Synopsis
On today’s date in 1942, on a radio broadcast by the NBC Symphony, 75-year-old Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini led a performance of El Salón Mexico by 41-year-old American composer Aaron Copland. Copland, who attended the performance, was amazed to see that Toscanini knew his score by heart, apparently unaware that the extremely nearsighted Toscanini always memorized the scores he conducted.
After the performance, Copland was invited backstage to the Green Room to meet Toscanini. “He addressed me as ‘maestro.’ That was a shock. It was rather fun to be addressed as ‘maestro’ by the maestro. But Toscanini seemed disturbed. I wondered what was bothering him and apparently the rhythmic complications of my piece had caused him considerable headache, trying to remember all these changes of rhythms in the piece by heart, and made him a little unsure of his memory,” he recalled
Years later, among Toscanini’s papers, a copy of Copland’s score was found, written out in Toscanini’s own hand, from first note to last, apparently made as an aide to — or test of — his memory. Copland asked Toscanini’s son Walter for a photocopy, and it remained one of his prized possessions.
Music Played in Today's Program
Aaron Copland (1900-1990): El Salòn Mèxico; NBC Symphony; Arturo Toscanini, conductor
On This Day
Births
1681 - German composer Georg Philipp Telemann, in Magdeburg
1727 - Baptism of German composer and keyboard virtuoso Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, in Danzig (now Gdansk)
1804 - Austrian composer and conductor Johann Strauss, Sr., in Vienna
Premieres
1734 - Handel: anthem This is the day which the Lord hath made in London at the French Chapel of St. James’ Palace, for the wedding of Princess Anne and Prince Willem, the Prince of Orange (Gregorian date: March 25)
1824 - Schubert: String Quartet No. 13 in Vienna, by the Schuppanzigh Quartet. Published the following September, this was the only chamber work of Schubert's published in his lifetime.
1847 - Verdi: opera Macbeth, in Florence at the Teatro della Pergola
1885 - Gilbert & Sullivan: operetta The Mikado, at the Savoy Theatre in London
1963 - Simpson: Symphony No. 3, in Birmingham, England
1975 - Ulysses Kay: Quintet Concerto for brass and orchestra, in New York City
1976 - Paul Creston: Hyas Illahee for chorus and orchestra, in Shreveport, Louisiana
1986 - Harrison Birtwistle: Earth Dances for orchestra, at Royal Festival Hall in London by the BBC Symphony, Peter Eotvos conducting
1996 - Leo Ornstein: Piano Sonata No. 6, at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, by pianist Marvin Tartak
2000 - David Maslanka: Wind Quintet No. 3, in Columbus, Mo., by the Missouri Quintet
2001 - Danielpour: Cello Concerto No. 2 (Through the Ancient Valley), by the New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur conducting, with soloist Yo-Yo Ma
2002 - Previn: Violin Concerto, by the Boston Symphony with the composer conducting and soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter
2003 - Jim Mobberley: Vox Inhumana for live and prerecorded sounds, in Kansas City, by the NewEar ensemble
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About Composers Datebook®
Host John Birge presents a daily snapshot of composers past and present, with timely information, intriguing musical events and appropriate, accessible music related to each.
He has been hosting, producing and performing classical music for more than 25 years. Since 1997, he has been hosting on Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Service. He played French horn for the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra and performed with them on their centennial tour of Europe in 1995. He was trained at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.