A famous — and not so famous — overture

Synopsis

Music Played in Today's Program

Sir Arthur Bliss (1891-1975) Edinburgh Overture City of Birmingham Symphony;Vernon Handley, cond. EMI Classics 69388

Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) 1812 Overture Kirov Orchestra/; Valery Gergiev, cond. Phililps 442 011

On This Day

Births

• 1561 - Italian composer Jacopo Peri, in Rome; His setting of Rinuccini's poem "Dafne," staged in 1600, is credited as the first opera;

Deaths

• 1813 - Bohemian composer Jan Krittel Vanhal (Johann Baptist Wanhal), age 74, in Vienna;

Premieres

• 1882 - Tchaikovsky: "1812 Overture," on an all-Tchaikovsky program presented during an Art and Industrial Exhibition in Moscow (Julian date: Aug. 8);

• 1943 - Manuel Ponce: Violin Concerto, in Mexico City, conducted by Carlos Chavez;

• 1956 - Bliss: "Edinburgh Overture," at the opening of the Edinburgh Festival of Music and Drama;

• 1958 - Menotti: opera "Maria Golovin," at the International Exposition in Brussels, Belgium;

• 1961 - John Harbison: "Duo" for flute and piano, at the Brooklyn Museum, with flutist Neil Zaslaw and pianist Juliette Arnold;

• 1965 - Harrison Birtwistle: "Tragoedia" for chamber ensemble, at Wardour Castle in England, during the Castle Summer School of Music, by the Melos Ensemble conducted by Lawrence Foster;

• 1973 - Carl Orff: cantata "De Temporum Fine Commedia" (A Play of the End of Time) at the Salzburg Festival, with Herbert von Karajan conducting;

• 1979 - Harbison: opera "The Winter's Tale" in San Francisco;

• 1980 - Rubbra: Symphony No. 11, in London by the BBC Northern Symphony;

• 1992 - Joan Tower: "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman" No. 5 (dedicated to Joan Harris), at the opening of the Joan and Irving Harris Concert Hall at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado.

• 2004 - Zhou Long: “The Immortal” for orchestra, at a BBC Proms concerts with the BBC Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting;

• 2004 - Peter Maxwell Davies: “Naxos Quartet” No. 4 (“Children’s Games”), in the Chapel of the Royal Palace, Oslo (Norway) during the Oslo Chamber Music Festival, by the Maggini Quartet.