Argento does Morocco

Synopsis

Music Played in Today's Program

Dominick Argento (b. 1927) A Postcard from Morocco Minnesota Opera; Philip Brunelle, cond. CRI 614

On This Day

Births

• 1871 - Austrian composer and conductor Alexander Zemlinsky, in Vienna;

• 1935 - American composer La Monte (Thorton) Young, in Bern, Idaho;

• 1952 - Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, in Helsinki;

Deaths

• 1990 - American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, age 72, in New York City;

Premieres

• 1670 - Lully: comedy-ballet, "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme" (to a text by Molière), at the Château de Chambord;

• 1883 - Dvorák: Violin Concerto, Op. 53, in Prague;

• 1924 - Schoenberg: opera "Die glückliche Hand" (The Fateful Hand), in Vienna at the Volksoper;

• 1930 - Gershwin: musical "Girl Crazy," at the Alvin Theater in New York City; This show includes the classic Gershwin songs "Embraceable You" and "I Got Rhythm";

• 1956 - Hovhaness: Symphony No. 3, by the Symphony of the Air, Leopold Stokowski conducting;

• 1960 - Piston: Violin Concerto No. 2, by the Pittsburgh Symphony, William Steinberg conducting, with soloist Joseph Fuchs;

• 1970 - Lutoslawski: Cello Concerto, in London, by the Bournemouth Symphony conducted by Edward Downes, with Mstislav Rostropovich the soloist;

• 1971 - Argento: opera "Postcard from Morocco," by the Center Opera at the Cedar Village Theater, in Minneapolis, Minn.;

• 1995 - George Tsontakis: "The Dove Descending" (No. 3 of "Four Symphonic Quartets" after poems by T.S. Eliot), by the Pasadena Symphony, Jorge Mester conducting;

• 1999 - Peter Lieberson: Piano Concerto No. 2 ("Red Garuda") by soloist Peter Serkin with the Boston Symphony, Seiji Ozawa conducting;