Castelnuovo-Tedesco in New York

Synopsis

On today’s date in 1933, the New York Philharmonic presented the premiere performance of the Second Violin Concerto written by the Italian composer, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

He was born in Florence in 1895, and enjoyed early success in Europe, but, because he was Jewish, the increasingly harsh racial policies of Mussolini forced Castelnuovo-Tedesco and his family to immigrate to the U.S. His passage was assisted by the Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini and the violin virtuoso Jasha Heifetz, who were also the conductor and soloist for the Carnegie Hall premiere of the new concerto.

Just two weeks earlier, Toscanini and other prominent American musicians had signed a public cable to Hitler protesting the persecution of Jewish artists. For his part, Castelnuovo Tedesco gave his new concerto a title: “The Prophets.” “The title,” he wrote, “does not represent a precise and detailed program, but is intended only as an indication of the ethical environment . . . the choice of a solo violin might suggest the flaming and fanciful eloquence of the ancient prophets.”

Castelnuovo-Tedesco settled in California, where he taught and found work in Hollywood. He composed 100 film scores, became an American citizen in 1946, and died in Beverly Hills in 1968.

Music Played in Today's Program

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) Violin Concerto No. 2 (The Prophets) Jascha Heifetz, violin; Los Angeles Philharmonic; Alfred Wallenstein, cond. RCA BMG 7872

On This Day

Births

• 1772 - Italian composer and violinist Pietro Nardini, in Livorno;

• 1801 - Austrian composer and violinist Josef Lanner, in Vienna;

• 1932 - Bulgarian-born American composer Henri Lazarof, in Sofia;

Deaths

• 1814 - British composer, music journalist and historian Charles Burney, age 88, in Chelsea;

Premieres

• 1735 - Handel: Organ Concertos Op. 4, no. 4. (Julian date: April 1);

• 1747 - Handel: oratorio "Judas Maccabaeus" (Julian date: April 1);

• 1826 - Weber: opera "Oberon," in London at Covent Garden, conducted by the composer;

• 1867 - Offenbach: operetta "Le Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein" (The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein), in Paris;

• 1892 - Loeffler: 2nd 3rd mvts, fr String Quartet in A minor, at Boston's Union Hall by the Adamowski Quartet; The same ensemble had premiered the 2nd mvt of this four-movement Quartet in Philadelphia during the 1889-90 season, that performance being the first public performance of any of Loeffler's compositions;

• 1907 - Henry Hadley: tone poem "Salome" (after Oscar Wilde), by the Boston Symphony, Karl Muck conducting;

• 1930 - Janácek: opera "From the House of the Dead," in Brno at the National Theater; The score for this performance was extensively reorchestrated by two pupils of Janácek; More recent performances have used editions prepared by Rafael Kubelik or Charles Mackerras which are closer to Janácek's original score;

• 1933 - Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Violin Concerto No. 2 ("The Prophets"), at Carnegie Hall by the New York Philharmonic, with Arturo Toscanini conducting and Jascha Heifetz as soloist;

• 1957 - Wallingford Riegger: Symphony No. 4, at the University of Illinois, Urbana;

• 1978 - Ligeti: opera "La Grand Macabre," in Stockholm at the Royal Opera;

• 1995 - John Williams: "Bassoon Concerto ("The Five Sacred Trees"), by Judith LeClair and the New York Philharmonic conducted by Kurt Masur;

Others

• 1877 - American premiere of Verdi's opera "Don Carlos" in New York City.