Beethoven's Eroica premiere
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1828) Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) Berlin Philharmonic; Herbert von Karajan, cond. DG 429 036
John Birge
YourClassical MPR
Composers Datebook®
Reminding you that all music was once new ® • with host John Birge
Composers as soloists: Beach and Schuller
Amy Beach (1867-1944) Piano Concerto in c#, Op. 45 Joanne Polk, piano; English Chamber Orchestra; Paul Goodwin, cond. Arabesque 6738 Gunther Schuller (b. 1925) Horn Concerto No. 1 Richard Todd, horn; Saarbrucken Radio Symphony; Gunther Schuller, cond. GM 2044
Lou Harrison conducts an Ives premiere
Charles Ives (1874-1954) Symphony No. 3 Concertgebouw Orchestra; Michael Tilson Thomas, cond. CBS/Sony 37823
Of success and sorrow: Gorecki's Third
Henryk Gorecki (b. 1933) No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) Dawn Upshaw, soprano; London Sinfonietta; David Zinman, cond. Nonesuch 79282
The international Mr. Grieg
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) Piano Concerto in a, Op. 16 Sviatoslav Richter, piano; Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra; Lovro von Matacic , cond. Angel/EMI Classics 47164
Politically correct Bruckner, circa 1937
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) Symphony No. 9 in d Minnesota Orchestra; Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, cond. Reference 81
Copland's "The Tender Land"
Aaron Copland (1900-1990) The Tender Land Suite Boston Symphony; Aaron Copland, cond. RCA/BMG 6802
W. G. Still's all-star lineup
William Grant Still (1895-1978) Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American) Detroit Symphony; Neeme Järvi, cond. Chandos 9154
Piston on campus
Walter Piston (1894-1976) Symphony No. 4 Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, cond. Delos 3106
Athletically-inclined music by Janacek and Torke
Leos Janácek (1854-1928) Sinfonietta Boston Symphony; Seiji Ozawa, cond. EMI 47837 Michael Torke (b. 1961) Javelin Atlanta Symphony; Yoel Levi, cond. Argo 452 101
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.