The Minneapolis Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra

Synopsis

At the dawn of the 20th century, Teddy Roosevelt was president and America was in an upbeat, prosperous mood. Cultural affairs were not forgotten, either. To the already established American symphony orchestras in cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and San Francisco, new ensembles would spring up in Philadelphia, St. Louis, Cleveland, and Seattle.

In 1903, it was Minneapolis’ turn. On November 5 of that year, German-born musician Emil Oberhoffer led the first concert of the newly formed Minneapolis Symphony. In those days it was a 50-piece ensemble, but in the course of the next 100 years, would double in size and change its name to the Minnesota Orchestra.

As this is the Composers Datebook, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that the Minnesota Orchestra has enjoyed a special relationship with a number of leading American composers.

Aaron Copland conducted the orchestra on a memorable and televised Bicentennial Concert in 1976, and two young American composers, Stephen Paulus and Libby Larsen, served as composers-in-residence with the orchestra in the 1980s. The orchestra has also given the premiere performances of works by Charles Ives, John Adams, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Dominick Argento and Aaron Jay Kernis, among many others.

Music Played in Today's Program

Dominick Argento (1927-2019): A Ring of Time; Minnesota Orchestra; Eiji Oue, conductor; Reference 91

On This Day

Births

• 1494 - German poet and songwriter (Master Singer) Hans Sachs, in Nuremberg. He is the subject of German Romantic operas by Lortzig (Hans Sachs, 1840) and Wagner (Die Meistersinger, 1868)

• 1935 - British composer Nicholas Maw, in Grantham, Lincolnshire

Deaths

• 1942 - American songwriter and vaudevillian George M. Cohan, 64, in New York City. He won the Congressional Medal for his patriotic song, Over There (recorded by Enrico Caruso among others).

• 1956 - American jazz pianist and improviser Art Tatum, 47, in Los Angeles

Premieres

• 1724 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 115 (Mache dich, Mein Geist, Bereit) performed on the 22nd Sunday after Trinity as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1724/25)

• 1846 - R. Schumann: Symphony No. 2, by Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, conducted by Felix Mendelssohn

• 1876 - Tchaikovsky: Marche Slav in Moscow (Gregorian date: Nov. 17)

• 1888 - Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Nov. 17)

• 1895 - R. Strauss: tone-poem Till Eulenspiegels Merry Pranks, in Cologne, conducted by Franz Wüllner

• 1926 - de Falla: Harpsichord Concerto, with Wanda Landowska as soloist with the composer conducting

• 1927 - Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 (To October), by the Leningrad Philharmonic and Academic Choir, Nikolai Malko conducting

• 1938 - Barber: Adagio for Strings and Essay for Orchestra No. 1, on a broadcast concert by the NBC Symphony, Arturo Toscanini conducting

• 1943 - Martinu: Concerto for Two Pianos, with Luboshutz and Nemenoff Duo, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting

• 1987 - Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical Into the Woods

Others

• 1903 - First concert by a 50-member Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (the current Minnesota Orchestra), conducted by Emil Oberhoffer, with Metropolitan Opera soprano Marcella Sembrich as guest soloist

• 1955 - Karl Böhm conducts a performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio at the gala re-opening of Vienna Opera House (damaged by Allied bombs on March 12, 1945). During the rebuilding of the Opera House, performances had continued in two nearby Viennese halls: the Theatre and der Wien and the Volksoper.