Today's Birthdays in Music: September 5 (Beach, Cage, Hamelin)

1867 - Amy Beach, Henniker, U.S.A.; composer and pianist

Wikipedia
Biographies

"Scottish Legend" (played by Philip Sear)



1912 - John Cage, Los Angeles, U.S.A.; composer

Wikipedia

"Aria" by John Cage (Kristin Magret Brækken, soprano and Ståle Storløkken, piano, 2002)



1961 - Marc-André Hamelin, Montreal, Canada; pianist and composer

Wikipedia
Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)
Beyond Virtuosity (La Scena Musicale, Dec. 2001)

Marc André Hamelin plays:

his own Étude No. 7 for Left Hand, Gershwin's "Do Do Do" and "Liza", and his own "Valse Irritation d'après Nokia"


"Negaceano" and "Vaidosa" by Radamés Gnattali

Today's Birthdays in Music: August 8 (Hétu, Chaminade)

1938 - Jacques Hétu, Trois-Rivières, Canada; composer 

Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)
The Joy of Composing (La Scena Musicale, July 2008)

Jacques Ducharme plays Hétu's "Ballade" from Suite Opus 41, No. 3 (live TV performance, 2007)



1857 - Cécile Chaminarde, Paris, France; composer, pianist

Wikipedia

Cécile Chaminade: Sérénade, Op. 29 for piano, played by Phillip Sear

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 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: May 29 (Albéniz, Korngold)

1860 - Isaac Albéniz, Camprodon (Catalania), Spain; pianist and composer

Wiki entry
Life and Music

Leyenda (Asturias) played by Andres Segovia



Malagueña played by Edgardo Roffé (2003)



1897 - Erich Korngold, Brünn, Moravia (today, Brno, The Czech Republic); composer

Wiki entry
Unofficial website

Hilary Hahn plays Korngold Violin Concerto in D major, 3rd mvt. (Deutsche Symphonie Orchestra, cond. Kent Nagano)

Today's Birthdays in Music: May 26 (Stratas, Bolcom)

1938 - Teresa Stratas, Toronto, Canada; opera soprano

Wiki entry
Biography

Teresa Stratas and Placido Domingo: "Libiam ne' lieti calici" from Verdi's La Traviata (1983 film, directed by Franco Zeffirelli)


Teresa Stratas sings "Alabama Song" from Kurt Weill's The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Metropolitan Opera production, 1978)



1938 - William Bolcom, Seattle, Washington; composer and pianist

Wiki entry
Biography & pictures

"Serpent's Kiss Rag" from The Garden of Eden by William Bolcom (Georgi Slavchev, pianist; Moscow 2007)

Today's Birthdays in Music: May 10 (Babbitt, M. Shostakovich)

1916 - Milton Babbitt, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; composer

Wiki entry
Biography
Interview

Milton Babbitt's Fanfare For All (Meridian Arts Ensemble in Timosoara, Romania. November 2007)



1938 - Maxim Shostakovich, Leningrad, Russia; pianist & conductor

Wiki entry
Maxim Shostakovich on his father's 7th Symphony

Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1, 4th mvt. Maxim Shostakovich conducts I Musici de Montréal. Pianist is Dmitri Shostakovich, Jr.

Today's Birthdays in Music: May 8 (Gottschalk, Cossutta)

1829 - Louis Gottschalk, New Orleans, U.S.A.; pianist and composer

Biography

Organist Jelani Eddington and pianist David Harris play Louis Moreau Gottschalk's "Grand Tarantelle" (Grace Baptist Church, Sarasota, Florida)



1932 - Carlo Cossutta, Trieste, Italy; opera tenor

Biography

Carlo Cossutta sings "Di Quella Pira" from Verdi's Il Trovatore

Today's Birthdays in Music: March 2 (Smetana, Weill)

1824 - Bedřich Smetana, Litomyšl, Bohemia; composer, pianist, conductor

Wiki entry
Bio

"The Moldau" ("Vltava") from Smetana's Má Vlast (Rafael Kubelik, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, 1990)

1900 - Kurt Weill, Dessau, Germany; composer

Wiki entry
Brief bio

From the Los Angeles Opera production of Weill's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny

Today's Musician Birthdays: February 7 (Muzio, Gabrilovich)

1889 - Claudia Muzio, Pavia, Italy; opera soprano

Wiki entry
Claudia Muzio

Claudia Muzio sings Vissi d'arte from Puccini's Tosca (Rome, 1935)



1878 - Ossip Gabrilovich, St. Petersburg, Russia; pianist, conductor

Wiki entry
Naxos bio