On This Day

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On This Day
11 February: Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment Was Premiered
Not everything went according to plan when Gaetano Donizetti introduced his opéra comique La Fille du regiment (The Daughter of the Regiment) to the general public on 11 February 1840. The “Salle de la Bourse” was filled to the brim,
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On This Day
10 February: Leontyne Price Was Born
Leontyne Price, born on 10 February 1927 in Laurel, Mississippi, was the first African American superstar in the world of music. Growing up in the segregated South, Price was a true lirico-spinto soprano, noted for her subtle musical interpretations and
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On This Day
8 February: Giuseppe Torelli Died
Giuseppe Torelli, who made major contributions to the instrumental concerto and to the Bolognese repertory for trumpet and strings, forever closed his eyes on 8 February 1709. He was buried by the Confraternity of the Guarding Angel in Bologna, with
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On This Day
7 February: Mozart’s Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario) Was Premiered
On 7 February 1786, the Schönbrunn castle on the outskirts of Vienna saw the premiere performance of Mozart’s Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario). On the same playbill was Antonio Salieri’s Prima la Musica, poi le Parole (First the Music and then the
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On This Day
6 February: Claudio Arrau Was Born
Claudio Arrau was probably the least flamboyant of pianists, avoiding virtuosic display as rigorously as some other pianists crave it. To be sure, he had the technical abilities of a virtuoso, but he was an intellectual and deeply reflective interpreter.
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On This Day
5 February: Tcherepnin’s Piano Concerto No. 3 Was Premiered
Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977) was frequently described as a “musical citizen of the world, a composer who belongs to many countries and cultures.” As an expatriate artist, he spent his lifetime moving from country to country, but he remained deeply connected
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On This Day
1 February: Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 1 Was Premiered
By the time Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) reached his 14th birthday, he already had an impressive variety and number of works in his compositional portfolio. In fact, between 1821 and 1823 alone, he composed a total of 12 symphonies for strings.
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On This Day
30 January: Lynn Harrell Was Born
Cellist Lynn Harrell, winner of the inaugural Avery Fisher Prize and two Grammy Awards had the ability to generate a penetrating richness of sound, and to communicate with tremendous personal warmth. A formidable technician, Harrell was appointed principal cellist of
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