Synopsis
Today we remember the Russian composer Reinhold Glière, who died in Moscow on today’s date in 1956. These days Glière is probably best known for the popular “Russian Sailor’s Dance” from his ballet “The Red Poppy.”
Glière was born in Kiev in 1875, and studied at the Moscow Conservatory, where he later became professor of composition. That was after the Russian Revolution, and Glière could count among his students Sergei Prokofiev and Nikolai Miaskovsky. With the success of works like “The Red Poppy,” Glière is often cited as the founder of Soviet ballet.
Glière also wrote several symphonies, all intensely Russian in color and character. The most famous of these is his Third, subtitled “Ilya Murometz” after a legendary Russian folk hero.
Glière was also intrigued by the folk music of the far eastern republics of the then USSR, incorporating folk themes from the Soviet Union’s Trans-Caucus and Central Asian peoples into some of his orchestral scores.
He was a very prolific composer, but apart from a handful of very popular works, most of Glière's operas, ballets and orchestral works remain largely unfamiliar to most music lovers in the West.
Music Played in Today's Program
Reinhold Glière (1875 – 1956) Russian Sailors' Dance, from The Red Poppy Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, cond. BMG 63313
Reinhold Glière Symphony No. 3 (Ilya Murometz) London Symphony; Leon Botstein, cond. Telarc 80609
On This Day
Births
1824 - German pianist and composer Carl Reinecke, in Altona;
Deaths
1956 - Soviet composer Reinhold Glière, age 80, in Moscow;
Premieres
1972 - David Ward-Steinman: "Sonata for Piano Fortified," by Gary Wolf at the University of South Florida, Tampa;
1982 - Persichetti: Harpsichord Sonata No. 2, in Cleveland, by harpsichordist Elaine Comparone.
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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.