Larsen and Waxman do "The Monster Mash"

Synopsis

It’s Halloween -- that time of year when chains rattle, doors creak, skeletons dance, and when even concert music can get a bit spooky.

For example, in 1987, the American composer Libby Larsen composed an orchestral suite titled “What the Monster Saw,” inspired by Mary Shelley’s novel, “Frankenstein.” Says Larsen, “[It’s] is a musical exploration of the second part of the novel, where the monster confronts Frankenstein, his creator.” In 1990, Larsen’s confronted the same monster at greater length, in a full-length opera titled “Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus,” again based on Shelley’s classic tale.

Speaking of monster music, connoisseurs of horror films consider “The Bride of Frankenstein,” released by Universal Studios in 1935, to be one of the classics. It featured Boris Karloff as the monster, Elsa Lancaster as his bride, and a moody film score by Franz Waxman.

Waxman originally composed his Frankenstein music on a pipe organ. His score was then orchestrated by one Clifford Vaughan, who translated many of the organ’s spookiest effects into eerie and effective symphonic colors. So successfully, in fact, that their creation refused to die: chunks of their film score were transplanted into dozens of subsequent Universal Studios thrillers and movie serials.

Dr. Frankenstein would have been proud!

Music Played in Today's Program

Libby Larsen (b.1950) What the Monster Saw Cleveland Chamber Symphony; Edwin London, cond. GM Recordings 2039

Franz Waxman (1906-1967) The Bride of Frankenstein National Philharmonic; Charles Gerhardt, cond. RCA 0708

On This Day

Births

• 1833 - Russian composer Alexander Borodin, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Nov. 12);

• 1806 - American composer Louise Talma, in Arcachon, France;

• 1949 - Cuban-American composer and conductor Odaline de la Martinez, in Matanzas, Cuba;

Deaths

• 1870 - Hungarian composer Mihály Mosonyi (Michael Brand), age 55, in Pest;

Premieres

• 1724 - Handel: opera "Tamerlano" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Nov. 11); This was the London debut of the Italian tenor Francesco Borosini in a work by Handel;

• 1865 - Brahms: "Theme and Variations" in d (after slow movement of Brahms' String Sextet No. 1), in Frankfurt am Main;

• 1866 - Offenbach: operetta, "La Vie Parisienne," in Paris, at the Palais-Royal;

• 1875 - Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 4 in c, Op. 44, in Paris at a concert conducted by Edouard Colonne, with the composer as soloist;

• 1891 - Mascagni: opera "L'amico Fritz," at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome;

• 1924 - Hindemith: "Kammermusik" No. 2, Op. 36, no. 1, in Frankfurt, with Clemens Kraus conducting and Emma Lübbecke-Job the piano soloist;

• 1932 - Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5, by the Berlin Philharmonic, Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting, with the composer as soloist;

• 1947 - Chávez: "Toccata" for percussion, in Mexico City;

• 1949 - Mark Blitzstein: opera "Regina," in New York City;

• 1955 - Hovhaness: Symphony No. 2 ("Mysterious Mountain"), by the Houston Symphony, Leopold Stokowski conducting;

• 1966 - Stravinsky: "The Owl and the Pussycat" (dedicated to Vera Stravinsky), in Los Angeles; This was Stravinsky's last composition;

• 1970 - Crumb: "Ancient Voices of Children," in Washington, D.C.;

• 1985 - Rorem: "String Symphony," by the Atlanta Symphony, Robert Shaw conducting.

Others

• 1739 - Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in b, Op. 6, no. 12 (see Julian date: Oct. 20);

• 1933 - Arnold Schoenberg, accompanied by his wife, baby daughter, and family pet terrier "Witz," arrives in New York on the liner Isle de France.