Vierne and Alain meet their ends

Synopsis

Music Played in Today's Program

Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937) Carillon de Longpont Richard Proulx, organ Sacred Heart 101

Jehan Alain (1911 - 1940) Litanies Carlo Curley, organ Argo 430 200

On This Day

Births

• 1835 - Russian composer, pianist and conductor Nicolai Rubinstein (brother of Anton), in Moscow (Gregorian date: June 14);

• 1857 - English composer Sir Edward Elgar, in Broadheath (near Worcester);

• 1863 - German composer and conductor Felix Weingartner, in Zara, Dalmatia (now Zadar, Croatia);

Deaths

• 1937 - French composer and organist Louis Vierne, age 66, in Paris at Notre Dame Cathedral while playing an organ recital;

Premieres

• 1914 - Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 1, in Pavlovsk (Gregorian date: June 15);

• 1937 - Berg: opera "Lulu" (Acts 1 & 2 only), in Zürich at the Stadtstheater; The first complete performance of the 3-act version of this opera with Berg's unfinished Act 3 (arranged by Friedrich Cerha) premiered in Paris on February 24, 1979;

• 1953 - Bliss: "Processional" in London, at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II;

• 1953 - Ginastera: "Variaciones Concertantes" in Buenos Aires;

• 1953 - Walton: "Coronation Te Deum" and "Orb and Sceptre" March, in London, at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II;

• 1954 - Leroy Anderson: "Bugler's Holiday" at a Decca recording session in New York City, with the composer conducting; The three cornet soloist for this classic recording were Robert Cusamann, Carl Poole and Melven Solomon;

• 1983 - Henze: opera "The English Cat," in Schwetzingen at the Schlosstheater;

Others

• 1711 - The opera season at the Queen's Theater in London ends with a production of Handel's opera, "Rinaldo," (Gregorian date: June 13) which had opened there on February 24 (Gregorian date: March 7) the same year; This was the first Handel opera produced in London, and the first Italian opera written specifically composed for the London stage, and proved extremely popular;

• 1938 - At the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, N.H., Amy Beach begins work on a Piano Trio based on some of her earlier works; She would finish the trio fifteen days later (June 18th) and publish it as her Op. 150.