Chaminade in America
Cecile Chaminade (1857-1944) L'Ondine, Op. 101 and Scherzo in C, fr Op. 35 Peter Jacobs, p Hyperion 66584
John Birge
YourClassical MPR
Composers Datebook®
Reminding you that all music was once new ® • with host John Birge
Mendelssohn gets wet and wild
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847) The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave) Overture BBC Symphony; Sir Colin Davis, cond Philips 426 978
An opera debut for Britten and Bernstein
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) Sunday Morning and Storm, fr Peter Grimes New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, cond Sony Classical 47541
Of Mountains and Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) Bryce Canyon and the Red-Orange Rocks, fr From the Canyons to the Stars London Sinfonietta; Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond CBS/Sony 44762
A "Theme Noir" by David Raksin
David Raksin (b. 1912) Laura Theme New Philharmonia; David Raksin, cond. BMG/RCA 1490
Rossini asks "Who was that masked man?"
Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) William Tell Overture Philharmonia Orchestra; Carlo Maria Giulini, cond. EMI 69042 Dimitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) Symphony No. 15 in A, Op. 141 London Philharmonic; Mariss Jansons, cond. EMI 56591
Gluck and Glass in the Underworld
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787) Dance of the Blessed Spirits, fr Orphée Academy of Ancient Music; Christopher Hogwood, cond. L'oiseau Lyre 410 553 Philip Glass (b.1937) Act 2 Interlude, fr Orphée Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra; Dennis Russell Davies, cond. Nonesuch 79496-2
Mozart in Salzburg, Dvořák in America
Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791) Piano Concerto No. 9 in Eb, K. 271 Mitsuko Uchida, p; English Chamber Orchestra; Jeffrey Tate, cond. Philips 438 634 Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904) String Quintet in Eb, Op. 97 Smetana Quartet with Josef Suk, vla. Denon 72507
Bach at rest
J.S. Bach (1685-1750) St. Matthew Passion SW German Madrigal Chorus; Wolfgang Gönnenwein, cond. EMI Classics 79544 J.S. Bach (1685-1750) arr. Chris Brubeck Variations on Themes by Bach Joel Brown, guitar; London Symphony; Joel Revzen, cond. Koch International 7485
Ellington honored — finally!
Edward Kennedy ("Duke") Ellington (1899-1974) The Golden Broom and the Green Apple Duke Ellington, piano; Cincinnati Symphony; Erich Kunzel, cond. MCA 42318
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.