Four Centuries of Great Music July 28, 2024 Composers Birthdays in July

FCGM-07-28-24 July Composer Birthdays

Today on Four Centuries of Great Music we are celebrating composers whose anniversary of their births are in July.  And perhaps we will get out of the first week of July before the end to the program.  Because we are starting on July 1st with the anniversary of the birth of, Hans Werner Henze who was born in 1926.  To honor Henze’s birthday I am going to play his Sonatina für Trompete solo,  It is in three movements I. Toccata’s II. Canzona and III. Segnali.  Here is a performance of Hans Werner Henze’s  Sonatina für Trompete by Valentin Garvie from the album Porträt-Reihe: Ut Supra (Ensemble Modern Presents Valentín Garvie & Ensemble Modern)   Ensemble Modern Medien

The next anniversary of a composers birthday is July 2nd with Christoph Willibald von Gluck who was born a little over two centuries earlier in 1714.  Today on Four Centuries of Great Music I will be playing from his opera Orfeo ed Euridice, the Melodie dell’Orfeo here for piano performed by Yuja Wang from her album The Vienna Recital Deutsche Grammophon

And would you believe it two birthday anniversaries on July 3rd: Ruth Crawford-Seeger born in 1901 and Leos Janacek born about 50 years earlier in 1854.  For Ruth Crawford-Seeger we will be doing her String Quartet from 1931.  It is in 4 movements:  I. Rubato assai; II. Leggiero; III. Andante; IV. Allegro possibile

Pellegrini Quartet
Ruth Crawford Seeger: Chamber Works
CPO Records

Ruth Crawford-Seeger:  String Quartet (1931)  I. Rubato assai
Ruth Crawford-Seeger:  String Quartet (1931) II. Leggiero
Ruth Crawford-Seeger:  String Quartet (1931) III. Andante
Ruth Crawford-Seeger:  String Quartet (1931) IV. Allegro possibile

And to celebrate the anniversary of Leoš Janáček’s birthday here is an interesting guitar quartet version of his On the Overgrown Path - the first 10 movements: I. Our Evenings; II. A Blown Away Leaf; III. Come With Us; IV. The Madonna of Frydek; V. They Chattered Like Swallows; VI. Words Fail; VII. Good Night; VIII. Unutterable Anguish; IX. In Tears and X. The Barn Owl Has Not Flown Away.    Here is Leoš Janáček: On the Overgrown Path performed by the York Guitar Quartet from the album On the Overgrown Path. Self Released


There are two composers with the anniversary of their births on July 7th, Gustav Mahler, who was born in 1860, and Gian Carlo Menotti who was born in 1911.  

First lets listen to the March and Shepherd's Dance from Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors here performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Schenck from the album Barber: Souvenirs - Menotti: Amahl and the Night Visitors. KOCH International Classics

Gian Carlo Menotti
Amahl and the Night Visitors: March and Shepherd's Dance
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra & Andrew Schenck
Barber: Souvenirs - Menotti: Amahl and the Night Visitors
KOCH International Classics

And to close today’s Four Centuries of Great Music we have Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major (Titan).  It is in 4 movements: I. Langsam, schleppend - Immer sehr gemächlich; II Kraeftig bewegt doch nicht zu schnell; III Feierlich und gemessen ohne zu schleppen and  IV Stuermisch bewegt

Here is a performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major (Titan) by the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Semyon Bychkov from the album Mahler: Symphony No. 1  Pentatone Records

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D Major (Titan) - I. Langsam, schleppend - Immer sehr gemächlich
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D Major (Titan) - II Kraeftig bewegt doch nicht zu schnell
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D Major (Titan) - III Feierlich und gemessen ohne zu schleppen
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D Major (Titan) - IV Stuermisch bewegt