Poster John Birge
John Birge
YourClassical MPR

Composers Datebook®

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

YourClassical

Mozart gets married

Wolfgang Mozart (1756 - 1791) Mass in c Kathleen Battle, soprano; Vienna Philharmonic; James Levine, cond. DG 423 664

YourClassical

Bennett and Sousa at Bat

John Philip Sousa (1854 - 1932) The National Game Royal Artillery Band; Keith Brion, cond. Naxos 8. 559092

YourClassical

Music for the Queen Mum

Patrick Doyle (b. 1953) The Thistle and the Rose Marie McLaughlin, soprano Patrick Gowers (b. 1936) Suite for Violin Jose Luis Garcia, violin David Matthews (b. 1943) Romanza Mstislav Rostropovich, cello; English Chamber Orchestra; Raymond Leppard, cond all three pieces on EMI 54164

YourClassical

Zwilich's Horn Concerto

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (b. 1939) Horn Concerto David Jolley, horn; MSU Symphony Orchestra; Leon Gregorian, cond. Koch 7487

YourClassical

Morton Gould's "Pavanne"

Morton Gould (1913 – 1996) Pavanne, fr American Symphonette No. 2 St. Louis Symphony; Leonard Slatkin, cond. RCA 60778

YourClassical

Mendelssohn in Scotland

Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847) Symphony No. 3 (Scottish) London Symphony; Peter Maag, cond. London 466 990

YourClassical

Dvořák and friends

Antonin Dvořák (1841 – 1904) String Quartet in Eb, Op. 51 Takacs Quartet London 466 197

YourClassical

Ligeti in Salzburg

Gyorgy Ligeti (b. 1923) Mysteries of the Macabre, fr Le Grand Macabre Sibylle Ehlert, soprano; Philharmonia Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond. Sony 62311

YourClassical

Herrmann delivers a new symphony

Bernard Herrmann (1911 – 1975) Symphony No. 1 National Philharmonic; Bernard Herrmann, cond. Unicorn- Kanchana 2063

YourClassical

Wolfgang, Jr.

Franz Xaver Mozart (1791 – 1844) Piano Concerto in C, Op. 14 Klaus Hellwig, piano; Cologne Radio Symphony; Roland Bader, cond. Koch-Schwann 311004

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.