Poster John Birge
John Birge
YourClassical MPR

Composers Datebook®

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

YourClassical

HK Gruber

HK Gruber (b. 1943) Three Mob Pieces London Mob Ensemble; HK Gruber EMI 56441 HK Gruber (b. 1943) Frankenstein!! HK Gruber, singer (?); Salzburg Camerata; Franz Welser-Most, cond. EMI 56441

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Dvořák reviewed

Antonín Dvořák (1841 –1904) String Quartet, Op 96 (American) Keller Quartet Warner 44355

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Violin Concerto(s) by Brahms

Johannes Brahms (1833 –1897) Violin Concerto, Op. 77 Hilary Hahn, violin; St. Martin's Academy; Sir Neville Marriner, cond. Sony 89649

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Martinu and Hanson premieres

Bohuslav Martinu (1890–1959) Violin Concerto No. 2 Josef Suk, violin; Czech Philharmonic; Vaclav Neumann, cond. Supraphon 11 0702 Howard Hanson (1896–1981) Piano Concerto, Op. 36 Alfred Mouledous, piano; Eastman-Rochester Orchestra; Howard Hanson, cond. Mercury 434 370

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Prokofiev in peace and (cold) war

Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953) March, fr The Love of Three Oranges Montreal Symphony; Charles Dutoit, cond. London 440 331

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The Seattle Symphony

Max Bruch (1838–1920) Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 44 Nai-Yuan Hu, violin; Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, cond. Delos 3156 Deborah Drattell (b. 1956) Lilith Seattle Symphony; Gerard Schwarz, cond. Delos 3159

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Huss in Boston

Henry Holden Huss (1862–1953) Piano Concerto, Op. 10 Ian Hobson, piano; BBC Scottish Symphony; Martyn Brabbins, cond. Hyperion 66949

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Bruckner in Boston

Anton Bruckner (1824–1896) Symphony No. 5 Saarbrucken Radio Symphony; Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, cond. Arte Nova 43305

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Brahms up and down

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80 New York Philharmonic; Kurt Masur, cond. Teldec 77291 Johannes Brahms Tragic Overture, Op. 81 Vienna Symphony; Wolfgang Sawallisch, cond. Philips 438 760

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The Bachs at Christmas

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Magnificat, S. 1082 Gachinger Kantorei and Stuttgart Bach-Collegium; Helmuth Rilling, cond. Hanssler 92.073

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.