A dream situation for Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847) A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Kurt Masur, cond. Teldec 46323
John Birge
YourClassical MPR
Composers Datebook®
Reminding you that all music was once new ® • with host John Birge
Bach gives notice
J. S. Bach (1685 - 1750) Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; David Shifrin, cond. Delos 3185
Mozart gets married
Wolfgang Mozart (1756 - 1791) Mass in c Kathleen Battle, soprano; Vienna Philharmonic; James Levine, cond. DG 423 664
Bennett and Sousa at Bat
John Philip Sousa (1854 - 1932) The National Game Royal Artillery Band; Keith Brion, cond. Naxos 8. 559092
Music for the Queen Mum
Patrick Doyle (b. 1953) The Thistle and the Rose Marie McLaughlin, soprano Patrick Gowers (b. 1936) Suite for Violin Jose Luis Garcia, violin David Matthews (b. 1943) Romanza Mstislav Rostropovich, cello; English Chamber Orchestra; Raymond Leppard, cond all three pieces on EMI 54164
Zwilich's Horn Concerto
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (b. 1939) Horn Concerto David Jolley, horn; MSU Symphony Orchestra; Leon Gregorian, cond. Koch 7487
Morton Gould's "Pavanne"
Morton Gould (1913 – 1996) Pavanne, fr American Symphonette No. 2 St. Louis Symphony; Leonard Slatkin, cond. RCA 60778
Mendelssohn in Scotland
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847) Symphony No. 3 (Scottish) London Symphony; Peter Maag, cond. London 466 990
Dvořák and friends
Antonin Dvořák (1841 – 1904) String Quartet in Eb, Op. 51 Takacs Quartet London 466 197
Ligeti in Salzburg
Gyorgy Ligeti (b. 1923) Mysteries of the Macabre, fr Le Grand Macabre Sibylle Ehlert, soprano; Philharmonia Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond. Sony 62311
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.