Hugo Wolf and the Wagner-Brahms Wars
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903) Italian Serenade I Solisti Italiani Denon 9150
John Birge
YourClassical MPR
Composers Datebook®
Reminding you that all music was once new ® • with host John Birge
Meyerbeer and Lloyd Webber — "On Ice"
Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791-1864) Les Patineurs (The Skaters) Ballet Philadelphia Orchestra/ Eugene Ormandy CBS/Sony 46341 Andrew Lloyd Webber (b. 1948) Starlight Express Suite Cincinnati Pops; Erich Kunzel, cond. Telarc 80405
Bryars and Horner on the Titanic
Gavin Bryars (b. 1943) The Sinking of the Titanic Gavin Bryars and ensemble Point Music 446 249 James Horner (b. 1953) Titanic sountrack studio orchesra; James Horner, cond. Sony Classcial 63213
Jay Ungar and Roy Harris meet Ken Burns?
Jay Ungar (b. 1946) Ashokan Farewell Jay Ungar, fiddle; Newman-Oltman Guitar Duo MusicMasters 67145 Roy Harris (1898-1979) Symphony No. 6 (Gettysburg) Pacific Symphony; Keith Clark, cond. Varese -Sarabande 47245
Handel "Recycled" by Zwilich (and Handel himself)
George Frederic Handel (1685 - 1759) Sinfoni, fr Messiah Boston Baroque Orchestra; Martin Pearlman, cond. Telarc 80348 Ellen Taafe Zwilich (b. 1939) Concerto Grosso 1985 New York Philharmonic; Zubin Mehta, cond. New World 372
Castelnuovo-Tedesco in New York
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) Violin Concerto No. 2 (The Prophets) Jascha Heifetz, violin; Los Angeles Philharmonic; Alfred Wallenstein, cond. RCA BMG 7872
Piano Trios by Beethoven and Reale
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1828) Piano Trio in Bb, Op. 70, no. 2 (Archduke) Wilhelm Kempff, piano; Henryk Szeryng, violin; Pierre Fournier, cello DG 453 751 Paul Reale (b. 1943) Finale, fr Piano Trio (1980)
Antheil at Carnegie Hall
George Antheil (1900 - 1959) A Jazz Symphony Ivan Davis, piano; New Palaise Royale Ensemble; Maurice Peress, cond. MusicMasters 67094
Rubinstein "rescues" Manuel de Falla
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) Nights in the Gardens of Spain and Ritual Fire Dance Artur Rubinstein, piano; Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, cond. RCA/BMG 63070
A Bartok premiere (and patron)
Béla Bartók (1881-1945) String Quartet No. 5 Emerson String Quartet DG 423 657
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.