Poster John Birge
John Birge
YourClassical MPR

Composers Datebook®

Reminding you that all music was once new ® • with host John Birge

Composers Datebook for December 16, 2013

YourClassical

On Beethoven, Saint-Saens, and fossil-hunting

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) Variations on a theme of Beethoven Philippe Corre and Edouard Exerjean, pianos Pierre Verany 790041 Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) Fossils, from Carnival of the Animals Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire, pianos; Markus Steckeler, xylophone; ensemble Philips 446557

1:59
YourClassical

Dvořák's "Toy Story?"

Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904) Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) New York Philharmonic; Kurt Masur, cond. Teldec 73244

1:59
YourClassical

Messiaen and Respighi for the birds

Franz Schubert (1891-1828) Hark, hark the Lark (arr. Franz Liszt) Frederic Chiu, piano Harmonia Mundi 90.7054 Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) Oiseaux Exotiques Peter Donohoe, piano; Netherlands Wind Ensemble Chandos 9301/2 Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) The Pines of Rome Minnesota Orchestra; Eiji Oue, cond. Reference 95

1:59
YourClassical

Mahler and Schoenfield at the Vaudeville?

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) London Symphony; Gilbert Kaplan, cond. Conifer 51337 Paul Schoenfield (b. 1947) Vaudeville New World Symphony; John Nelson, cond. Argo 440 212

1:59
YourClassical

Ravel and Zaimont

Maurice Ravel (1875 -1937) La Valse Boston Symphony; Charles Munch, cond. RCA 6522 Judith Lang Zaimont (b. 1945) Symphony No. 1 Czech Radio Symphony; Leos Svarovsky, cond. Arabesque 6742

1:59
YourClassical

Bizet and Menotti on TV in the 1950s

Georges Bizet (1838-1875) Carmen Suite No. 1 Orchestre National de France; Seiji Ozawa, cond. EMI 63898 Giancarlo Menotti (b. 1911) March, from Amahl and the Night Visitors New Zealand Symphony; Andrew Schenck, cond. Koch 7005

1:59
YourClassical

Morton Gould

Morton Gould (1913-1996) Spirituals for Strings London Philharmonic;Kenneth Klein, cond. EMI 49462

1:59
YourClassical
1:59
YourClassical

Beethoven and Kernis in a somber mood

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No. 7 Vienna Philharmonic; Carlos Kleiber, cond. DG 447 400 Aaron Jay Kernis (b. 1960) Meditation (in memory of John Lennon) Eberli Ensemble Phoenix 142

1:59
YourClassical

The Philharmonic does Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No. 5 Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique; John Eliot Gardiner, cond. DG Archiv 439 900

1:59

About Composers Datebook®

Host John Birge presents a daily snapshot of composers past and present, with timely information, intriguing musical events and appropriate, accessible music related to each.

He has been hosting, producing and performing classical music for more than 25 years. Since 1997, he has been hosting on Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Service. He played French horn for the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra and performed with them on their centennial tour of Europe in 1995. He was trained at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.

YourClassical Radio
0:00
0:00