Tags
American composers, Bernstein, classical, classical music, composers, Handel, Mahler, New York Philharmonic, opera, orchestra, philharmonic
Saturday, February 13, 2016
You can listen to the Classical Music Almanac Podcast Daily here.
Birthdays
In 1870 Leopold Godowski was born in Vilnius. One of the most highly regarded performers of his time, he became known for his theories concerning the application of relaxed weight and economy of motion in piano playing, principles later propagated by Godowsky’s pupils, such as Heinrich Neuhaus.Ferruccio Busoni said that he and Godowsky were the only composers to have added anything of significance to keyboard writing since Franz Liszt. As a composer, Godowsky is best known for his transcriptions of works by other composers. His best known work in the field is 53 Studies on Chopin’s Études (1894–1914). 1
Happy 70th birthday Colin Matthews! Born in London in 1946. He studied music at the Universities of Nottingham, and Sussex, where he also taught, and subsequently worked as assistant to Benjamin Britten from 1972 – 6, and with Imogen Holst from 1971 – 84. He collaborated with Deryck Cooke on the performing version of Mahler’s Tenth Symphony. Since the early 1970s his music, ranging from solo piano pieces through four string quartets and many ensemble and orchestral works, has been played worldwide, with recordings on Unicorn, Virgin, Collins Classics, Deutsche Grammophon/Decca, Hallé, Naxos and NMC. From 1992-9 he was Associate Composer with the London Symphony Orchestra, writing amongst other works his 2nd Cello Concerto, for Rostropovich. In 1997 his choral/orchestral Renewal, commissioned for the 50th anniversary of BBC Radio 3, was given a Royal Philharmonic Society Award. His ballet score Hidden Variables opened the Royal Ballet’s 1999/2000 season, and the large-scale ensemble piece Continuum was toured in Europe by the BCMG and Simon Rattle in 2000. Recent works include Reflected Images for the San Francisco SO, Berceuse for Dresden for the New York Philharmonic, Turning Point for the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and a Violin Concerto for Leila Josefowicz and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He was Associate Composer from 2001 -10, and is now Composer Emeritus, with the Hallé, for whom he completed his orchestration of Debussy’s 24 Preludes in 2007; Alphabicycle Order was premiered by the Hallé at the 2007 Manchester International Festival. Night Rides, commissioned by the London Sinfonietta was premiered in May 2011. No Man’s Land, commissioned by the City of London Sinfonia in memory of Richard Hickox was given in the 2011 Proms, and Grand Barcarolle by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Riccardo Chailly in autumn 2011. Matthews’ 4th String Quartet was written for the Elias Quartet in 2012; Traces Remain was commissioned by the BBCSO and first performed in 2014, and Spiralling by Spira Mirabilis at Aldeburgh in October 2014. The Pied Piper, a collaboration with Michael Morpurgo, was performed by the LPO in February 2015. Future commissions include works for Tanglewood and the BCMG. Colin Matthews is active as administrator of the Holst Foundation, chair of the Britten Estate, and is a founder trustee and Music Director of the Britten-Pears Foundation. He was a Council Member of the Aldeburgh Foundation from 1983 – 94, and retains close links with the Aldeburgh Festival and the Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme, particularly as co-director with Oliver Knussen of the Contemporary Composition and Performance Course, which they founded in 1992. He was for many years a member of the Council of the Society for the Promotion of New Music, and a director of the Performing Right Society from 1992-5. Since 1985 he has been a member of the Music Panel of the Radclffe Trust. He has been a Council Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society since 2005, and currently sits on its Executive Committee. He is founder and Executive Producer of NMC Recordings, and has also produced recordings for many other major labels. In 1998 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Nottingham, where he holds the post of Special Professor. He is currently Prince Consort Professor of Music and Fellow of the Royal College of Music, a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music, where he was a Governor from 2001-2008, and Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Composition at the University of Manchester. He was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music in 2010. He was presented with the RPS/PRS Leslie Boosey Award in 2005, and was appointed OBE in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. 2
Happy birthday Joyce DiDonato! Winner of the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo, Kansasborn Joyce DiDonato entrances audiences and critics across the globe in operas by Rossini, Handel and Mozart and as a fierce advocate for the arts. DiDonato’s acclaimed discography includes Grammy-Award-winning Diva Divo, Drama Queens, ReJoyce!, and most recently Stella di Napoli (Erato/Warner Classics). Other honours include the Gramophone Artist of the Year and Recital of the Year Award, three German Echo Klassik Awards for Female Singer of the Year, and an induction into the Gramophone Hall of Fame. DiDonato’s 2015/16 plans include Donna Elvira/Don Giovanni with The Royal Opera on tour to Japan, her first Charlotte/Werther for The Royal Opera, the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s Great Scott at Dallas Opera and a return to the Metropolitan Opera for her Elena/La donna del lago. 3
Premieres
In 1943 William Schuman’s Prayer in Time of War was premiered by the Pittsburgh Symphony with Fritz Reiner conducting.
In 1959 Martinu’s The Parables for orchestra was premiered by the Boston Symphony with Charles Munch conducting.
In 1961 Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from ‘West Side Story’ was premiered by the New York Philharmonic as part of a concert called “Valentine for Leonard Bernstein.”
On This Day in Classical Music
In 1585 Giovanni Gabrieli began his tenure as organist of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Italy, one of the most prestigious positions in Italian church music at the time.
In 1727 George Frideric Handel applied for naturalized English citizenship.
In 1751 it is recorded the Handel first realized that his eyesight was failing, while working on his oratorio Jephtha.
In 1816 a fire destroyed the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Italy.
In 1888 Gustav Mahler takes the position of music director of the Budapest Opera.
In 1901 Eduard Strauss disbanded the Strauss Orchestra after a grueling three month American tour during which they performed 239 times in 132 different cities and towns.
In 1984 the Desden Opera House was re-opened exactly forty years after being destroy during World War II.
Recommended Listening
- Wikipedia contributors, “Leopold Godowsky,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leopold_Godowsky&oldid=703021892 (accessed February 12, 2016).
- Faber Music Composers Biography, “Colin Matthews” http://www.fabermusic.com/composers/colin-matthews/biography#sthash.GpZ2ekdx.dpuf (accessed February 12, 2016)
- Askonas Hold Limited biography “Joyce DiDonato” http://joycedidonato.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/JOYCE-DIDONATO-short-biography.pdf (accessed February 12, 2016)