Sondheim's "A Little Night Music"

Synopsis

Music Played in Today's Program

Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930) A Little Night Music Boston Pops; John Williams, cond. Philips 416 499

On This Day

Births

• 1727 - French composer and organist Armand-Louis Couperin, in Paris;

• 1943 - George Harrison (of the Beatles), in Liverpool, England;

Deaths

• 1643 - Italian composer Marco da Gagliano, age 60, in Florence;

• 1682 - Italian composer Alessandro Stradella, age 37, is murdered in Genoa, apparently in retaliation for running off with a Venetian nobleman's mistress;

• 1906 - Russian composer Anton Arensky, age 44, in a tuberculosis sanatorium in Terijoki, Finland (Julian date: Feb. 12);

Premieres

• 1705 - Handel: opera "Nero," in Hamburg; This was Handel's second opera;

• 1850 - R. Schumann: "Concertstück (Concert Piece)" for Four Horns and Orchestra, by the horn quartet of Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Julius Rietz conducting that orchestra;

• 1877 - Tchaikovsky: symphonic-fantasy “Fancesca da Rimini,” in Moscow (Gregorian date: Mar. 9);

• 1881 - Tchaikovsky: opera “The Maid or Orleans,” at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Feb. 13);

• 1888 - Benjamin Godard: opera "Jocelyn," in Brussels;

• 1905 - Koussevitzky: Double-Bass Concerto, in Moscow, with the composer as soloist (Julian date: Feb. 12);

• 1911 - Victor Herbert: opera "Natoma.", in Philadelphia;

• 1932 - Carl Ruggles: "Sun-Treader" for orchestra, by the Paris Symphony, Nicholas Slonimsky conducting;

• 1973 - Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical "A Little Night Music"

• 1993 - Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Symphony No. 3, by the New York Philharmonic, Jahja Ling conducting;

• 2001 - Robert Capanna: String Quartet No. 2, in Philadelphia, by the Mendelssohn String Quartet.