Lincoln at the opera

Synopsis

Music Played in Today's Program

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Act II Prelude, from Un ballo in maschera La Scala Philharmonic; Riccardo Muti, cond. Sony 62373

Charles Gounod (1818-1893) Soldiers' Chorus, from Faust Paris Opera Chrous and Orch; Andre Cluytens, cond. EMI 63733

On This Day

Births

• 1749 - Baptism of German composer, violinist and famous London impresario Johann Peter Salomon, in Bonn;

• 1770 - Italian composer and guitarist Ferdinando Carulli, in Naples;

• 1791 - Austrian composer and pianist Carl Czerny, in Vienna;

• 1802 - Belgian composer and violinist Charles-Auguste de Bériot, in Louvain;

• 1911 - American composer Robert McBride, in Tucson, Arizona;

• 1929 - Japanese composer Toshiro Mayuzumi, in Yokohama;

Deaths

• 1961 - Australian-born American composer and pianist Percy Grainger, age 78, in White Plains, N.Y.;

Premieres

• 1722 - first concert performance of Handel: “Water Music” (Julian date: Feb. 9);

• 1724 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 22 ("Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe") and No. 23 ("Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn" performed on Estomihi Sunday as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24);

• 1724 - Handel: opera “Giulio Cesare (Julius Ceasar)” in London at The King’s Theatre in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Mar. 2);

• 1816 - Rossini: opera, "The Barber of Seville," in Rome at the Teatro Argentina, with the composer conducting;

• 1827 - Mendelssohn: "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Overture, in Stettin (first public performance), with Carl Loewe conducting;

• 1877 - Tchaikovsky: ballet “Swan Lake,” in Moscow (Gregorian date: Mar. 4);

• 1881 - Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 ("Romantic"), with Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Hans Richter; This was the second (revised) version of Bruckner's original 1874 score;

• 1897 - Kalinnikov: Symphony No. 1 in g, in Kiev (Julian date: Feb. 8);

• 1907 - Rimsky-Korsakov: opera “Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh,” in St. Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theater, Blumenfeld conducting (Julian date: Feb. 7);

• 1910 - Debussy: orchestral suite, "Ibéria," at a Colonne Concert in Paris, conducted by Pierné;

• 1937 - Prokofiev: "Lt. Kijé" Suite (first public performance)in Paris, with composer conducting; A radio performance of this film music suite was broadcast in Moscow on December 21, 1934;

• 1942 - Menotti: one-act opera "The Island God," at the Metropolitan Opera in New York;

• 1943 - Orff: opera "Die Kluge" (The Clever Girl), in Frankfurt at the Städtische Bühnen;

• 1962 - Henri Lazaroff: Viola Concerto, in Monaco;

• 2003 - Tan Dun: "The Map," multi-media concerto for cello and orchestra, by the Boston Symphony, with the composer conducting and Yo-Yo Ma the soloist;

Others

• 1626 - English composer and lutenist John Dowland, age c. 63, is buried in London; This date suggests Dowland most likely died in mid-February, although some older sources improbably cite Jan. 20 as his death date (That was the day Dowland's son assumed his father's post as a royal court musician).