This weeks selection of works is very unique. For the first time, I had the pleasure of hearing booming sound of an instrument known as thundersticks in Cowell's 1925 work "ensemble." That is just a sample of this weeks unique line up. Just add Ravinia Festival: This Week in Classical Music to your Spotify playlist, and listen to all your favorite works on the anniversaries of their initial premiers. Just click the Spotify logo, or the link above, and enjoy a week of historical moments. We update our playlist every week so there will never be a 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!
February 6
- 1851: R. Schumann: Symphony No. 3 ("Rhenish"), in Düsseldorf, conducted by the composer
- 1933: Henry Brant: "Angels and Devils" for solo flute and flute ensemble, at a Pan-American Association of Composers concert at Carnegie Chapter Hall in New York City, with the famous French-born flautist Georges Barrère as the soloist; On the same program, Brant accompanied soprano Judith Litante at the piano in the premiere performances of three songs by Charles Ives: "Afterglow," "Ann Street," and "Like a Sick Eagle"
February 7
- 1875: Lalo: "Symphonie espagnole" for Violin and Orchestra, in Paris, Edouard Colonne conducting, with Pablo de Sarasate the soloist
- 1882: Borodin: String Quartet No. 2 in D, in St. Petersburg
February 8
- 1897: Kalinnikov: Symphony No. 1
- 1925: Cowell: "Ensemble" (original version for strings and 3 "thunder-sticks"), at a concert sponsored by the International Composers' Guild at Aeolian Hall in New York, by an ensemble led by Vladimir Shavitch that featured the composer and two colleagues on "thunder-sticks" (an American Indian instrument also known as the "bull-roarer"); Also on program was the premiere of William Grant Still's "From the Land of Dreams" for three voices and chamber orchestra (his first concert work, now lost, dedicated to his teacher, Edgard Varèse)
February 9
- 1812: Beethoven: private premieres of "The Ruins of Athens" and "King Stephen" Overture and Incidental Music, as part of a production at the opening of a new theater in Pest, Hungary
- 1909: Albéniz: piano suite, "Iberia," in Paris
February 10
- 1794: Haydn: Symphony No. 99, conducted by the composer, at the King's Theatre in London
- 1949: Antheil: Symphony No. 6, by the San Francisco Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting
February 11
- 1883: Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 (2nd and 3rd movements only), by Vienna Philharmonic, with Wilhelm Jahn conducting; Gustav Mahler led the Vienna Philharmonic on Februaryruary 26, 1899, in the first, heavily cut, performance of the complete work
- 1938: Ernest Bloch: "Evocations" for orchestra, by the San Francisco Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting
February 12
- 1894: Rachmaninoff: “Trio élégiaque” (Elegiac Trio) No. 2 in d minor, for violin, cello, and piano, in Moscow, with Yuly Konyus (Julius Conus) (violin), Anatoly Brandukov (cello), and the composer at the piano
- 1924: Gershwin: "Rhapsody in Blue," at Aeolian Hall in New York, with Paul Whiteman conducting and the composer as soloist