Today's Birthday in Music: July 20 (Paik)

1932 - Nam June Paik, Seoul, South Korea; avant-garde composer and video artist

Biography

Unprotected music: Nam June Paik - "Solo for Violin" (Donaufestival, Krems, 2007)


Nam June Paik at the piano with Charlotte Moorman playing the cello

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 19 (Neel, Braun, Glennie)

1905 - Boyd Neel, Blackheath, England; conductor, administrator, educator


Biography


1965 - Russell Braun, Frankfurt, Germany; opera and concert baritone

Biography

David Pomeroy and Russel Braun sing "Au fond du temple saint" from Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de perles (Ottawa Under the Stars, 2007)



1965 - Evelyn Glennie, Aberdeen, Scotland; percussionist

Wikipedia
Homepage

Segment from Evelyn Glennie documentary

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 18 (Schafer, Viardot, Masur)

1933 - R. Murray Schafer, Sarnia, Canada; composer

Biography


1821 - Pauline Viardot, Paris, France; concert and opera mezzo-soprano; composer

Wikipedia

Cecilia Bartoli sings Pauline Viardot's "Havanaise"

1927 - Kurt Masur, Brieg, Germany; conductor

Official website

Kurt Masur conducting the NY Philharmonic in Schumann's Rhenish Symphony, 4th mvt. (1995)

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 17 (Upshaw, Steber)

1960 - Dawn Upshaw, Nashville, U.S.A.; opera and concert soprano

Biography & pictures
Interview

Dawn Upshaw sings "Gently, Little Boat" from Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress (with Gerry Hadley). Opéra de Lyon, 1996.



1914 - Eleanor Steber, Wheeling, U.S.A.; opera soprano

Wikipedia
Biography & pictures

Elanor Steber sings "Ist mein Liebster dahin?" from Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten (Carnegie Hall, 1958)

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 16 (Zukerman, Ysaÿe)

1948 - Pinchas Zukerman, Tel Aviv, Israel; violinist, violist, conductor

Wikipedia
A Gift for Music (La Scene Musicale, March 2002)

Schubert's "Trout Quintet", 4th mvt., played by Itzhak Perlman (violin), Daniel Barenboim (piano), Jacqueline Du Pré (cello), Zubin Mehta (bass) and Pinchas Zukerman  (viola) (1969)



1858 - Eugène Ysaÿe, Liège, Belgium; violinist, composer, conductor

Wikipedia

Ysaÿe plays "Mazurka" by Wieniawski (1912 recording)

Valeriy Sokolov plays Ysaÿe's Sonata No. 3 for solo violin (filmed by Bruno Monsaingeon at the Yehudi Menuhin School, 2003)

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 15 (Margison, Bream, Birtwistle)

1953 - Richard Margison, Victoria, Canada; opera tenor

Biography and pictures
Richard Margison - In Constant Motion (La Scena Musicale, 2002)

Richard Margison sings "Cielo e mar!" from Ponchielli's La Gioconda (Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, 2005)



1933 - Julian Bream, London, England; guitarest and lutenist

Wikipedia
Guitare Diffusion Biography

Julian Bream (self-duet) plays "Fandango" by Luigi Boccherini



1933 - Harrison Birtwistle, Accrington, England; composer

Wikipedia
New York Times on Harrison Birtwistle

Scenes from Punch and Judy, Act I, by Harrison Birtwistle (Rupert Bergmann as Punch, Hamburg 2001)

Today's Birthday in Music: July 14 (Finzi)

1901 - Gerald Finzi, London, England; composer

Wikipedia
Biography and more

"Fear no more the heat o' the sun" - song by Gerald Finzi


Finzi's "Eclogue" for Piano and String Orchestra (Chamber Ensemble Muenster, conductor & piano: Gregor Oechtering.  Rheine, Germany, 1994)

Today's Birthday in Music: July 13 (Bergonzi)

1924 - Carlo Bergonzi, Vidalenzo, Italy; opera tenor

Wikipedia

Carlo Bergonzi sings:

(at age 65) "Una furtiva lagrima" from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore (Newark. N.J., 1989)


"Ah si ben mio" from Verdi's Il Trovatore (Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, 1969)

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 12 (Cliburn, Flagstad)

1934 - Van Cliburn, Shreveport, U.S.A.; pianist

Wikipedia
Dallas Morning News article (2008)

Van Cliburn plays Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, 2nd mvt., Kirill Kondrashin conducting (Moscow, 1962)



1895 - Kirsten Flagstad, Hamar, Norway; opera soprano

Wikipedia
Short biography and pictures

Kirsten Flagstad sings "Liebestod" from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde (her debut performance at Covent Garden, 1936; Fritz Reiner conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra)

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 11 (Boyd, Gedda, Prey)

1949 - Liona Boyd, London, England; guitarist

Wikipedia
Official website

Liona Boyd in concert



1925 - Nicolai Gedda, Stockholm, Sweden; opera tenor

Wikipedia
Short biography and pictures

Nicolai Gedda as Chapelau (singing in German) in Adolph Adam's Le postillon de Lonjumeau



1929 - Hermann Prey, Berlin, Germany; opera bass-baritone

Wikipedia
Short biography and pictures

Hermann Prey as Don Carlo singing in German "Son Pereda" from Verdi's La Forza del Destino

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 10 (Orff, Welitsch)

1895 - Carl Orff, Munich, Germany; composer

Orff-Zentrum München website

John van Kesteren sings "Und Sie Brachten" from Orff's opera Der Mond (Munich, 1965)


"O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana (BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, Cardiff, 1994)



1913 - Ljuba Welitsch, Borissovo, Bulgaria; opera soprano

Wikipedia

Ljuba Welitsch sings "Wie nahte mir der Schlummer ... Leise, leise ..." from Weber's Der Freischütz

Today's Birthday in Music: July 9 (Respighi)

1879 - Ottorino Respighi, Bologna, Italy; composer, violinist

Short biography & pictures
Various articles

The Pines of Rome (1. "Pines of the Villa Borghese"; 2." Pines near a Catacomb"); Orchestra dell'Accademia nazionale di Santa Cecilia, conductor Antonio Pappano.  Rome, January 2007)


Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 3 ("Italiana" and "Siciliana") - paintings by Caravaggio

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 8 (Grainger, Antheil)

1882 - Percy Grainger, Melbourne, Australia; composer, pianist

Wikipedia
Official website

Percy Grainger plays his own composition Country Gardens (piano roll)



1900 - George Antheil, Trenton, U.S.A.; composer, pianist

Wikipedia (mis-states birthdate as June 8)

Ballet Mécanique (all-robotic version), played at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2006

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 7 (Mahler, Menotti)

1860 - Gustav Mahler, Kaliště, Bohemia (Czech Republic); composer, conductor

Wik entry
Gustav Mahler Society
Biography and more

Thomas Hampson sings "Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz", No. 4 from Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) (Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Leonard Bernstein)


Symphony No. 5, 1st mvt. "Trauermarsch" (Cologne Philharmonic, conducted by James Conlon)



1911 - Gian Carlo Menotti, Cadegliano, Italy; composer, librettist

Wiki entry

Gian Carlo Menotti - A Composer's Life in Two Worlds

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 6 (Ashkenazy, H. Eisler)

1937 - Vladimir Ashkenazy, Gorky, Russia; pianist, conductor

Wiki entry
Biography and more

Ashkenazy plays  Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1, 3rd mvt. (Los Angeles Philharmonic, Carlo Maria Giulini conducting)


Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12, 3rd mvt.; Vladimiar Ashkenazy, pianist, conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from the keyboard



1898 - Hanns Eisler, Leipzig, Germany; composer

Wiki entry
Homepage

"An den kleinen Radioapparat", music by Hanns Eisler, lyrics by Berthold Brecht.  Sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Aribert Reimann, piano (Berlin, 1987)


Hanns Eisler, Nonett No.1, Variationen (1939), played by Quadrivium Ensemble, Dan Rapoport conducting (Venice, 2005)

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 5 (Starker, Landowska)

1924 - János Starker, Budapest, Hungary; cellist

Wiki entry
Portrait

János Starker plays Cassadó's Suite for Solo Cello, 1st mvt. (1989 recital, Tokyo)



1879 - Wanda Landowska, Warsaw, Poland; harpsichordist

Wiki entry
Biography

Wanda Landowska plays:

Bach, Prelude & Fugue no. 21 from The Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1 (recorded 1949-51)


Folk Dance

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 4 (Daquin, Foster)

1694 - Louis-Claude Daquin, Paris, France; composer, organist, harpsichordist

Wiki entry

Alejandro Reyes-Valdés plays "Le Coucou" (Festival Artistico Coahuila, Mexico, 2007)


Sergei Rachmaninoff plays "Le Coucou" (1920 recording)



1826 - Stephen Foster, Lawrenceville, U.S.A.; songwriter

Wiki entry

John McCormack sings "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" (Edwin Schneider, piano)

Today's Birthdays in Music: July 3 (Janáček, Fassbaender)

1854 - Leoš Janáček, Hukvaldy, Moravia (Czech Republic); composer

Wiki entry
Homepage

From the House of the Dead - final scene (Aix en Province Festival 2007, Pierre Boulez conducting)



1939 - Brigitte Faessbender, Berlin, Germany; opera mezzo-soprano

Biography

Brigitte Fassbaender as Prince Orlofsky in Strauss's Die Fledermaus (Bavarian State Opera, led by Carlos Kleiber, whose birthday is also July 3)

Today's Birthday in Music: July 2 (Gluck)

1714 - Christoph Willibald Gluck, Erasbach, Germany; composer

Wiki entry

Overture and "Non sdegnare" from Paride ed Elena (Gabrieli Players, conductor Paul McCreesh)


Kathleen Ferrier sings "What is Life?" ("Che farò senza Euridice?") from Orfeo ed Euridice; Malcolm Sargent conducts the London Symphony Orchestra

Today's Birthday in Music: July 1 (Henze)

1926 - Hans Werner Henze, Gütersloh, Germany; composer

Wiki entry
Biography

Excerpt from Pollicino (Aurelius Sängerknaben Calw, 2003)


International concert brass soloists play Henze

Today's Birthday in Music: June 30 (Salonen)

1958 - Esa-Pekka Salonen, Helsinki, Finland, conductor and composer

Wiki entry
Biography & work list

The composer conducts the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in his Foreign Bodies (composed 2001)


Interview (2008)

Today's Birthdays in Music: June 29 (Mutter, Kubelik)

1963 - Anne-Sophie Mutter, Rheinfelden, Germany; violinist

Wiki entry
Official website

Anne-Sophie Mutter plays the Sarabande from J.S. Bach's Partita in D minor



1914 - Rafael Kubelik, Býchory, Bohemia (Czech Republic), conductor

Wiki entry
Obituary (N.Y. Times, 1996)

Rafael Kubelik leads the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in "The Moldau" from Smetana's Má vlast (Munich, 1984)

Today's Birthdays in Music: June 28 (Hampson, Joachim)

1955 - Thomas Hampson, Elkhart, Indiana; opera and recital baritone

Wiki entry
Biography & pictures
Interview (1998)

Thomas Hampson sings "Die zwei blauen Augen" from Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer)



1831 - Joseph Joachim, Kittsee, Hungary; violinist, conductor, composer

Wiki entry
Biography

Joseph Joachim plays his Romance in C major

Today's Birthdays in Music: June 27 (Moffo, dal Monte)

1932 - Anna Moffo, Wayne, U.S.A.; opera and recital soprano

Wiki entry
Photos
Obituary (The Independent, London, March 2006)

Anna Moffo sings "Un bel di" from Puccini's Madama Butterfly



1893 - Toti dal Monte, Mogliano Veneto, Italy; opera soprano

Wiki entry

Toti dal Monte sings "Caro Nome" from Verdi's Rigoletto (1924)

Today's Birthdays in Music: June 26 (Abbado, Taddei)

1933 - Claudio Abbado, Milan, Italy; conductor

Wiki entry
Biography & photos

Claudio Abbado conducts an excerpt from Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet (Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg)



1916 - Giuseppe Taddei, Genoa, Italy; opera baritone

Wiki entry

Giuseppe Taddei sings "Udite, udite o rustici" from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore"

Today's Birthday in Music: June 25 (Charpentier)

1860 - Gustave Charpentier, Dieuze, France; composer (Louise)

Wiki entry

Renee Fleming sings "Depuis le jour" from Louise (Thèatre du Chàtelet Paris, 2002)

Today's Birthday in Music: June 24 (Fournier)

1906 - Pierre Fournier, Paris, France; cellist

Wiki entry
Brief biography

Pierre Fournier plays Schumann's Cello Concerto Op. 129 (ORTF National Orchestra, conducted by Jean Martinon)


Pierre Fournier and Jean Fonda play Chopin's Introduction and Polonaise Brillante for cello and piano, Op. 3 (Paris, 1965)

Today's Birthday in Music: June 23 (Levine)

1943 - James Levine, Cincinnati, U.S.A.; conductor and pianist

Wiki entry
Biography & photos
Boston Globe profile, 2004

James Levine conducts the overture to Mozart's Don Giovanni


James Levine rehearsing Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at the Metropolitan Opera (with Jessye Norman and others)


Luciano Pavarotti and James Levine perform Tosti's "Marechiare" (Lincoln Center recital, 1988)

Today's Birthdays in Music: June 22 (Pears, Tourel)

1910 - Peter Pears, Farnham, England; opera and recital tenor

Wiki entry
Snapshot

Peter Pears (as Grimes) sings "To hell with all your mercy" from the final act of Britten's Peter Grimes; Heather Harper as Ellen Orford (1969 TV production, London Symphony Orchestra and Ambrosian Chorus, conducted by Benjamin Britten)



1900 - Jennie Tourel, Vitebskt, Russia; opera and recital mezzo-soprano

Biography & photos

Jennie Tourel sings "O sleep why dost thou leave me" from Handel's Semele

Today's Birthday in Music: June 21 (J.C.F. Bach)

1732 - Johanne Christoph Friedrich Bach, Leipzig, Germany; composer and keyboard player

Wiki entry

Solfeggio, by Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (pianist Philippe Lernould)


Trio, by Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (pianist Philippe Lernould)

Today's Birthdays in Music: June 20 (Offenbach, Pelletier)

1819 - Jacques Offenbach, Cologne, Germany; composer

Wiki