Rorem's Third

Synopsis

For the 1958-59 season of the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, the orchestra’s newly-appointed music director, was eager to program as much new American music as he dared. As luck would have it, early in 1958, the 35-year old American composer Ned Rorem had just returned from Europe with a new symphonic score.

“I wrote most of my Third Symphony in France,” recalled Rorem. “It’s a big piece but not a commission—I was still writing for the love of it in those days… So I showed it to Lenny and he said ‘OK, I’ll do it, but I wish you would re-orchestrate the slow movement entirely for strings.’ I replied ‘Sure,’ but didn’t, because Bernstein was always saying things like that and then would forget all about it.”

The premiere of Rorem’s Third Symphony—as written—occurred at Carnegie Hall on today’s date in 1959, but for its composer, the thrill was tempered by some harsher realities.

Rorem recalled, “I came late to the first rehearsal because in those days I was living off unemployment insurance … and I had to go down and stand in line to pick up my check. I guess they managed without me because Lenny conducted four wonderful performances.”

Music Played in Today's Program

Ned Rorem (b. 1923) Symphony No. 3 Utah Symphony; Maurice Abravanel, conductor. Vox Box 5092

On This Day

Births

• 1893 - Spanish composer Federico Mompou, in Barcelona;

• 1924 - American composer Henry Mancini, in Cleveland;

Deaths

• 1846 - Italian composer and double-bass virtuoso Domenico Dragonetti, age 83, in London;

Premieres

• 1735 - Handel: opera "Alcina," in London at the Covent Garden Theatre; This was Handel's last operatic success in London (Gregorian date: April 27);

• 1791 - Mozart: Symphony No. 40 (re-scored to include a pair of clarinets) is performed in Vienna at concerts conducted by Antonio Salieri;

• 1849 - Meyerbeer: opera "Le prophète" (The Prophet), at the Paris Opéra;

• 1896 - Dvorák: String Quartet in Ab, Op. 105, at the Prague Conservatory, by four students (at the composer's special request, on the first anniversary of his returning home from America);

• 1909 - Arthur Foote: Suite for Strings in E, by the Boston Symphony with Max Fiedler conducting;

• 1942 - Barber: "Second Essay" for orchestra, in New York City;

• 1945 - Leo Sowerby: "Canticle of the Sun" for chorus and orchestra, in New York City;

• 1956 - Persichetti: Symphony No. 6 ("Symphony for Band"), in St. Louis, by the Washington University Chamber Band, Clark Mitze conducting;

• 1959 - Ned Rorem: Symphony No. 3, by the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein conducting;

• 1967 - Ligeti: Cello Concerto, by the Berlin Radio Symphony conducted by Henryk Czyz, with Siegfried Palm the soloist;

• 1994 - David Ward-Steinman: "Cinnabar" Concerto for viola and chamber orchestra, at the University of San Diego, Calif., by the San Diego Contemporary Music Ensemble conducted by Lily Hood Gunn, with Karen Elaine as soloist;

Others

• 1888 - American premiere of Verdi's opera "Otello," at the Academy of Music in New York City;

• 1920 - American premiere of Debussy: "Fantasie," by Boston Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting.