Persichetti and Tania Leon for band
Vincent Pershichetti (1915–1987) Symphony No. 6 (Symphony for Band) Eastman Wind Ensemble; Frederick Fennell, cond. Mercury 432 754 Tania Leon (b. 1943) Alegre American Composers Forum Bandquest CD-ROM Hal Leonard
John Birge
YourClassical MPR
Composers Datebook®
Reminding you that all music was once new ® • with host John Birge
Handel's famous "Largo"
George Frederic Handel (1685–1759) Largo, from Xerxes Boston Pops; Arthur Fiedler, cond. BMG 62698
Delibes on stage and TV
Léo Delibes (1836 - 1891) Flower Duet, from Lakmé BBC Concert Orchestra; Barry Wordsworth, cond. London 473 371 Léo Delibes Flower Duet, from Lakmé Natalie Dessay and Delphine Haidan, sopranos; Toulouse Capitole Orchestra; Michel Plasson, cond. EMI 67830
Handel in New York
George Frederic Handel (1685–1759) Amen, from Messiah Ambrosian Singers; English Chamber Orchestra; Sir Charles Mackerras, cond. EMI 79543
Henri Lazarof
Henri Lazarof (1932 - 2013) Violin Concerto Yukiko Kamei, violin; Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, cond. Naxos 8.559159
A Purcell premiere?
Henry Purcell (1659–1695) Dido and Aeneas Suite Freiburg Baroque Orchestra; Thomas Hengelbrock, cond. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 77231
Skrowaczewski's "Imaginary Passacaglia"
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (1923 - 2017) Passacaglia Immaginaria Saarbrucken Radio Symphony; Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, cond. Albany 481
Rorem's "Water Music"
Ned Rorem (b. 1923) Water Music Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; Jeffrey Kahane, cond. BMG 63512
Larsen's Calamity Jane songs
Libby Larsen (b. 1950) Songs from Letters Benita Valente, soprano; Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Joel Revzen, cond. Koch 7481
A Passion for Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) St. John Passion Collegium Vocale; Philippe Herreweghe, cond. Harmonia Mundi 90.1748/49
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.