Another week and another update to Ravinia Festival: This Week in Classical Music, our celebration of milestone premiers of classical works. Click the Spotify logo or the link above to add our playlist to your library. This playlist will be updated every week (pending no computer issues!) with new works so there's no need to resubscribe! Below is a day-by-day listing of the track selections for this weeks edition of the playlist. We hope you enjoy!
[UPDATE] This week is especially fun! On Dec 18, 1892, Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite premiered. Normally only select pieces from larger works selected, but we will include the entire The Nutcracker Suite for Christmas!
December 12
- 1891: Brahms: Clarinet Trio in a, Op. 114, and Clarinet Quintet in B, Op. 115, at the Singakadmie in Berlin, both with clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, accompanied by cellist Robert Hausmann, and the composer at the piano
- 1948: Henze: Violin Concerto, in Baden-Baden
December 13
- 1895: Mahler: Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection"), by Berlin Philharmonic, with the composer conducting
- 1930: Stravinsky: "Symphony of Psalms," in Brussels at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, conducted by Ernest Ansermet; Serge Koussevitzky (who commissioned the work to celebrate the Boston Symphony's 50th Anniversary), conducted the American premiere in Boston on December 19, 1930
December 14
- 1924: Respighi: tone poem, "The Pines of Rome," in Rome, at the Augusteo, Bernardo Molinari conducting
- 1983: George Perle: Serenade No. 3 for Piano and Chamber Orchestra,in New York City, by Richard Goode and the Music Today Ensemble conducted by Gerard Schwarz
December 15
- 1893: Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World") by the New York Philharmonic, Anton Seidl conducting, at a public rehearsal at Carnegie Hall, attended by the composers' children, among other members of the general public (the "official " premiere took place the following evening)
- 1940: Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 2, in New York City
December 16
- 1921: Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3, by the Chicago Symphony conducted by Frederick Stock, with the composer as soloist
- 1946: Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 3, in Moscow, by the Beethoven Quartet
December 17
- 1737: Handel: anthem “The Ways of Zion do Mourn” in London at King Henry VII’s Chapel in Westminster Abbey, during the funeral service for Queen Caroline , a major patroness of Handel’s
- 1887: Rimsky-Korsakov: “Capriccio Espagnol,” in St. Petersburg, by the Russian Symphony, with the composer conducting
December 18
- 1892: Tchaikovsky: ballet, "The Nutcracker," at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg