Poster John Birge
John Birge
YourClassical MPR

Composers Datebook®

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

YourClassical

Night music by Delius and Danielpour

Frederick Delius (1862-1934) Summer Night on the River BBC Symphony; Andrew Davis, cond. Teldec 90845 Richard Danielpour (b. 1956) Celestial Night Philharmonia Orchestra; Zdenek Macal, cond. Sony 60779

YourClassical

Musical Carpentry?

John Alden Carpenter (1876-1951) Symphony No. 2 National Symphony of Ukraine; John McLaughlin Williams, cond. Naxos 8.559065

YourClassical

Offenbach puts a critic to work

Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) Orpheus in the Underworld English National Opera Orchestra and Chorus; Mark Elder, cond. MCA 6325

YourClassical

Lou Harrison's Piano Concerto

Lou Harrison (1917-2003) Piano Concerto Keith Jarrett, piano; New Japan Philharmonic; Naoto Otomo, cond. New World 366

YourClassical
YourClassical

Symphonic Mahler and Moross

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) Symphony No. 5 Chicago Symphony; Claudio Abbado, cond. DG 427 254 Jerome Moross (1913-1983) Symphony No. 1 London Symphony; JoAnn Falletta, cond. Koch 7188

YourClassical

Mendelssohn at Starbucks?

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 25 Cyprien Katsaris, piano; Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Kurt Masur, cond Teldec 8.43681

YourClassical

American premieres by Copland and Tower

Joan Tower (b. 1938) Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 4 Colorado Symphony; Marin Alsop, cond Koch 7469 Aaron Copland (1900-1990) Rodeo Saint Louis Symphony; Leonard Slatkin, cond. EMI 73653

YourClassical
YourClassical

Lully and Moliere send in the clowns

Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) Le bourgeois gentilhomme Comedy-Ballet Le Concert des Nations; Jordi Savall, cond. Alia Vox 9807

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.