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Friday, January 22, 2016

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Birthdays

Henri Dutilleux

In 1916 Henri Dutilleux was born in Angers. His work, which garnered international acclaim, followed in the tradition of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Albert Roussel, but in an idiosyncratic style. Some of his notable compositions include the Piano Sonata, two symphonies, the Cello Concerto Tout un monde lointain (A whole distant world), the Violin Concerto L’arbre des songes (The tree of dreams) and the String Quartet Ainsi la nuit (Thus the night). Some of these are regarded as masterpieces of 20th-century classical music. Works were commissioned from him by such major artists as Charles Munch, George Szell, Mstislav Rostropovich, the Juilliard String Quartet, Isaac Stern, Paul Sacher, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Simon Rattle,Renée Fleming and Seiji Ozawa. Writing in the New York Times, Paul Griffiths said: “Mr. Dutilleux’s position in French music was proudly solitary. Between Olivier Messiaen and Pierre Boulez in age, he was little affected by either, though he took an interest in their work. .. But his voice, marked by sensuously handled harmony and color, was his own.” Dutilleux was awarded several major prizes throughout his career, notably the Grand Prix de Rome (1938), International Music Council’s International Rostrum of Composers (1955), the Grand-Croix de la Légion d’honneur (2004), the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize (2005), the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society (2008) and the Kravis Prize (2011). In addition to his activities as a composer, he worked as the Head of Music Production for Radio France for 18 years. He also taught at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique and was twice composer in residence at the Tanglewood music centre in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. 1

Myung-Whun Chung

Happy 63rd birthday Myung-Whun Chung! A student of Olivier Messiaen, he is particularly known for his interpretations of the French composer’s works. In 2005, Chung became Principal Conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. In April 2011, the Seoul Philharmonic became the first Asian orchestra to sign a major-label record deal, committing to make 10 CDs for Deutsche Grammophon. Chung led the orchestra in its first performance at The Proms in August 2014. In September 2011, Chung made a cultural breakthrough visit to Pyongyang, North Korea, returning with an agreement to form an orchestra made up of musicians from North and South Korea. 2

Joseph Calleja

Happy 38th birthday Joseph Calleja! He began singing at the age of 16, having been discovered by tenor Brian Cefai and continued his studies with Paul Asciak. At 19, he made his operatic debut as Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth at the Astra Theatre in Gozo and went on to become a prize winner at the Belvedere Hans Gabor Competition the same year. In 1998, he won the Caruso Competition in Milan and was a prize winner in Plácido Domingo’s Operalia International Opera Competition in 1999. He has since been considered one of the most promising young tenors of the 21st century. On 2 November 2012, the University of Malta presented Calleja with a Doctor of Literature Honoris Causa in acknowledgment of his achievements as an internationally renowned tenor. On 8 October 2015, Calleja has been elected into the Board of Directors of the European Academy of Music Theatre. 3

Premieres

In 1887 Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta Ruddigore premiered at the Savoy Theater in London.

In 1980 John Williams conducted the Boston Pops in the premiere of his Cowboys Overture.

In 1998 Bright Sheng’s Postcards was premiered by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra with Hugh Wolff conducting.

On This Day in Classical Music

In 1720 Wilhelm Friedemann Bach begins using the piano exercises from book Clavier-Büchlein vor Wilhelm Friedemann Bach that his father, Johann Sebastian Bach, wrote.

In 1922 Leoš Janáček began work on his opera The Cunning Little Vixen.

  1. Wikipedia contributors, “Henri Dutilleux,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henri_Dutilleux&oldid=699827319(accessed January 18, 2016).
  2. Wikipedia contributors, “Myung-whun Chung,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Myung-whun_Chung&oldid=698786012 (accessed January 18, 2016).
  3. Wikipedia contributors, “Joseph Calleja,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_Calleja&oldid=698034408(accessed January 18, 2016).