Tags
Beethoven, Brahms, classical music, composers, German composers, opera, orchestra, philarmonic, Russian composers, Schumann, Shostakovich, Wagner
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Birthdays
Anton Rubinstein was born on this day in 1829. He was a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He was the elder brother of Nikolai Rubinstein who founded the Moscow Conservatory. As a pianist, he ranks among the great 19th-century keyboard virtuosos. He became most famous for his series of historical recitals—seven enormous, consecutive concerts covering the history of piano music. Rubinstein played this series throughout Russia and Eastern Europe and in the United States when he toured there. Although best remembered as a pianist and educator (most notably in the latter as the composition teacher of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky), Rubinstein was also a prolific composer throughout much of his life. He wrote 20 operas, the best known of which is The Demon. He also composed a large number of other works, including five piano concertos, six symphonies and a large number of solo piano works along with a substantial output of works for chamber ensemble. 1
Premieres
In 1811 Ludwig von Beethoven’s Piano concerto No. 5 “The Emperor” was premiered by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Johann Philip Christian Schultz conducting, and Friedrich Schneider as the soloist.
In 1858 Charles Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass was premiered in Paris.
In 1896 Modest Mussorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov – the Rimsky-Korskov orchestration – was premiered in St. Petersburg.
In 1909 Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 was premiered in New York with Rachmaninoff as soloist.
In 1919 Charles Tomlinson Griffes’ “The Pleasure Dome of Kublai Khan,” was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierre Monteux.
In 1930 Howard Hanson’s Symphony No. 2 “Romantic” was premiered by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting.
In 1938 Dmitri Shostakovitch’s Jazz Suite No. 2 is premiered as part of the debut concert of the State Jazz Orchestra of the USSR.
On This Day in Classical Music
In 1835 Robert Schumann and Clara Wieck reportedly shared their first kiss after he had visited her at her home in Leipzig before she embarked on a concert tour.
In 1853 Joseph Joachim introduced Hector Berlioz to Johannes Brahms, in Hanover, Germany.
In 1863 Richard Wagner begins an affair with Cosima von Bülow (while she was still married to Hans von Bülow).
In 1935 the Benito Mussolini government banned music from Great Britain, France, Spain and the United States as they all voted to impose sanctions on Italy for its invasion of Ethiopia.
- Wikipedia contributors, “Anton Rubinstein,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anton_Rubinstein&oldid=681404598 (accessed November 28, 2015).