Well-travelled Zwilich

Synopsis

On today's date in 1988, Zubin Mehta led the New York Philharmonic in a concert at Bolshoi Hall in a city that was then called Leningrad and in a country that was then called the Soviet Union.

For their visit to the city we now call St. Petersburg in a country today known as the Russian Federation, the Philharmonic had commissioned a brand-new work by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, and so her orchestral piece entitled "Symbolon" received its premiere performance there. It was the first American symphonic work to be premiered in the USSR, in fact.

"The word 'symbolon' comes from the Greek," explained Zwilich, "and refers to the ancient custom whereby two parties broke a piece of pottery (or a stone, or a coin) in two, each party retaining half. Each half (or symbolon) thus became a token of friendship."

"From the beginning," continued Zwilich, "I knew this piece would receive its first performance in the Soviet Union, and I found this profoundly moving. I am sure that my complex feelings, embracing both hope and sadness about the state of the political world, have found their way into this work."

After its premiere, Zwilich's "Symbolon" was performed in Moscow, New York, London, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Paris, and the former East Berlin, making it one of Zwilich's "most-travelled" orchestral works.

Music Played in Today's Program

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (b. 1939) Symbolon New York Philharmonic;Zubin Mehta, cond. New World CD

On This Day

Births

• 1653 - Baptismal date of Baroque composer Georg Muffat, in Megève (Savoy);

• 1771 - Italian composer Ferdinando Paër, in Parma;

• 1804 - Russian composer Mikail Glinka, in Novospasskoye (now Glinka), near Yelnya, Smolensk District (Julian date: May 20);

• 1929 - Canadian-born American composer Yehudi Wyner, in Calgary;

Deaths

• 1639 - German composer Melchior Franck, age c. 60, in Coburg;

• 1909 - Italian composer Giuseppe Martucci, age 53, in Naples;

Premieres

• 1853 - Liszt: "Fantasy on Themes from Beethoven's Ruins of Athens" and "Fantasy on Hungarian Themes" for piano and orchestra, in Budapest;

• 1869 - Smetana: opera "The Bartered Bride" (third of four versions), in Prague at the Provisional Theater;

• 1925 - Bloch: Concerto Grosso No. 1 for strings and piano, in Cleveland, with the composer conducting;

• 1932 - Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 12 ("Collective Farm Symphony"), in Moscow, by the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, Albert Coates conducting;

• 1988 - Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: "Symbolon" for orchestra, in Leningrad (USSR), by the New York Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta conducting;

• 1991 - Peter Maxwell Davies: "Ojai Festival Overture," in the Ojai Valley north of Los Angeles, by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, with the composer conducting;

Others

• 1723 - J.S. Bach is formally inducted as cantor at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig;

• 1728 - The Royal Academy of Music folds in London following a revival performance of Handel's opera "Ademto" (Gregorian date: June 12);

• 1750 - Handel makes out his will, leaving to John Christopher Smith (the elder) "my large harpsichord, my little house organ, my musick books, and 500 pounds sterling" and the rest to his niece Johanna Floerken; On August 4, 1757, Handel modifies his will, leaving his theater organ to John Rich, some paintings to Charles Jennens and Bernard Granville, and "a fair copy of the score and all parts" of "Messiah" to the Foundling Hospital; In of April 1759, Handel bequeaths 1000 pounds to the Society for the Support of Decayed Musicians, and directs that 600 pounds be used for his monument in Westminster Abbey; These dates are all according to the Julian calendar still in use in England, but not in the rest of Europe, in Handel's day (add 11 days to convert to the Gregoian calendar).