Category Archives: Anniversary

On this day – the first performance of Philip Glass: Symphony no.8

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood Photo of Glass by WNYC New York Public Radio, used from Wikipedia

On this day in 2005, the world premiere of the Symphony no.8 by Philip Glass took place. Generally the symphony has not been a form to fire the imagination of minimalist composers – Steve Reich, for instance, has not written one – but Glass has found a way of integrating symphonic thought and form with subtly repetitive figures.

The Eighth is a more exploratory, chromatic work in three movements, a substantial piece lasting nearly 40 minutes. Here it is with the performers from the premiere, the Bruckner Orchestra Linz conducted by Dennis Russell Davies:

https://open.spotify.com/album/4JXQOm6Imw93JBOsDn48X2

Published post no.2,706 – Sunday 2 November 2025

On this day – the first performance of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto no.1

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

Today marks 70 years since the first performance of a Shostakovich masterpiece. The Violin Concerto no.1 in A minor Op.77/99 received its premiere at the hands of its dedicatee, David Oistrakh, with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yevgeny Mravinsky.

Here it is from one of its most passionate recent exponents, Maxim Vengerov taking the solo part with the Novosibirsk State Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Thomas Sanderling:

Published post no.2,702 – Wednesday 29 October 2025

On this day – the birth of Domenico Scarlatti

Posted on by
Reply

Picture: used courtesy of Wikipedia

by Ben Hogwood

Earlier in the week we marked 300 years since the birth of Alessandro Scarlatti..and now we switch attention to his son Domenico, born 340 years ago today.

Domenico was a prodigious composer of keyboard sonatas, a form he helped revolutionise. Here are some in excellent versions from Anne Quéffelec:

ublished post no.2,695 – Thursday 22 October 2025

On this day 300 years ago – the death of Alessandro Scarlatti

Posted on by
Reply

Picture: used courtesy of Wikipedia

by Ben Hogwood

A confession: I know very little of the music of Alessandro Scarlatti, but I did not want this significant anniversary to get passed over, for it is 300 years to the day since his death in Napoli.

Alessandro was renowned primarily as a vocal composer, but also made a number of innovations in instrumental music – picked up by his son Domenico, a prolific composer in this area.

Opera and church music were Alessandro’s main forms of musical currency, but we begin with an invaluable guide to his music from Brilliant Classics, presenting a sequence of concertos, sinfonias and sonatas:

Following this is one of Alessandro’s principal compositions for the church, his Dixit Dominus in a fine performance with Trevor Pinnock conducting the English Concert and a starry team of soloists:

Finally, here is a link to what some regard as Alessandro’s best opera – the three-act drama Telemarco:

Published post no.2,695 – Thursday 22 October 2025

On this day – the first performance of Copland’s Symphony no.3

Posted on by
Reply

photo courtesy of CBS Television

by Ben Hogwood

Two days ago we noted the first performance of Aaron Copland’s ballet Rodeo in 1942. Now we look at the first performance of his Symphony no.3, which took place on this day in 1946. The Third is Copland’s flagship symphony, an impressive and powerful work that reaches its apex with music that you will no doubt recognise as the Fanfare for the Common Man, written in 1942. Here is a fine performance of the whole work from the New York Philharmonic and Leonard Bernstein, recorded for DG in 1986:

As with Rodeo, Emerson, Lake & Palmer were not far away, and their adaptation of the Fanfare for the Common Man became their biggest hit in 1977:

Published post no.2,691 – Saturday 18 October 2025