Poster John Birge
John Birge
YourClassical MPR

Composers Datebook®

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

Composers Datebook for May 30

YourClassical

Piston goes to the dogs

Walter Piston (1894 -1976) The Incredible Flutist Columbia Symphony; Leonard Bernstein, cond. Sony 61849

1:59
YourClassical

Cowell's "Seven Rituals"

Henry Cowell (1897 – 1965) Symphony No. 11 (Seven Rituals of Music) The Louisville Orchestra; Robert S. Whitney, cond. First Editions 0003

1:59
YourClassical

Josiah Flagg, Music Man?

John Greenwood The Hessian Camp First Michigan Colonial Fife and Drum Corps Private release G.F. Handel (1685 – 1757) Water Music English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, cond. DG 439 147

1:59
YourClassical

Stravinsky and Larsen "do" Eliot

Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971) The Dove Descending The Gregg Smith Singers; St. Luke's Orchestra; Robert Craft, cond. MusicMasters 67152 Libby Larsen (b. 1950) Ring of Fire London Symphony; Joel Revzen, cond. Koch 7370

1:59
YourClassical
1:59
YourClassical

Delibes plays with dolls?

Leo Delibes (1836 –1891) Coppelia Lyons Opera Orchestra; Kent Nagano, cond. Erato 91730

1:59
YourClassical

Elgar's Second

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Symphony No. 2 London Symphony; Sir Colin Davis, cond. LSO 18

1:59
YourClassical

Da Ponte (and Mozart) in New York

Wolfgang Mozart (1756 – 1791) arr. Triebensee Don Giovanni Suite Amadeus Ensemble; Julius Rudel, cond. MusicMasters 67118

1:59
YourClassical

Bright Sheng's "Flute Moon"

Bright Sheng (b. 1955) Flute Moon Sharon Bezaly, flute; Singapore Symphony; Lan Shui, cond. BIS 1122

1:59
YourClassical

Adolphe's "Tyrannosaurus Sue"

Bruce Adolphe (b. 1955) Tyrannosaurus Sue "A Cretaceous Concerto" Chicago Chamber Musicians Pollyrhythm Productions 30001

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.