Synopsis
Music Played in Today's Program
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953) Lieutenant Kije Suite Chicago Symphony; Claudio Abbado, cond. DG 447 419
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953) A toast! Op. 85 St. Petersburg Philharmonic Choir; New Philharmonia Orchestra; Alexander Titov, cond. Beaux 38
On This Day
Births
1837 - Russian composer Mily Balakirev (Gregorian date: Jan. 2);
1850 - Bohemian composer Zdenek Fibich, in Vseborice;
1940 - American composer and guitarist Frank Zappa, in Baltimore, Maryland;
Deaths
1864 - American composer and journalist William Henry Fry, age 51, in Santa Cruz, West Indies;
1890 - Danish composer Niels W. Gade, in Copenhagen, age 73;
1957 - British light-music composer Eric Coates, age 71, in Chichester;
Premieres
1890 - Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 (final version), in Vienna, Hans Richter conducting;
1900 - Frederick Converse: “The Festival of Pan” for orchestra, by the Boston Symphony, Wilhelm Gericke conducting;
1903 - Glazunov: Symphony No. 7, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Jan. 3);
1908 - Schoenberg: Quartet No. 2 for strings and soprano, in Vienna, by the Rosé Quartet with soprano Marie Gutheil-Schoder;
1934 - Prokofiev: "Lieutenant Kijé" Suite (from the film), on a Moscow radio broadcast;
1934 - Toch: “Big Ben (Variation Fantasy on the Westminster Chimes)” for orchestra, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting;
1939 - Prokofiev: cantata "Zdravitza" (A Toast), in Moscow, to celebrate the 60th birthday of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin;
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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.