Synopsis
Today we note the birthday of a remarkable composer, conductor and virtuoso violinist: Eugéne Ysaÿe, who was born in Liége, Belgium, on today’s date in 1858. After studies with two of the most famous violin composers of his day, Henyrk Wieniawski of Poland and his Belgian compatriot, Henri Vieuxtemps, he soon was touring Europe and Russia as a star performer himself.
In 1886, when 28-year old Ysaÿe married, great Belgian composer Cesar Franck presented the young couple with his Violin Sonata as a wedding present. That same year, Ysaÿe founded a famous string quartet, and in 1893 it was the Ysaÿe Quartet that gave the premiere performance of Claude Debussy’s String Quartet, a work its composer dedicated to the ensemble in admiration.
In 1918, he made his American debut as a conductor with the Cincinnati Symphony, and made such a great impression there that he remained as music director of the Cincinnati Symphony from 1918 to 1922.
As a composer, he wrote eight concertos and a set of six solo sonatas for the violin. In 1928, at 70, the patriotic Belgian began work on an opera, Peter the Miner to a libretto in his native Walloon language, and was at work on a second opera when he died at 72, in 1931. In 1937, Queen Elizabeth of Belgium inaugurated the annual Eugene Ysaÿe International Prize for promising young violinists.
Music Played in Today's Program
Cesar Franck (1822-1890): Violin Sonata; Itzhak Perlman, violin; Martha Argerich, piano; EMI 56815
Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931): Chant d’hiver; Aaron Rosand, violin; Radio Luxembourg Orchestra; Louis de Froment, conductor; Vox Box 5102
On This Day
Births
1858 - Belgian composer, violinist and conductor Eugène Ysaÿe, in Liège
1901 - Austrian conductor and composer Fritz Mahler, a nephew of Gustav Mahler, in Vienna. He studied composition with Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern; He emigrated to America in 1936, where he taught at the Juilliard Summer School and conducted the Erie Philharmonic and the Hartford Symphony.
1904 - Italian composer Goffredo Petrassi, in Zagarolo (near Rome)
1941 - English composer Geoffrey Burgon, in Hambleton, Hampshire
1959 - Scottish composer James MacMillan, in Kilwinning, Ayrshire
Deaths
1729 - Burial date of German composer and lawyer Johann David Heinichen, 46, in Dresden
1763 - French flutist and composer Jacques-Martin Hotteterre, 89, in Paris
Premieres
1782 - Mozart: opera The Abduction from the Seraglio, in Vienna at the Burgtheater
1998 - Carol Barnett: Meeting at Seneca Falls, for soloists, narrator, and chamber ensemble, at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, with Apo Hsu conducting
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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.