Ruth Crawford Seeger

Synopsis

Music Played in Today's Program

Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901 – 1953) String Quartet Schoenberg Ensemble DG 449 925

On This Day

Births

• 1854 - American composer George Whitefield Chadwick, in Lowell, Mass.;

• 1856 - Russian composer Sergei Taneyev, in near Moscow (Gregorian date: Nov. 25);

• 1921 - Finnish composer Joonas Kokkonen, in Iisalmi;

Deaths

• 1868 - Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, in Passy, near Paris, age 76;

• 1951 - Russian composer Nicolas Medtner, age 70, in London;

Premieres

• 1893 - Sibelius: "Karelia Suite," in Viborg, Finland;

• 1933 - Ruth Crawford Seeger: String Quartet, at the New School in New York City, by the New World String Quartet;

• 1943 - Martinu: Symphony No. 1, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting;

• 1953 - Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 5, in Moscow, by the Beethoven Quartet;

• 1964 - Yardumian: Symphony No. 2 ("Psalms"), with vocalist Lili Chookasian, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting;

• 1997 - Poul Ruders: Symphony No. 2, at Lincoln Center in New York, by the Riverside Symphony, George Rothman conducting;

• 2002 - Tavener: “Ikon of Eros” for soloists, chorus and orchestra, at the St. Paul (Minnesota) Cathedral, with Jorja Fleezanis (violin), Patricia Rozario (soprano), Tim Krol (baritone), the Minnesota Chorale and Minnesota Orchestra, Paul Goodwin conducting;

Others

• 1937 - First "official" radio broadcast by the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Pierre Monteux conducting; Arthur Rodzinski had conducted a "dress rehearsal" broadcast on Nov. 2, 1937; Arturo Toscanini's debut broadcast with the NBC Symphony would occur on Christmas Day, 1937;

• 1940 - Disney releases “Fantasia,” an animated film based on classical music favorites ranging from Bach to Stravinsky; Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra recorded the soundtrack, and in one famous scene Stokowski shakes hands with Mickey Mouse.