Synopsis
On this day in 1919, Edward Elgar conducted the London Symphony in the premiere performance of his new Cello Concerto, with Felix Salmond as soloist.
What should have been a joyous occasion turned out to be a frustrating one — there simply wasn’t enough time to rehearse properly, and the premiere was a near-fiasco. Puzzled, the less-than-full house in Queen’s Hall gave Elgar a polite ovation but left shaking their heads.
Mrs. Elgar blamed the conductor, Albert Coates, who hogged all the orchestra’s rehearsal time working over the two pieces he was to conduct on the same program as Elgar’s new concerto, for which Coates would hand off the baton to Elgar. In her diary for October 26, she wrote, “Poor Felix Salmond in a state of suspense and nerves — wretched hurried rehearsal — an insult to Elgar from that brutal, selfish, ill-mannered bounder, Coates.”
After the botched premiere of the new concerto, critic Ernest Newman reported, “Never, in all probability, has so great an orchestra made so lamentable a public exhibition of itself.”
Despite this rough beginning, Elgar’s Cello Concerto has gone on to become one of the composer’s best-loved works worldwide, and has proven to be a favorite with the great cellists of our time, including British cellist Jacqueline du Pré.
Music Played in Today's Program
Edward Elgar (1857-1934): Cello Concerto; Jacqueline du Pré, cello; Philadephia Orchestra; Daniel Barenboim, conductor; Sony 60789
On This Day
Births
1685 - Italian composer and harpsichordist Domenico Scarlatti, in Naples
1694 - Swedish composer Johan Helmich Roman, in Stockholm
Deaths
1874 - German composer Peter Cornelius, 49, near Copenhagen
Premieres
1783 - Mozart: Mass in C minor, in St. Peter's Church, Salzburg, with the composer conducting and his wife, Constanze, the soprano soloist
1873 - Bruckner: Symphony No. 2, in Vienna, with the composer conducting
1896 - Dvorák: symphonic poem The Golden Spinning Wheel, in London
1917 - Mussorgsky (arr. Cui): opera The Fair at Sorochinsky, posthumously, in St. Petersburg (see Julian date: Oct. 13)
1919 - Elgar: Cello Concerto, at London's Queens Hall, with the London Symphony conducted by the composer, and Felix Salmond the soloist
1930 - Shostakovich: ballet, The Age of Gold, in Leningrad
1945 - Bloch: Suite Symphonique, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Pierre Monteux conducting
1956 - William Schuman: New England Triptych, in Miami, by the University of Miami Orchestra, André Kostelanetz conducting
1961 - David Diamond: Symphony No. 8, by the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein conducting
1961 - Robert Ward: opera The Crucible (after the play by Arthur Miller), in New York City; This work won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1962
1962 - Gunther Schuller: Piano Concerto, in Cincinnati
1976 - Piston: Concerto for string quartet, winds, brass and percussion, in Portland, Oregon
Others
1739 - Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso No. 6 (see Julian date: Oct. 15)
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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.