Mussorgsky (and friends)

Synopsis

Music Played in Today's Program

Modest Mussorgsky (1839 – 1881) Khovanschina Prelude Montreal Symphony; Charles Dutoit, cond. London 417 299

On This Day

Births

• 1882 - Russian-born American composer Igor Stravinsky, in Oranienbaum (now Lomonosov), near St Petersburg, (Gregorian date: June 17); In the 19th century, the Julian calendar lagged behind the Gregorian by 12 days, and in the 20th century by 13 days; For most of the 20th century, Stravinsky chose to celebrate his birthday on June 18th, but "officially" it was celebrated on June 17th;

• 1905 - Estonian-born Swedish composer Eduard Tubin, in Kalaste, near Tartu (Gregorian date: June 18);

• 1923 - American composer Daniel Pinkham, in Lynn, Mass.;

Deaths

• 1625 - English composer Orlando Gibbons, age 41, in Canterbury;

• 1722 - German composer Johann Kuhnau, age 61, in Leipzig;

• 1816 - Italian opera composer Giovanni Paisiello, age 76, in Naples;

• 1826 - German composer Carl Maria von Weber, age 39, in London;

• 1944 - Italian opera composer Riccardo Zandonai, age 61, in Pesaro;

Premieres

• 1715 - Handel: opera "Amadigi di Gauli" (Julian date: May 25);

• 1913 - Paris premiere of Mussorgsky: opera, "Khovantschina," in a version completed and orchestrated by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Igor Stravinsky and Maurice Ravel;

• 2003 - Oliver Knussen: Symphony No. 4, by the New York Philharmonic, Lorin Maazel conducting.

Others

• 1717 - For the last performance of Handel's opera "Rinaldo" at the King's Theater, the French dancer Marie Sallé appears as a performer for the first time in one of Handel's works (Greogorian date: June 16);

• 1971 - Conductor James Levine makes his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, conducting Puccini's "Tosca"; In 1973, Levine became the Met's principal conductor and in 1976 its music director.