Music History Monday: Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Some Myths Debunked
We mark the first performance of the ballet Swan Lake on March 4, 1877: 147 years ago today. Premiered at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, with music by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), choreograp...
4 Mar 202421min
Music History Monday: Too Late to Matter for Georges Bizet, though Better Late Than Never for the Rest of Us
We mark the premiere on February 26, 1935 – 89 years ago today – of Georges Bizet’s Symphony in C. The premiere took place in Basel, Switzerland, in a performance conducted by Felix Weingartner (1863...
26 Feb 202421min
Music History Monday: Frankie and Johnny, and Helen and Lee
I am aware that Valentine’s Day is already 5 days past, but darned if the romantic warm ‘n’ fuzzies aren’t still lingering with me like a rash from poison oak. As such, I will be excused for offering ...
19 Feb 202418min
Music History Monday: Unauthorized Use
February 12 is one of those remarkable days in music history, remarkable for all the notable events that took place on this day. So: before getting to our featured topic, let us acknowledge some of th...
12 Feb 202424min
Music History Monday: Getting Back to Work!
On February 5, 1887 – 137 years ago today – Giuseppe Verdi’s 25th and second-to-last opera, Otello, received its premiere at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. The premiere was the single greatest trium...
5 Feb 202419min
Music History Monday: Idomeneo
We mark the premiere on January 29, 1781 – 243 years ago today – of Wolfgang Mozart’s opera Idomeneo, Re di Creta (“Idomeneo, King of Crete”). With a libretto by Giambattista Varesco (1735-1805), whi...
29 Jan 202422min
Music History Monday: Johannes Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 1
We mark the premiere on January 22, 1859 – 165 years ago today – of Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1, in the German city of Hanover. No other work by Brahms caused him such effort; never before o...
22 Jan 202419min
Music History Monday: American Pie
On January 15, 1972 – 52 years ago today – Don McLean’s folk-rock song American Pie began what would eventually be a four-week stay at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song made the singe...
15 Jan 202426min
