This Week in Classical Music: November 22, 2021.Catching up.Last week, as we were railing against the woke approach to classical music, we missed several interesting dates.So this time we’ll cover two weeks rather than one.Several important composers had anniversaries during this period.Paul Hindemith was born on November 16th of 1895 in Hanau, near Frankfurt.Last year we celebrated his 125th anniversary.Here’s his Trauermusik (Funderal music), written on an exceedingly short notice.The story of this piece is very unusual.On January 19th of 1936, Hindemith, who was a brilliant violist, traveled to London to solo in his own viola concerto; the concert was to take place two days later at Queen’s Hall. On the 20th King George V died and the concert was cancelled.Still, Adrian Boult, who was to conduct the concert, wanted to play something appropriate and have Hindemith involved.They discussed the program and eventually decided that Hindemith should write music for the occasion.Hindemith agreed, and in six hours wrote a piece for the viola and string orchestra.Later that very evening, on January 21st, it was played, with Hindemith soloing, and broadcast live from the BBC studio!It is also noteworthy that Hindemith wrote a piece to commemorate the monarch of the United Kingdom, an enemy of Nazi Germany, and did so while he was under a lot of pressure from the regime.
Other composers born during this period: Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, the unhappy but very talented eldest son of Johann Sebastian, on November 22nd of 1710; Benjamin Britten, probably the greatest British composer of the 20th century, on November 22, 1913; Manuel de Falla, one of the most important of all Spanish composers of the 20th century, on November 23rd of 1876.Also, three Russian composers of different epochs, Alfred Schnittke in the late 20th century (b. 11/24/1934),Sergei Taneyevwho lived a century earlier (b. 11/25/1856); and Anton Rubinstein (b. 11/28/1829), the founder of the St.-Petersburg Conservatory, the first in Russia.Last but not least, the composer who establish the Baroque tradition in French music, the Italian Jean-Baptiste Lully.
As for instrumentalists and singers, here are several that we’d like to mention.Daniel Barenboim turned 79 on November 15th (read more about him and the cellist Natalia Gutmanhere).Jorge Bolet was born on the same day in 1914 in Havana, Cuba.A great virtuoso, he lived in the US most of his life.Not as well known or recorded as some of his contemporaries, he was a wonderful interpreter of the works of Liszt and other Romantics.Another American piano virtuoso, Earl Wild, was also born this week, on November 26th of 1915.That’s not all: Ignacy Jan Paderewski, one of the most famous pianists of all time, also a composer and a diplomat, was born on November 18th of 1860; Wilhelm Kempff, one of the best German pianists famous for his interpretation of the music of Beethoven and Schubert, was born on November 25th of 1895; and Yakov Zak, a noted Soviet pianist, was born in Odessa on November 20th of 1913.
We can’t mention everybody, but we can’t miss Alfredo Kraus, a great musician and one of the best bel canto tenors of the mid-20th century; he was born on the Canary Islands on November 24th of 1927.
Catching up, November 2021
This Week in Classical Music: November 22, 2021. Catching up. Last week, as we were railing against the woke approach to classical music, we missed several interesting dates. So this time we’ll cover two weeks rather than one. Several important composers had anniversaries
during this period. Paul Hindemith was born on November 16th of 1895 in Hanau, near Frankfurt. Last year we celebrated his 125th anniversary. Here’s his Trauermusik (Funderal music), written on an exceedingly short notice. The story of this piece is very unusual. On January 19th of 1936, Hindemith, who was a brilliant violist, traveled to London to solo in his own viola concerto; the concert was to take place two days later at Queen’s Hall. On the 20th King George V died and the concert was cancelled. Still, Adrian Boult, who was to conduct the concert, wanted to play something appropriate and have Hindemith involved. They discussed the program and eventually decided that Hindemith should write music for the occasion. Hindemith agreed, and in six hours wrote a piece for the viola and string orchestra. Later that very evening, on January 21st, it was played, with Hindemith soloing, and broadcast live from the BBC studio! It is also noteworthy that Hindemith wrote a piece to commemorate the monarch of the United Kingdom, an enemy of Nazi Germany, and did so while he was under a lot of pressure from the regime.
Other composers born during this period: Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, the unhappy but very talented eldest son of Johann Sebastian, on November 22nd of 1710; Benjamin Britten, probably the greatest British composer of the 20th century, on November 22, 1913; Manuel de Falla, one of the most important of all Spanish composers of the 20th century, on November 23rd of 1876. Also, three Russian composers of different epochs, Alfred Schnittke in the late 20th century (b. 11/24/1934),Sergei Taneyevwho lived a century earlier (b. 11/25/1856); and Anton Rubinstein (b. 11/28/1829), the founder of the St.-Petersburg Conservatory, the first in Russia. Last but not least, the composer who establish the Baroque tradition in French music, the Italian Jean-Baptiste Lully.
As for instrumentalists and singers, here are several that we’d like to mention. Daniel Barenboim turned 79 on November 15th (read more about him and the cellist Natalia Gutman here). Jorge Bolet was born on the same day in 1914 in Havana, Cuba. A great virtuoso, he lived in the US most of his life. Not as well known or recorded as some of his contemporaries, he was a wonderful interpreter of the works of Liszt and other Romantics. Another American piano virtuoso, Earl Wild, was also born this week, on November 26th of 1915. That’s not all: Ignacy Jan Paderewski, one of the most famous pianists of all time, also a composer and a diplomat, was born on November 18th of 1860; Wilhelm Kempff, one of the best German pianists famous for his interpretation of the music of Beethoven and Schubert, was born on November 25th of 1895; and Yakov Zak, a noted Soviet pianist, was born in Odessa on November 20th of 1913.
We can’t mention everybody, but we can’t miss Alfredo Kraus, a great musician and one of the best bel canto tenors of the mid-20th century; he was born on the Canary Islands on November 24th of 1927.