Synopsis
In the 1940s, the Boston Symphony gave the premiere of more than 60 new orchestral works — most of them conducted by the charismatic and wealthy Serge Koussevitzky, the music director of the Boston Symphony.
And why not? It was the Koussevitzky Foundation that commissioned most of those pieces in the first place, and certainly Maestro Koussevitzky had the knack for picking winners and advancing the careers of composers he admired. In the 1940s, for example, Koussevitzky premiered no less than four major works by the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu. On today’s date in 1943, one of these pieces, Martinu’s Violin Concerto No. 2, received its first performance under Koussevitzky with Mischa Elman as the soloist.
But not all the Boston premieres were conducted by Koussevitzky. Earlier that same December of 1943, the American composer and conductor Howard Hanson led the orchestra in the first performance of his Symphony No. 4, and on today’s date in 1948, the premiere of his Piano Concerto, with the Boston Symphony and Czech pianist Rudolf Firkusny as soloist. Like the Martinu concerto, this, too, was a Koussevitzky Foundation commission.
Music Played in Today's Program
Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959): Violin Concerto No. 2; Josef Suk, violin; Czech Philharmonic; Vaclav Neumann, conductor; Supraphon 11 0702
Howard Hanson (1896-1981): Piano Concerto; Alfred Mouledous, piano; Eastman-Rochester Orchestra; Howard Hanson, conductor; Mercury 434 370
On This Day
Births
1894 - Anglo-Irish composer Ernest John Moeran, in Heston, Middlesex
1899 - Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, in Santiago, Papasquiaro
1962 - American composer Jennifer Higdon, in Brooklyn, New York
Deaths
1950 - French composer Charles Koechlin, 83, in Canadel, France
1970 - British composer Cyril Scott, 91, in Eastbourne, England
Premieres
1724 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 122 (Das Neugeborne Kindelein) performed on the Sunday after Christmas as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25)
1842 - Lortzing: opera Der Wildschütz (The Poacher), in Leipzig at the Stadttheater
1865 - Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphony No. 1, in St. Petersburg, with Balakirev conducting (Julian date: Dec. 19)
1879 - Gilbert & Sullivan: operetta The Pirates of Penzance, at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York, with the composer conducting (see also Dec. 30 above)
1943 - Martinu: Violin Concerto (No. 2), by the Boston Symphony with Serge Koussevitzky conducting and Micsha Elman the soloist
1948 - Antheil: Symphony No. 5, by Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting
1948 - Howard Hanson: Piano Concerto, by the Boston Symphony with the composer conducting and Rudolf Firkusny the soloist
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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.
