Synopsis
Music Played in Today's Program
Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791) excerpts, from The Magic Flute soloists; Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra; Otto Klemperer, cond. EMI Classics 55173
On This Day
Births
1840 - Norwegian composer Johann Svendsen, in Christiania;
1852 - Irish-born British composer Sir Charles Villers Stanford, in Dublin;
Deaths
1989 - American composer and music critic Virgil Thomson, age 92, in New York City;
Premieres
1791 - Mozart: opera, "Die Zauberflöte" (The Magic Flute), in Vienna at the Freihaustheater auf der Wieden, conducted by the composer;
1863 - Bizet: opera "Les Pecheurs de perles" (The Pearl Fishers), in Paris at the Théâtre Lyrique;
1935 - Gershwin: opera "Porgy and Bess," during trial run at Boston's Colonial Theater; According to Opera America magazine, this is one of the most frequently-produced American operas during the past decade;
1944 - R. Vaughan Williams: Oboe Concerto, with soloist Leon Goosens and the Liverpool Philharmonic conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent;
1960 - Barber: "Toccata Festiva" for organ and orchestra, at Philadelphia's Academy of Music, by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy, with Paul Callaway the soloist;
1979 - Penderecki: "Te Deum" in Assisi, Italy;
1989 - Daniel Asia: Piano Quartet, at Wigmore Hall in London, by the Domus ensemble;
1999 - Michael Tilson Thomas: "Whitman Songs for Orchestra," by the San Francisco Symphony, composer conducting.
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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.