael Torke: “Flint” for chamber ensemble, in Palermo, Italy, by The Brass Group.
Tuesday, October 28
A "pathetic" symphony by Tchaikovsky ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Peter Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893): Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique) Russian National Orchestra; Mikhail Pletnev, cond. DG 449 967 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Tchaikovsky ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1896—American conductor, composer and Eastman School of Music director, Howard Hanson, in Wahoo, Nebraska; Deaths: 1755—French composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, age 65, in Roissy-en-Brie; Premieres: 1893 — Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 ("Pathétique"), at the Hall of Nobles in St. Petersburg, with Tchaikovsky conducting (Julian date: Oct. 16); 1915 — R. Strauss: "An Alpine Symphony," in Berlin, with the composer conducting; 1925 — Loeffler: "The Canticle of the Sun," for voice and chamber orchestra, at the Library of Congress Festival of Chamber Music in Washington, D.C.; 1931 — William Grant Still: Symphony No. 1 ("Afro-American"), by the Rochester (N.Y.) Philharmonic, Howard Hanson conducting; 1932 — Stravinsky: "Duo Concertante" for Violin and Piano, in Berlin at the Funkhaus, with violinist Samuel Dushkin and the composer at the piano; 1935 — Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 15, in Moscow; 1942 — R. Strauss: opera "Capriccio," in Munich at the Bavarian State Opera, conducted by Clemens Krauss, with vocal soloists Viorica Ursuleac (The Countess), Horst Taubmann (Flamand), Hans Hotter (Olivier), and Georg Hann (La Roche); 1943 — Martinu: "Memorial to Lidice," in New York City; 1952 — Elliott Carter: Eight Etudes and a Fantasy for flute,oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, in New York, by members of the New York Woodwind Quintet; 1955 — Bernstein: incidental music for "The Lark" (play by Jean Anoilh adapted by Lillian Hellman) at trial run in Boston at the Plymouth Theater; The show opened in New York City at the Longacre Theater on November 17, 1955; 1965 — Ned Rorem: "Lions" for orchestra and jazz combo, by the Detroit Symphony, Sixten Ehrling conducting; 1972 — Morton Feldman: "Pianos and Voices," in Buffalo, N.Y.; 2001 — Kamran Ince: "Flight Box," at the Milwaukee Art Museum, by the ensemble Present Music.
Wednesday, October 29
Handel advertises his wares ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: George Frederic Handel (1685 – 1757): Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, no. 5 I Solisti Italiani Denon 6305 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Handel's life and works ALSO ON THIS DATE: Premieres: 1787 — Mozart: opera, "Don Giovanni'," in Prague at the Nationaltheater; 1837 — Donizetti: opera, "Roberto Devereux," at the.Teatro San Carlos, in Naples; 1920 — Edward Burlingame Hill: symphonic poem “The Fall of the House of Usher” (after Poe), by the Boston Symphony with Pierre Monteux conducting; 1950 — Copland: Quartet for Piano and Strings, by the New York Quartet at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. at a Coolidge Festival concert; This work was commissioned by Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Coolidge Foundation; 1955 — Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1, by the Leningrad Philharmonic, Yevgeny Svetlanov conducting, with David Oistrakh as the soloist; 1956 — Bernstein: musical "Candide" (original version) in Boston as a trial run at the Colonial Theater, directed by Tyrone Guthrie and conducted by Samuel Krachmalnick; The show opened officially on New York at the Martin Beck Theater on December 1, 1956; According to Opera America magazine, this is one of the most frequently-produced American operas during the past decade; 1966 — Milhaud: "Music for Indiana," by the Indianapolis Symphony; 1967 — Persichetti: Symphony No. 8, in Berea, Ohio, by the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory Orchestra, George Poinar conducting; 1980 — Off Broadway premiere of Sondheim: revue "Marry Me a Little"(compiled from various Sondheim musicals); Other: 1734—The famous Italian castrato Farinelli (Carlo Broschi) makes his debut in London at the opening performance of "The Opera of the Nobility," a company formed to rival Handel's "Royal Academy" (Gegorian date: Nov. 9); The performance takes place at the King's Theater in the Haymarket, formerly the home of Handel's company; 1739—Handel advertises for subscriptions to his new set of Concertos, Op. 6 (Gregorian date: Nov. 9); They are published by John Walsh the younger on April 23 (Gregorian date: May 4) the following year. 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in c, Op. 6, no. 8 (see Julian date: Oct. 18);
Thursday, October 30
Beach's Boston "Celtic" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Amy Beach (1867 – 1944): Gaelic Symphony Detroit Symphony; Neeme Järvi, cond. Chandos 8958 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Beach On Beach's "Gaelic" Symphony ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1894—English composer Peter Warlock (real name, Philip Heseltine), in London; Deaths: 1953—Hungarian operetta composer Emmerich Kálmán, age 71, in Paris; Premieres: 1733 — Handel: opera "Semiramide" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Nov. 10); 1876 — Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 in Bb (first public performance), in Berlin, by the Joachim Quartet; This work had been privately premiered at the home of Clara Schumann by the Joachim Quartet on May 23, 1876, and subsequently performed for a small circle of friends at the Joachim home on June 4 that year; 1881 — Serenade for Strings, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Oct. 18); 1882 — Tchaikovsky: Trio, Op. 50 (dedicated to the memory of Nicolas Rubinstein), in Moscow at a Russian Musical Society concert by Ivan Hřimaly (violin), Wilhelm Fitzenhagen (cello) and Sergei Taneyev (piano) (Julian date: Oct. 18); This was the public premiere of the Tchaikovsky Trio, but a private performance featuring the same artists had occurred on Feb. 18 (Gregorian date: Mar. 2) that same year; 1896 — Amy Beach: "Gaelic" Symphony, at the Music Hall in Boston by the Boston Symphony, Emil Paur conducting; This was an afternoon "open rehearsal" performance - the "official" premiere took place the following evening; 1929 — Wallingford Rieger: "Study in Sonority," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1944 — Copland: ballet "Appalachian Spring," by a 13-piece chamber orchestra, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., by the Martha Graham Ballet; 1947 — Elie Siegemeister: Symphony No. 1, by the New York Philharmonic, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1947 — Kurt Weill: musical, "Lost in the Stars," in New York City; 1957 — Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 ("The Year 1905"), in Moscow, by the USSR State Symphony, Natan Rakhlin; 1979 — Ned Rorem: "Nantucket Songs" (to texts by Roethke, Wm. Carlos Williams, Edmund Waller and others) at Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress, with soprano Phylllis Bryn-Julson and the composer at the piano; 1998 — Anthony Davis: "Tales (Tails) of a Signifying Monkey," by the Pittsburgh Symphony, David Zinman conducting; Other: 1739—Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in A, Op. 6, no. 11 (Gregorian date: Nov. 10); 1822—Schubert begins work on his Symphony No. 8 in B minor, later known as the "Unfinished." Not played until 37 years later; 1935—First concert at The Composers' Forum-Laboratory in New York City, sponsored by the Federal Music Project and featuring works of Roy Harris.
Friday, October 31
Hovhaness in "HOOS-ton" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Alan Hovhaness (1911 – 2000): Symphony No. 2 (Mysterious Mountain) London Symphony; John Williams, cond. Sony Classical 62729 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Alan Hovhaness On Leopold Stokowski ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1833 —Russian composer Alexander Borodin, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Nov. 12); 1806—American composer Louise Talma, in Arcachon, France; 1949—Cuban-American composer and conductor Odaline de la Martinez, in Matanzas, Cuba; Deaths: 1870—Hungarian composer Mihály Mosonyi (Michael Brand), age 55, in Pest; Premieres: 1724 — Handel: opera "Tamerlano" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Nov. 11); This was the London debut of the Italian tenor Francesco Borosini in a work by Handel; 1865 — Brahms: "Theme and Variations" in d (after slow movement of Brahms' String Sextet No. 1), in Frankfurt am Main; 1866 — Offenbach: operetta, "La Vie Parisienne," in Paris, at the Palais-Royal; 1875 — Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 4 in c, Op. 44, in Paris at a concert conducted by Edouard Colonne, with the composer as soloist; 1891 — Mascagni: opera "L'amico Fritz," at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome; 1924 — Hindemith: "Kammermusik" No. 2, Op. 36, no. 1, in Frankfurt, with Clemens Kraus conducting and Emma Lübbecke-Job the piano soloist; 1932 — Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5, by the Berlin Philharmonic, Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting, with the composer as soloist; 1947 — Chávez: "Toccata" for percussion, in Mexico City; 1949 — Mark Blitzstein: opera "Regina," in New York City; 1955 — Hovhaness: Symphony No. 2 ("Mysterious Mountain"), by the Houston Symphony, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1966 — Stravinsky: "The Owl and the Pussycat" (dedicated to Vera Stravinsky), in Los Angeles; This was Stravinsky's last composition; 1970 — Crumb: "Ancient Voices of Children," in Washington, D.C.; 1985 — Rorem: "String Symphony," by the Atlanta Symphony, Robert Shaw conducting. Other: 1739 —Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in b, Op. 6, no. 12 (see Julian date: Oct. 20); 1933—Arnold Schoenberg, accompanied by his wife, baby daughter, and family pet terrier "Witz," arrives in New York on the liner Isle de France.
Saturday, November 1
Chopin gets out of town ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Frederick Chopin (1810 – 1849): Piano Concerto No. 2 in f, Op. 21 Martha Argerich, piano; Montréal Symphony; Charles Dutoit, cond. Martha Argerich, piano; Montréal Symphony; Charles Dutoit, cond. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Chopin ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1877—English composer Roger Quilter, in Brighton; 1934—Welsh composer William Mathias, in Whitland, Dyfed. Deaths: 1942—German composer Hugo Distler, age 34, commits suicide in Berlin; Premieres: 1892 — Rimsky-Korsakov: opera “ Mlada,” at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, with Eduard Nápravník conducting and basso Fyodor Stravinsky (Igor’s father) singing the role of Mstivoy (Julian date: Oct. 20); 1948 — Copland: "The Red Pony" Suite (from the film of the same name), by the Houston Symphony, Efrem Kurtz conducting; 1964 — Virgil Thomson: "The Feast of Love," for baritone and chamber ensemble, at the 13th Coolidge Festival in Washington, D.C.; Other: 1738—Handel completes Part II (“Moses’ Song”) of his oratorio “Israel in Egypt” (Gregorian date: November 12); 1830—Chopin’s friends in Warsaw throw a festival “bon voyage” dinner for the composer-pianist on the eve of his departure for Paris; As it turned out, he would never return to his native land.
Sunday, November 2
Mozart and "Amadeus" ... MUSIC PLAYED ON TODAY'S PROGRAM: Wolfgang Mozart (1756 – 1791): Requiem, K. 626 La Chapelle Royale & Orchestre des Champs Elysees; Philippe Herreweghe, cond. Harmonia Mundi 901620 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: On Wolfgang Mozart On Antonio Salieri BBC feature on "Rehabilitating Salieri" ALSO ON THIS DATE: Births: 1739—Austrian composer and violinist Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, in Vienna; 1752—Russian diplomat, violinist and music lover Count (later Prince) Andrei Razumovsky, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Oct. 22) Razumovsky was the Russian ambassador to Vienna from 1783 to 1809; Beethoven dedicated his three String Quartets, Op. 59, to him, and (with Prince Lokowitz) his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies; 1880—English composer and conductor John Foulds, in Manchester; 1915—New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn, in Wanganui; 1929—American composer and conductor Harold Farberman, in New York; 1946—Italian conductor and composer Giuseppe Sinopoli, in Venice; Sinopoli died of a heart attack on April 20th, 2001, while conducting Verdi’s “Aida” at the German Opera in Berlin; Deaths: 1960—Greek conductor and composer Dimitri Mitropoulos, age 64, of a heart attack, while rehearsing Mahler's Symphony No. 3 with the La Scala Orchestra in Milan; Premieres: 1723 — Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 194 ("Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest") for the dedication of the Störmthal church and organ; Bach was in Störmthal to inspect the new organ; 1739 — Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in d, Op. 6, no. 10 (see Julian date: Oct. 22); 1873 — Brahms: "Variations on a Theme by Haydn," Felix Otto Dessoff conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; 1877 — Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor, in Paris, composer at piano; 1882 — Dvorák: String Quartet No. 11, in Berlin; 1928 — American premiere of Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1, by Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1945 — Menotti: Piano Concerto, by the Boston Symphony with Richard Burgin conducting with Rudolf Firkusny the soloist; 1959 — Henry Cowell: "Variations for Orchestra," by the Houston Symphony, Leopold Stokowski conducting; 1978 — Druckman: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, soloist Sol Greiyzer, with James Levine conducting; 1990 — Lou Harrison: Symphony No. 4, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, by the Brooklyn Philharmonic (with tenor Damon Evan), Dennis Russell Davies conducting; Other: 1748—J.S. Bach writes a letter to his cousin, J.E. Bach of Schweinfurt, regarding a mishap concerning a cask of wine his cousin sent to Leipzig as a gift; 1900—French composer Vincent d'Indy reorganizes the Schola Cantorum of Paris as a music school; 1937—Artur Rodzinski conducts a "dress rehearsal" broadcast of the NBC Symphony, an orchestra formed specifically for Arturo Toscanini; Pierre Monteux led the first "official" broadcast on Nov. 13, 1937; Toscanini's debut concert with the NBC Symphony occurred on Christmas Day, 1937; Toscanini's final NBC Symphony broadcast, an all-Wagner program, occurred on April 4, 1954; 1979—Peter Shaffer's drama "Amadeus" premieres at the National Theatre in London, directed by Peter Hall, starring Simon Callow as Mozart and Paul Scofield as Salieri; The British composer Harrison Birtwistle acted as Music Director for this production. |
