Music for the birds by Dvořák and Rautavaara

Synopsis

Music Played in Today's Program

Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904) String Quartet, Op. 96 (American) Vlach Quartet Naxos 8.553371

Einojuhani Rautavaara (b. 1928) Cantus Arcticus, Op. 61 Lahti Symphony; Osmo Vänskä BIS 1038

On This Day

Births

• 1885 - German-born American composer Werner Josten, in Elbereld;

• 1897 - Polish-born French composer Alexandre Tansman, in Lodz;

• 1914 - French composer Maurice Ohana, in Casablanca;

• 1941 - American jazz pianist and composer, Chick (Armando Anthony) Corea in Chelsea, Mass.;

• 1952 - Scottish composer and conductor Oliver Knussen, in Glasgow;

Deaths

• 1917 - Venezuelan composer, pianist, conductor and singer, (Maria) Teresa Carreño, (Maria) Teresa, age 63, in New York City;

• 1962 - British composer John Ireland, age 82, in Rock Mill, Washington (Sussex), England;

Premieres

• 1913 - Florent Schmitt: ballet "La Tragédie de Salomé" (The Tragedy of Salome), at the Théâtre des Champes-Elysées" by the Ballet Russe, Pierre Monteux conducting;

• 1917 - Pfitzner: opera "Palestrina," in Munich at the Prinzregententheater, with Bruno Walter conducting;

• 1926 - Szymanowski: opera "King Roger," in Warsaw at the Teatr Wielki;

• 1928 - European premiere of Stravinsky: ballet "Apollon musagete," at the Sarah Bernhardt Theater in Paris, choreographed by Georges Balanchine; The world premiere performance of this work had occurred in Washington, D.C., on April 27, 1928, choreographed by Adolf Bohm;

• 1938 - Leonard Bernstein's first public performance as composer-pianist in Brookline, Mass., performing his "Music for the Dance" Nos. 1 and 2 and "Music for Two Pianos" with Mildred Spiegel;

• 1946 - Prokofiev: opera "War and Peace" (1st version), in Leningrad;

• 1952 - Bernstein: chamber opera "Trouble in Tahiti," at Brandeis University as part of the first Festival of the Creative Arts, with composer conducting;

• 1961 - Martinu: opera "The Greek Passion," in Zürich at the Stadttheater;

• 1962 - Mayzumi: symphonic poem "Samsara," in Tokyo;

• 1964 - Britten: church opera "Curlew River," in Orford Church, near Aldeburgh;

• 1974 - Elie Siegmeister: String Quartet No. 3 ("on Hebrew Themes"), at Elkins Park, Pa., by the Vieuxtemps Quartet;

• 1987 - Morton Feldman: "For Samuel Beckett," for chamber ensemble, in Amsterdam;

• 2002 - Jennifer Higdon: "Concerto for Orchestra," in Philadelphia at the American Symphony Orchestra League National Convention, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting;

Others

• 1933 - The first "concert" performance of the Duke Ellington Orchestra takes place at the London Palladium during the ensemble's first visit to England; Previously the orchestra had only performed at night clubs, dance halls, hotels and other "informal" entertainment venues; It would be ten years before Ellington would present a concert performance at Carnegie Hall in New York (on January 23, 1943).