Massenet (and Laurie Anderson)

Synopsis

On today’s date in 1885, the Paris Opera gave the first performance of “Le Cid,” the 11th opera written by the French composer Jules Massenet.

“Le Cid” is set in medieval Spain and tells the story of Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, a legendary hero who defended his country against the Moors. The same story inspired a 1961 movie titled “El Cid,” starring—who else?—Charlton Heston.

But back in 1890, Massenet’s opera was introduced to American audiences by the New Orleans Opera and reached New York City in 1897, serving as a vocal showcase for turn-of-the-century superstars of the early Metropolitan Opera. Enrico Caruso made a famous recording of the opera’s most famous excerpt—Rodrigo’s Act III aria, “O souverain, o juge, o pere,” which translates as “Oh Lord, Oh Judge, Oh Father.”

Unlikely as it may seem, this aria inspired a pop hit in 1981, when composer and performance artist Laurie Anderson translated its opening line as “O Superman, O Judge, O Mom and Dad.” As a credit to the French composer, Laurie Anderson‘s “O Superman” is even subtitled “For Massenet.”

Trained as a classical violinist with the Chicago Youth Symphony, Laurie Anderson soon shifted to a variety of electronically-altered fiddles, and one of her albums is titled, appropriately, “Life on a String.”

Music Played in Today's Program

Jules Massenet (1842-1912) O souverain, o juge, o pere, from Le Cid Ben Heppner, tenor; Munich Radio Orchestra; Roberto Abbado, cond. RCA/BMG 62504

On This Day

Births

• 1796 - German composer Carl Loewe, near Halle;

• 1813 - French composer and pianist Charles-Henri-Valentin Alkan (née Morhange), in Paris;

• 1861 - Austrian composer Ludwig Thuille, in Bozen, the Tyrol;

• 1884 - Swedish composer Ture Rangström, in Stockholm;

• 1895 - Russian composer and pianist Sergei Liapunov (Lyapunov), in Yaroslavl (see Julian date: Nov. 18);

Deaths

• 1623 - English composer Thomas Weelkes, age ca. 48, in London;

• 1954 - German conductor and composer Wilhelm Furtwängler, age 68, near Baden-Baden;

Premieres

• 1877 - Tchaikovsky: “Variations on a Rococo Theme” for Cello and Orchestra, in Moscow, with Nicolai Rubinstein conducting, and Wilhelm Fitzenhagen as the soloist (see Julian date: Nov. 18);

• 1885 - Massenet: "Le Cid," in Paris;

• 1913 - Rachmaninov: choral symphonic poem, “The Bells,” in St. Petersburg, composer conducting (Gregorian date: Dec. 13);

• 1930 - Ibert: "Divertissement," in Paris;

• 1934 - Berg: "Five Symphonic Pieces" from "Lulu," at the State Opera, Berlin;

• 1945 - Martinu: Symphony No. 4, in Philadelphia;

• 1963 - Shulamit Ran: "Capriccio" for piano and orchestra, with the teenage composer as soloist, on a New York Philharmonic "Young People's Concert" conducted by Leonard Bernstein; In 1991, Ran would win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for her “Symphony” commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra;

• 1989 - John Harbison: "November 19, 1928" for piano quartet, in Atlanta, Ga., by the Atlanta Chamber Players;

• 2000 - Corigliano: Symphony No. 2, by the Boston Symphony, Seiji Ozawa conducting; This symphony is a reworking of Corigliano’s String Quartet of 1995, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2001;

• 2001 - Philip Glass: "Dancissimo" for violin and orchestra, with Robert McDuffie and the Milwaukee Symphony conducted by Andrea Delfs;

• 2001 - Tobias Picker: opera “Thérèse Raquin,” by the Dallas Opera;

Others

• 1903 - The old Brooklyn Academy of Music facility (at 176-194 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights) burns to the ground (See Nov. 14, 1908 for gala reopening).