Tchaikovsky's doubts and Stravinsky's toothache

Synopsis

Music Played in Today's Program

Peter Tchaikovsky (1833-1893) Symphony No. 5 in e, Op. 64 Berlin Philharmonic; Claudio Abbado, cond. Sony 66276

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) The Rite of Spring Cleveland Orchestra; Pierre Boulez, cond. Sony 64109

On This Day

Births

• 1919 - American composer and arranger Hershy Kay, in Philadelphia;

• 1930 - American composer, French horn player and conductor David Amram, in Philadelphia;

Deaths

• 1959 - Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, age 72, in Rio de Janeiro;

• 1982 - Estonian composer Eduard Tubin, age 77, in Stockholm;

Premieres

• 1726 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 55 ("Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht") performed on the 22nd Sunday after Trinity as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27);

• 1839 - Verdi: opera "Oberto" in Milan at the Teatro all Scala; This was Verdi's first opera;

• 1866 - Ambroise Thomas: opera, "Mignon,"in Paris at the Opéra-Comique;

• 1876 - Tchaikovsky: “Marche slav” in Moscow (see Julian date: Nov. 5);

• 1877 - Gilbert & Sullivan: operetta, "The Sorcerer," at the Opera Comique Theatre in London;

• 1888 - Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5, in St. Petersburg, with the composer conducting (se Julian date: Nov. 5);

• 1924 - Ernst von Dohnányi: "Ruralia Hungarica" in Budapest, with composer conducting;

• 1937 - Daniel Gregory Mason: "A Lincoln Symphony," John Barbirolli conducting the New York Philharmonic;

• 1955 - Bernstein: incidental music for "The Lark" (play by Jean Anoilh adapted by Lillian Hellman) in New York City at the Longacre Theater, performed by New York Pro Musica conducted by Noah Greenberg; A trial run of this show had opened in Boston at the Plymouth Theater on October 28, 1955;

• 1977 - Vincent Persichetti: "Concerto for English Horn & Strings," soloist Thomas Stacy, Erich Leinsdorf conducting New York Philharmonic;

• 1991 - Katherine Hoover: "Canyon Echoes," by flutist Susan Morris De Jong and guitarist Jeffrey Van, at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis;

• 1996 - Michael Torke: “Chrome” for flute and piano, at Colden Center in Queens, N.Y., by Marina Piccinini (flute) and Andreas Haefliger (piano).