Poster John Birge
John Birge
YourClassical MPR

Composers Datebook®

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

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A Diamond premiere

David Diamond (1915-2005) Symphony No. 2 Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, cond. Delos 3093

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Columbus Day music

Victor Herbert (1859-1924) Columbus Suite Slovak Radio Symphony; Keith Brion, cond. Naxos 8.559027 James DeMars (b. 1952) Premonitions of Christopher Columbus Tos Ensemble with R. Carlos Nakai, Native American flute Canyon 7014

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Concertos by Nielsen and Adams

Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) Clarinet Concerto, Op. 57 Kjell-Inge Stevennson, clarinet; Danish Radio Symphony; Herbert Blomstedt, cond. EMI 69758 John Adams (b. 1947) Gnarly Buttons Michael Collins, clarinet; London Sinfonietta; John Adams, cond. Nonesuch 79453

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Verdi and Creston

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Triumphal March, fr Aida New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, cond. Sony 45734 Paul Creston (1906-1985) Symphony No. 1 National Symphony of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, cond. Naxos 8.559034

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A birthday Beatle

Lennon and McCartney (arr. Toru Takemitsu) Here, There and Everywhere John Williams, guitar Sony 66704

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Sharon Isbin and John Corigliano

John Corigliano (b. 1938) Troubadours Sharon Isbin, guitar; Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; Hugh Wolff, cond. Virgin 55083

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Music and politics by Rimsky-Korsakov and Adams

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) The Golden Cockerel Suite Russian National Orchestra; Mikhail Pletnev, cond. DG 447 084 John Adams (b. 1947) The Chairman Dances San Francisco Symphony; Edo de Waart, cond. Nonesuch 79453

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Brahms and Rzewski for amateurs

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Liebeslieder Waltz No. 18, Op..52a Silke-Thora Matthies and Christian Köhn, piano Naxos 553140 Frederic Rzewski (b. 1938) The Days Fly By Ursula Oppens, piano companion CD to Boosey and Hawkes"The Carnegie Hall Millennium Piano Book" ASIN: B003AG8IUK

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Timely Argento and Takemitsu

Dominick Argento (b. 1927) A Ring of Time Minnesota Orchestra; Eiji Oue, cond. Reference 91 Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996) From Me Flows What You Call Time Pacific Symphony; Carl St. Clair, cond. Sony 63044

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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.