It’s a mark of unusual success when a new musical work is recorded shortly after its premiere, and even more unusual when the recording session itself IS the premiere. But that was the case with many of the works written by the American composer Leroy Anderson, whose short and tuneful...Episode details...
On today’s date in 1869, a visitor to Boston’s Back Bay could have marveled at a huge, new wooden structure sporting American flags and surrounded by a mini-village of peanut vendors and lemonade stands.
Inside, an orchestra of 1000 sat surrounded by a chorus of 10,000. Over the stage hung giant...Episode details...
Drop the name “Pleyel” among a group of classical music aficionados and one of them might say, “Oh, yeah, Pleyel. He was a French piano maker. I think Chopin liked Pleyel pianos.” Another might add, “He was a composer, too, but... I don’t think he was really French…” Another might add, “Didn’t he...Episode details...
Back in 1714, today’s date fell on a Sunday, and, if you had happened to be attending a church service at the German Court of the Duke of Weimar, you might have heard some new music by the Duke’s court composer and organist, Johann Sebastian Bach.
It’s possible that Bach’s Cantata No. 21 was...Episode details...
The American composer Henry Brant was famous for his avant-garde “spatial” music—works that require groups of musicians stationed at various points around a performance space. But hard-core film music buffs might also know Brant as the master orchestrator of other composers’ scores for some big...Episode details...
On today’s date in 1980, a week-long festival entitled “New Music America” came to a close in Minneapolis with a concert at that city’s Guthrie Theater. The program included the premiere of a piece entitled “High Life for Strings,” composed by David Byrne, a musician best known for his work with...Episode details...
It’s summertime, the livin’ is easy, and all across the country music festivals large and small are getting underway. In addition to the big symphonic festivals at Ravinia and Tanglewood, there are smaller ones devoted exclusively to the intimate art of chamber music. In 1995, two American...Episode details...
In 1944, the French composer Darius Milhaud was in California, teaching at Mills College in Oakland, California, and received a commission to write a piece suitable for school bands. With a world at war, the Jewish composer had found safe refuge in the U.S., and so eagerly accepted the commission...Episode details...
On today’s date in 2002, a high profile musical event occurred at Philadelphia’s new Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The city was hosting the 57th National Conference of the American Symphony Orchestra League, and the Philadelphia Orchestra was celebrating its 100th anniversary with eight...Episode details...
