Offenbach, Wagner and Satsuma in New York

Synopsis

In the 19th century, same as today, New Yorkers looking for fun had a lot to choose from. Can you blame them for being a little jaded, when, for example, on today's date in 1871, the options included these three musical offerings:

First: at Lina Edwin's Theater, a musical burlesque entitled "Pluto," an entertainment The New York Times billed as an "Anglicized and condensed" version of Jacques Offenbach's racy operetta, "Orpheus in the Underworld," with, as an added attraction, interpolated comic sketches and monologues by the show's star, the David Letterman of the day, the ever-popular comedian Mr. Lingard .

Second: for the more serious sort, the American staged premiere of Richard Wagner's opera, "Lohengrin," at the Stadt Theater. The Times noted that Wagner's opera was "brought out in Germany some 20 years earlier, but was unknown here in its entirety until now." A large audience showed up for the "entirety" of "Lohengrin," which lasted over four hours and ended around midnight.

Finally: at Broadway's Minstrel Hall, directly from Japan, twenty star performers from Satsuma's Japanese Circus Troupe offered "varied and interesting" entertainment in New York that night, including the amazing Mr. Yadunochi, who first smoked a pipe, then ate it, then smoked WITHOUT his pipe while playing on a flute and expelling smoke from that instrument, and, for his grand finale, concluded by reproducing, as the Times put it "the original pipe whole and unsullied." Now, THAT'S entertainment!

In addition to old newspapers, a fascinating (if highly opinionated) account of music-making in 19 th century New York City can be found in the diaries of George Templeton Strong. These diaries are quoted frequently in the Ken and Ric Burns PBS television documentaries "The Civil War" and " New York." Before her death, music historian Vera Brodsky Lawrence compiled and meticulously annotated a three-volume selection from Strong's diaries entitled "Strong on Music," which covers 1836-1862 in great detail ( University of Chicago Press).

Music Played in Today's Program

Offenbach (arr. Rosenthal) Cancan, from Gaite Parisienne Montréal Symphony; Charles Dutoit, cond. London 430 718

Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883) Act 3 Prelude, fr Lohengrin Berlin Philharmonic; Daniel Barenboim , cond. Teldec 81791

Kozaburo Hirai Sonata Kazue Frances Asawa, flute; Kazue Kudo, koto Crystal 316

On This Day

Births

• 1889 - Rumanian composer and violinist Grigoras Dinicu, in Bucharest; He is best known for his virtuoso violin showpiece "Hora staccato" (1906);

• 1895 - Italian-born American composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, in Florence;

Deaths

• 1850 - Bohemian composer Jan Václav Tomášek (Johann Wenzel Tomaschek), age 75, in Prague;

• 1868 - Swedish composer Frans Berwald, age 71, in Stockholm;

• 1897 - German composer Johannes Brahms, age 63, in Vienna;

• 1950 - German-born American composer Kurt Weill, age 50, in New York City;

• 1972 - American composer and arranger Ferde Grofé, age 80, in Santa Monica, Calif.;

Premieres

• 1748 - Handel: oratorio "Alexander Balus" (Julian date: March 23);

• 1786 - Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 in c, K. 491, at the Burgtheater in Vienna, with the composer as soloist;

• 1869 - Grieg: Piano Concerto in a, Op. 16, in Copenhagen, by the Danish Royal Theater Orchestra conducted by Holger Simon Paulli, and Edmund Neupert the soloist;

• 1911 - Sibelius: Symphony No. 4, in Helsinki, with the composer conducting;

• 1923 - Roussel: ballet "Le Festin de l'araignée" (The Spider's Feast), in Paris;

• 1925 - Holst: opera "At the Boar's Head," in Manchester;

• 1931 - Hindemith: "Concert Music,"by the Boston Symphony (commissioned for the orchestra's 50 th anniversary), with Serge Koussevitzky conducting;

• 1998 - Tan Dun: "Concerto for Six Players " in Durham, N.C., by the Bang On A Can All-Stars;

• 2003 - Elliott Carter: "Boston Concerto," by the Boston Symphony, Ingo Metzmacher conducting;

Others

• 1834 - The "Neue Zeitschrift für Musik" (New Journal of Music) begins publication, with Robert Schumann as contributing editor;

• 1843 - The Leipzig Conservatory opens, with Felix Mendelssohn as its director;

• 1871 - American premiere of Wagner's opera "Lohengrin," at the Stadt Theater in New York City;

• 1926 - American premiere of Sibelius' Symphony No. 7, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting.