Synopsis
On today’s date in 1980, at a Proms concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Colin Davis led the London Symphony in the premiere of a Triple Concerto for violin, viola and cello with orchestra, a new work by British composer Michael Tippett.
The central slow movement of the new Triple Concerto, marked “very slow — calmer still,” proved to be one of Tippett’s most lyrical and colorful moments, and with it, Tippett joined a long line of Western composers, including Claude Debussy, Benjamin Britten, and Lou Harrison, who have been inspired by Asian music: specifically the traditional bronze gong orchestras of the islands of Indonesia, known as “gamelan.”
Shortly before he composed his Triple Concerto, Tippet had visited Java and Bali, and had experienced first-hand performances of gamelan music in the palaces, temples and gardens of Indonesia.
In describing the role of the artist as he saw it, Tippett suggested “the creation of images of vigor for a decadent period, images of calm for one too violent, images of reconciliation for a world torn by divisions, and in an age of mediocrity and shattered dreams, images of abounding, generous, exuberant beauty.”
Music Played in Today's Program
Michael Tippett (1905-1998): Triple Concerto; Kovacic-Caussé-Baillie Trio; BBC Philharmonic; Michael Tippett, conductor; Nimbus 5301
On This Day
Births
1827 - Austrian composer Josef Strauss, in Vienna. He was the son of Johann Strauss I and the younger brother of Johann Strauss, II.
1862 - French composer Claude Debussy, in St. Germain-en-Laye
1928 - German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, in Mödrath (near Cologne)
Premieres
1968 - Birtwistle: opera Punch and Judy, at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland
1980 - Tippett: Triple Concerto, for violin, viola, cello and orchestra, in London by the London Symphony, Sir Colin Davis conducting
1982 - Peter Maxwell Davies: Image, Reflection, Shadow at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland
Others
1741 - Handel begins work on his famous oratorio, Messiah, which he finished scoring on September 14 (Gregorian dates: Sept. 2 to 25). The entire work was composed in a period of 24 days.
2002 - An opera by the Iranian-Armenian composer Loris Cheknavariyan based on the Persian epic Rostam and Sohrab is staged in Teheran to mark the 1000th anniversary of the birth of poet Abol-Qasem Ferdowsi, on whose epic the opera was based. The performance, at Teheran’s Milad Hall, featured 125 Austrian musicians and singers. This marked the first occasion that a Western-style opera was staged in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
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About Composers Datebook®
Host John Birge presents a daily snapshot of composers past and present, with timely information, intriguing musical events and appropriate, accessible music related to each.
He has been hosting, producing and performing classical music for more than 25 years. Since 1997, he has been hosting on Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Service. He played French horn for the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra and performed with them on their centennial tour of Europe in 1995. He was trained at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.
