Poster John Birge
John Birge
YourClassical MPR

Composers Datebook®

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

YourClassical

Copland and Kernis on the air

Aaron Copland (1900-1990) Music for Radio (Saga of the Prairies) Pacific Symphony; Keith Clark, cond. Albany TROY- 064 Aaron Jay Kernis (b. 1960) Still Movement with Hymn Pamela Frank, violin; Paul Neubauer, viola; Carter Brey, cello; Christopher O'Riley, piano. Argo 448 174

YourClassical

Barber in Salzburg

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Fidelio Overture Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Kurt Masur, cond. Philips 438 706 Samuel Barber (1910-1981) Symphony No. 1, Op. 9 Baltimore Symphony; David Zinman, cond. Argo 436 288

YourClassical

A West-Coast premiere for Still

William Grant Still (1895-1978) Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American) Detroit Symphony; Neeme Järvi, cond. Chandos 9154

YourClassical

Falla and Sierra

Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) The Three-cornered Hat Ballet Suisse Romande Orchestra; Ernest Ansermet, cond. London 414 039 Roberto Sierra (b. 1953) Eros Jeani Foster, flute; Stefanie Jacob, piano Fleur de son Classics 57950

YourClassical

Occasional music by Mozart and Tippett

Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791) Serenade No. 7 in D (Haffner) Prague Chamber Orchestra; Sir Charles Mackerras, cond. Telarc 80161 Sir Michael Tippett (1905-1998) Suite for the birthday of Prince Charles Chicago Symphony; Sir Georg Solti, cond. London 425 646

YourClassical

Music at Watergate

Aaron Copland (1900-1990) Rodeo London Symphony; Aaron Copland, cond. Sony Classical 60593 William Schuman (1910-1992) Newsreel Milwaukee Symphony; Lukas Foss, cond. Pro Arte 102

YourClassical

The long and the short of it

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Der Rosenkavalier Suite Bavarian Radio Symphony; Lorin Maazel, cond. BMG/RCA 68225 Anton Webern (1883-1945) No. 4, from Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 10 Ensemble InterContemporain; Pierre Boulez, cond. Deutsche Grammophon 437 786 Morton Feldman (1926-1987) For Philip Guston S.E.M. Ensemble Dog w/a Bone 02

YourClassical

Sallinen and Kronos

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) String Quartet No. 17 in Bb Quartetto Italiano Philips 422 512 Aulis Sallinen (b. 1935) String Quartet no. 5 (Pieces of Mosaic) Sibelius Quartet Ondine 831

YourClassical

Water music by Handel and Larsen

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Water Music Royal Philharmonic: Sir Yehudi Menuhin, cond. MCA 6186 Libby Larsen (b. 1950) Symphony (Water Music) Minnesota Orchestra; Sir Neville Marriner Nonesuch 79147

YourClassical

Theatrical Mozart and Burgon

Wolfgart Mozart (1756-1791) The Abduction from the Seraglio Robert Gambill, tenor; Vienna Symphony; Bruno Weil, cond. CBS/Sony 53500 Geoffrey Burgon (1941 - 2010) Brideshead Revisited Philharmonia Orchestra; Geoffrey Burgon, cond. Silva 1005

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.