Synopsis
Music Played in Today's Program
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) The Magic Flute Overture Capella Istropolitana; Barry Wordsworth, cond. Naxos 8.550185
On This Day
Births
1683 - German composer Johann David Heinichen, in Krüssuln;
1774 - Bohemian composer Jan Václav Tomáek (Johann Wenzel Tomaschek), in Skutec;
1897 - Norwegian composer Harald Saeverud, in Bergen;
Deaths
1790 - American statesman, scientist, amateur musician and composer Benjamin Franklin, age 84, in Philadelphia;
2002 - Canadian composer and conductor Srul Irving Glick, age 67, in Toronto;
Premieres
1918 - Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 4 and Two Sonatinas, Op. 54, in Petrograd, by the composer;
1941 - Edward Joseph Collins: ”Lament and Jig"for orchestra, by the Chicago Symphony, Frederick Stock conducting;
1964 - Rozsa: "Notturno Ungherese," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting;
1965 - Stravinsky: "Variations (Aldous Huxley in memoriam)" and "Introitus (T.S. Eliot in memoriam)" in Chicago, conducted by Robert Craft;
1998 - Libby Larsen: "Songs of Light and Love" (poems by May Sarton), in Philadelphia, by soprano Benita Valente and the Network for New Music;
2003 - Gubaidulina: " The Light of the End"for orchestra, by the Boston Symphony, with Kurt Masur conducting;
Others
1833 - American premiere of Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute" (sung in English), at the Park Theatre in New York City;
1849 - Gottschalk's formal début at the Salle Pleyel in Paris (He had had performed his first recital there on April 2, 1845, with Chopin in the audience); He performs some of his own compositions and is hailed as the first authentic composer of the New World;
1906 - On tour in San Francisco with the Metropolitan Opera touring company, the great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso sings a performace of Bizet's "Carmen" the day before the Great San Francisco Earthquake;
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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.