• Hindemith : Symphonie Mathis der Maler

    Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) Born November 16, 1895, Hanau (near Frankfurt) Died December 28, 1963, Frankfurt. Symphonie Mathis der Maler Composed 1933-1935 First Performance: March 12, 1934 in Berlin conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. Instrumentation: 2 flutes (second doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (second doubling English Horn), 2 clarinets in A, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 ...
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  • Schoenberg : Verklärte Nacht

    Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) Born: September 13, 1874 in Vienna Died: July 13, 1951 in Brentwood Park, Los Angeles, California Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night), Op. 4 Completed: December 1, 1899. Arranged for string orchestra in 1917 and revised in 1943. First performance: March 18, 1902 by the Rosé Quartet with an extra violist and cellist at the Vienna Tonkünstlerverein. Instrumentation: originally a...
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  • Barber : Adagio

    Samuel Barber (1910-1981) Born March 9, 1910 in West Chester, PA. Died January 23, 1981 in New York City. Adagio for String Orchestra, Op. 11 Composed 1936. First Performance: November 5, 1938 with Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony. Instrumentation: string orchestra (first and second violins with divided parts, viola divided, cello divided and bass) Duration: ~ 8 minutes. Samuel...
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  • Program notes

    Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Born May 7, 1840 in Kamsko-Votkinsk, Russia. Died November 6, 1893 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 Pathétique Composed February 16 to August 31, 1893. First Performance: October 28, 1893 in the Hall of Nobles, St. Petersburg with the composer conducting the Russian Musical Society Orchestra. Instrumentation: 3 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 c...
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  • Walton : Symphony No. 1

    Sir William Walton (1902-1983) Born March 29, 1902, in Oldham, Lancashire Died  March 8 1983, on the Island of Ischia, Italy Symphony No. 1 Composed 1932-1935 First Performances: First three movements only: 3 December 1934. Queen's Hall, London. London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Hamilton Harty conductor. First complete performance: 6 November 1935. Queen's Hall, London. BBC Symphony Orchestra, ...
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Archive for April, 2011

Max Mathews, computer music pioneer

Apr 22nd

Posted by gene in News

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Max Mathews died of pneumonia in San Francisco on April 21. He was 84. He has been called the “father of computer music” because his experiments in the 1950s at Bell Labs in NJ produced the first sounds synthesized by computers. He wrote the program MUSIC which led to a series More >

Zhou Long wins 2011 Pulitzer Prize in Music

Apr 18th

Posted by gene in News

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The 2011 Pulitzer prize in music was awarded to Chinese-born American composer Zhou Long, 57, for his opera “Madame White Snake,” which premiered on February 26, 2010 by Opera Boston at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. Cerise Lim Jacobs’ libretto is based on a Chinese folk tale to blend the musical traditions More >

Philadelphia Orchestra files for bankruptcy

Apr 17th

Posted by gene in News

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The board of the Philadelphia Orchestra has voted to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Syracuse Symphony filed for Chapter 7 which means liquidation. Chapter 11 means that the orchestra will continue with their concert schedule and remain in business.

It seems quite odd that an orchestra with an endowment of $140 More >

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Composer Daniel Catán has died

Apr 11th

Posted by gene in News

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Daniel Catán

The composer of the opera “Il Postino” died in his sleep at his home in Austin. The composer’s representative also confirmed his death, saying that he wasn’t suffering from any known illnesses.

Born in Mexico City, Catán studied in Britain and later completed his music studies at Princeton University where More >