Synopsis
Music Played in Today's Program
John Corigliano (b. 1938) Symphony No. 1 Chicago Symphony; Daniel Barenboim, cond. Erato 45601
On This Day
Births
1835 - Austrian composer and conductor Eduard Strauss, in Vienna; He was the youngest son of Johann Strauss, Sr.;
1864 - Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist Johan Halvorsen, in Drammen;
1901 - American composer Colin McPhee, in Montréal, Canada;
1926 - American composer Ben Johnston, in Macon, Ga.;
1928 - American composer Nicolas Flagello, in New York City;
Deaths
1842 - Italian composer Luigi Cherubini, age 81, in Paris;
1918 - French composer Lili Boulanger, age 24, in Mezy;
1942 - Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky, age 70, in Larchmont, N.Y.;
Premieres
1807 - Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 (first public performance), in Vienna, at a benefit concert conducted by the composer;
1885 - Franck: symphonic poem "Les Dijinns" (The Genies), in Paris;
1897 - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1 (Gregorian date: Mar. 27);
1908 - Ravel: "Rapsodie espagnole" (Spanish Rhapsody), in Paris;
1911 - Scriabin: Symphony No. 5 ("Prometheus: Poem of Fire"), in Moscow, conducted by Serge Koussevitzky and with the composer performing the solo piano part (Julian date: Mar. 2);
1981 - Stockhausen: opera "Donnerstag, aus Licht" (Thursday, from Light), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; This is one of a projected cycle of seven operas, each named after a day of the week;
1994 - Peter Maxwell Davies: "Chat Moss" (the name of a quagmire in Lancashire) for orchestra, in Liverpool by the orchestra of St. Edward's College, John Moseley conducting;
2000 - Corigliano: "Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan," at Carnegie Hall, by soprano Sylvia McNair and pianist Martin Katz; An orchestrated version of this song-cycle premiered in Minneapolis on October 23, 2003, with soprano Hila Plitmann and the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Robert Spano;
Others
1895 - Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, age 22, makes his operatic debut at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples, singing the lead tenor role in Domenico Morelli's comic opera "L'Amico Francesco."
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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.