Poster John Birge
John Birge
YourClassical MPR

Composers Datebook®

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

YourClassical

Cowell for winds

Henry Cowell (1897 - 1965) Suite for Woodwind Quintet Solaris Capstone 8677

YourClassical

Bach and Handel on a date?

J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750) Excerpt fr Cantata No. 22 Yo Yo Ma, cello; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra; Ton Koopman, cond. Sony Classical 60680 George Frederic Handel (1685 - 1757) Excerpt, fr Giulio Cesare Barbara Schlick, soprano; Concerto Cologne;Rene Jacobs, cond. Harmonia Mundi 90.1458

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Symphonic Adams?

John Adams (b. 1947) Naïve and Sentimental Music Los Angeles Philharmonic; Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond. Nonesuch 79636

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Berlioz uses his imagination

Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869) Dance of the Sylphs,fr La damnation de Faust Baltimore Symphony; David Zinman, cond. Telarc 80164

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Hoiby and Monk anniversaries

Lee Hoiby (b. 1926) Narrative Lee Hoiby, piano MMC 2038 Thelonius Monk (1917 – 1982) Ruby, My Dear Thelonius Monk, piano Columbia 44297

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Copland's "Vitebsk"

Aaron Copland (1900 - 1990) Vitebsk Gregory Ellis, violin; Christopher Marwood, cello; Michael Collins, piano ASV 1081

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Adams and Rouse anniversaries

John Adams (b. 1947) The Chairman Dances Baltimore Symphony; David Zinman, cond. Argo 444 454 Christopher Rouse (1949-2019) Bonham Baltimore Symphony; David Zinman, cond. Argo 444 454 Iscariot Colorado Symphony; Marin Alsop, cond. BMG 68410

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Romantic themes by Tchaikovsky and others

Charles Gounod (1818 - 1893) Romeo et Juliette Overture Munich Radio Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, cond. BMG 68440 Peter Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893) Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, cond. CBS/Sony 45736

YourClassical

Victor Herbert and ASCAP

Victor Herbert (1895 - 1924) Hang March, fr Babes in Toyland Razumovsky Symphony; Keith Brion, cond. Naxos 8.559025 Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930) Into the Woods Original Cast; Paul Gemignani, cond. RCA/BMG 6796

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Haydn's imperial anthem

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809) String Quartet, Op. 76, no. 3 (Emperor) Emerson Quartet DG 427 657

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.