Poster John Birge
John Birge
YourClassical MPR

Composers Datebook®

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

YourClassical

Tchaikovsky in New York

Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) Orchestral Suite No. 3 Detroit Symphony; Neeme Järvi, cond. Chandos 9419

YourClassical

Prokofiev and Rochberg chamber premieres

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) String Quartet No. 1 St. Petersburg String Quartet Delos 3247 George Rochberg (1918-2005) Octet (A Grand Fantasia) New York Chamber Ensemble; Stephen Rogers Radcliffe, cond. New World 80462

YourClassical

Tower's Violin Concerto

Joan Tower (b. 1938) Violin Concerto Elmar Oliveira, violin; Louisville Orchestra; Joseph Silverstein, cond. D'Note 1016

YourClassical

Lauridsen's "Rose Songs"

Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943) Les Chansons des Roses L.A. Master Chorale; Paul Salamunovich, cond. RCM 19705

YourClassical

Orchestral openings and closings

Modest Mussorgsky (1839 - 1881) Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Ravel) Minnesota Orchestra; Eiji Oue, cond. Reference 79 Franz Josef Haydn (1732-1808) Symphony No. 104 Philharmonia Hungarica; Antal Dorati, cond. London 425 935

YourClassical

Copland's "Hurricane" for kids

Aaron Copland (1900–1990) The Second Hurricane High School of Music and Art; New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, cond. Sony 60560

YourClassical

Biblical Torke

Michael Torke (b. 1961) Song of Isaiah Present Music innova 590

YourClassical

Mozart's Quintets

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) String Quintet in C, K.515 Tokyo String Quartet; Pinchas Zukerman, viola BMG 60940

YourClassical

Bernstein's "Fancy Free"

Leonard Bernstein (1918- 1990) Fancy Free Ballet New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, cond. Sony 63085

YourClassical

Mozart in New York

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) The Magic Flute Overture Capella Istropolitana; Barry Wordsworth, cond. Naxos 8.550185

PreviousNext

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.