Synopsis
The book Great Operatic Disasters chronicles the sometime humorous — and sometimes harrowing — mishaps that have befallen opera singers and productions over the last few centuries. According to that book, September 16 seems to have been a particularly unlucky day.
Consider that on today’s date in 1782, Italian castrato Farinelli, one of the most celebrated opera stars of the 18th century, died in Bologna after his dismissal from the Spanish court; on September 16th in 1920, great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso would make his last records in Camden, New Jersey; and in 1977, opera diva Maria Callas dropped dead of a heart attack in Paris.
On today’s date in 1966, the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center opened with a gala production of a new opera commissioned by American composer Samuel Barber. Despite an all-star cast headed by Leontyne Price and a lavish stage production designed by Franco Zefferelli — you guessed it — the opera was a flop.
Maybe everyone expected too much, or perhaps the lavish sets were too distracting. Whatever the reason, despite its gorgeous music, even today Barber’s Anthony and Cleopatra, has never found a lasting place in the repertory.
Music Played in Today's Program
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Anthony and Cleopatra; Spoleto Festival soloists and orchestra; Christian Badea, conductor; New World 322
On This Day
Births
1887 - French composition teacher Nadia Boulanger, in Paris. Her students included a number of famous American composers from Aaron Copland to Philip Glass.
1844 - French flutist and composer Paul Taffanel, in Bordeaux
Premieres
1925 - Broadway premiere of Vincent Youmans’ musical, No, No Nanette, which had opened in Detroit on April 21, 1924, and had successful productions in Chicago and London before reaching New York City
1965 - Duke Ellington: First Sacred Concert, at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco
1966 - Barber: opera, Anthony and Cleopatra at the opening of the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center
1995 - Harrison Birtwistle: Panic for alto saxophone, drummer, and orchestra, at the last night of the Centenary Proms at Royal Albert Hall in London, with the BBC Symphony conducted by Andrew Davis, with John Harle (saxophone) and Oauk Clarvis (dummer)
1999 - Libby Larsen: Solo Symphony, by the Colorado Symphony, Marin Alsop conducting
Others
1920 - Italian tenor Enrico Caruso makes his last records (selections by Meyerbeer, Lully, Bartlett, and Rossini) for Victor Records in Camden, New Jersey. He would make his last operatic appearance at the old Metropolitan Opera House on Christmas Eve in 1920 (an evening performance of Halevy’s La Juive), and die the following summer in Naples.
1977 - Opera diva Maria Callas dies of a heart attack, 53, in Paris
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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.
