On today's date in 1847, Giuseppe Verdi conducted the premiere performance of his newest opera, "I Masnadieri" or "The Robbers," at Her Majesty's Theater in London. And speaking of her Majesty, Queen Victoria was in the audience, as were other state dignitaries, including the Duke of Wellington...Episode details...
On today's date in 1938, the Ballet Russe of Monte Carlo presented in London a brand-new work based on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi entitled "Nobilissima Visione." The choreography was by Leonide Massine, and the music by Paul Hindemith. The idea of a ballet based on St. Francis may have...Episode details...
Today a tip of the hat to a much-beleaguered and frequently unacknowledged species: the piano teacher. All the great pianists had one—as did the not so great... Do you, for example, remember the name of YOUR first piano teacher?
In the case of Duke Ellington, it was not a name one could easily...Episode details...
During WWII, Germans encircled the city of Leningrad, creating a siege that would last 900 days and cause immense suffering for that city's residents. One resident, composer Dimtri Shostakovich, appeared on the cover of a July 1942 issue of TIME magazine, grim-faced and wearing the helmet of a...Episode details...
Today we pay tribute to a 19th century superwoman—Pauline Viardot-Garcia, born on today's date in Paris in 1821. Her father was Manuel Garcia, the famous Spanish tenor for whom Rossini had written the role of Count Almaviva in "The Barber of Seville." Her older sister was the legendary 19th...Episode details...
On today's date in 1877, the Vienna Philharmonic performed for the first time in Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart, during a three-day music festival that included works by Mozart and others, including two living composers of that day, a 44-year old fellow named Brahms and a 64-year old named...Episode details...
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...Episode details...
For over five decades, Nicolas Slonimsky, the Russian-born American composer, conductor, and witty musical lexicographer, compiled a thick reference work titled "Music Since 1900." It's a year-by-year, month-by-month, day-by-day chronicle of musical events that Slonimsky deemed significant,...Episode details...
A famous commercial for magnetic recording tape once asked the question: "Is it live—or Memorex"—suggesting it was impossible to tell the difference. These days, at concerts of some contemporary composers' works, the correct answer would be "It's live AND Memorex"—as there is a growing body of...Episode details...
