Today's Birthdays in Music: January 30 (Finley, Harrell)

1960 - Gerald Finley, Montreal, Canada; opera bass-baritone

Wikipedia
Official website

Gerald Finley sings "Batter, my heart" from John Adams's Doctor Atomic (Metropolitan Opera, 2008)



1944 - Lynn Harrell, New York City, U.S.A.; cellist

Wikipedia

Lynn Harrell's Cello Workshop


Lynn Harrell and James Levine play Mendelssohn's Cello Sonata No. 2 in D, 1st mvt.

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 24 (Farinelli, Hoffmann)

1705 - Farinelli (Carlo Boschi), Andria, Italy; castrato soprano

Wikipedia

1776 - E.T.A. Hoffmann, Königsberg, Germany; author, composer, music critic

Wikipedia

Harp Quintet by E.T.A. Hoffmann (Floraleda Sacchi, harp, with the Arion String Quartet)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 23 (Clementi, Żylis-Gara)

1752 - Muzio Clementi, Rome, Italy; composer

Wikipedia
Muzio Clementi Society website

Angela Hewitt plays the Presto from Clementi's Piano Sonata No.. 25, Op. 5



1935 - Teresa Żylis-Gara, Wilno, Poland; opera and concert soprano

Biography and pictures

Teresa Żylis-Gara sings "Gdyby rannem slonkiem" from Stanislav Moniuszko's Halka

Today's Birthday in Music: January 22 (R. Ponselle)

1897 - Rosa Ponselle, Meriden, CT, U.S.A.; opera soprano

Wikipedia
Rosa Ponselle Foundation website

Rosa Ponselle sings:

"Suicidio" from Ponchielli's La Gioconda (1925


"Pace, pace mio Dio" from Verdi's La Forza del Destino (1928)


Rosa and Carmela Ponselle sing Schubert's Ständchen (1926)

Today's Birthday in Music: January 21 (Domingo)

1941 - Plácido Domingo, Madrid, Spain; opera and concert tenor, conductor

Wikipedia
Official website

Plácido Domingo sings:

"E lucevan le stelle" from Puccini's Tosca (1992 production, on-site in Rome; Zubin Mehta conducting)



"No puede ser" from the zarzuela Luisa Fernanda by Federico Moreno Torroba (Operalia concert, 2006)


César Franck's Panis Angelicus at the Papal Mass for Pope Benedict, Washington Nationals Park (April 2008)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 19 (Rattle, Hotter)

1955 - Simon Rattle, Liverpool, England; conductor

Wikipedia

Just Simon: Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmoniker



1909 - Hans Hotter, Offenbach am Main, Germany; opera bass-baritone

Wikipedia
Obituary (The Guardian, December 2003)

Hans Hotter sings "Die Frist ist Um" from Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer

Today's Birthday in Music: January 18 (Ricciarelli)

1946 - Katia Ricciarelli, Rovigo, Italy; opera soprano

Wikipedia
Official website (in Italian)

Katia Ricciarelli sings:

The Mad Scene from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor (Bregenz, 1982)

"Bel raggio lusinghier" from Rossini's Semiramide (1981)


Katia Ricciarelli and Lucia Valentini-Terrani sing "Quando corpus morietur" from Pergolesi's Stabat Mater (chorus and orchestra of La Scala, Claudio Abbado conducting; 1979)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 16 (Horne, Lorengar)

1934 - Marilyn Horne, Bradford, PA, U.S.A.; opera mezzo-soprano

Wikipedia

Marilyn Horne sings "Pensa alla patria" from Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri (Metropolitan Opera, 1986)



1928 - Pilar Lorengar, Zaragoza, Spain; opera and zarzuela soprano

Wikipedia (mistakenly gives y.o.b. as 1929)
Obituary (New York Times, June 1996)

Pilar Lorengar sings "Mañanica era" by Granados (1988)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 14 (Heppner, Schweitzer)

1956 - Ben Heppner, Murrayville, Canada; opera and concert tenor

Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)

Ben Heppner sings Walter’s Prize Song from Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Metropolitan Opera, 2001)



1875 - Albert Schweitzer, Keyserberg, Germany; theologian, musician, philosopher, physician

Wikipedia
Albert Schweitzer and Music

Albert Schweitzer plays J.S. Bach’s Chorale Prelude in F minor, BWV 639

Today's Birthday in Music: January 13 (Flórez)

1973 - Juan Diego Flórez, Lima, Peru; opera tenor

Wikipedia
Official website

Juan Diego Flórez sings:

"Ah, mes amis, quel jour de fête" from Donizetti's La fille du régiment (Metropolitan Opera, 2008)


"A te o cara" from Bellini's I Puritani (with Mariola Cantarero as Elvira; Las Palmas, 2004)


"J'ai perdu mon Eurydice" from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice (2004)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 10 (Milnes, Maisky)

1935 - Sherrill Milnes, Downers Grove, IL, U.S.A.; opera baritone

Wikipedia
Unofficial website

Sherrill Milnes sings The Prologue from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci (Arena di Verona, 1985)



1948 - Mischa Maisky, Riga, Latvia; cellist

Official website

Mischa Maisky performs "The Swan" from Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns (introduction by Roger Moore; Richard Hyung-ki Joo, piano; Julian Rachlin and Friends Chamber Music Festival)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 9 (Bing, W. Meier)

1902 - Rudolf Bing, Vienna, Austria; opera impresario

Wikipedia
Obituary (New York Times, Sept. 1997)

Rudolf Bing's Farewell (Metropolitan Opera, 1972)



1956 - Waltraud Meier, Würzburg, Germany; opera mezzo-soprano

Wikipedia
Official website

Waltraud Meier sings Isolde's "Liebestod" from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde (filmed at Bayerische Staatsoper München, 1999; Zubin Mehta conducting)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 8 (Feltsman, Tozzi)

1952 - Vladimir Feltsman, Moscow, Russia; pianist

Wikipedia
Official website

Vladimir Feltsman demonstrates Chopin's Sonata #3 at SUNY New Paltz masterclass



1923 - Giorgio Tozzi, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.; opera bass

Wikipedia

Giorgio Tozzi sings "Wahn !Wahn!" from Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1970 film)

Today's Birthday in Music: January 4 (Bumbry)

1937 - Grace Bumbry, St. Louis, MO, U.S.A.; opera soprano and mezzo-soprano

Wikipedia
"Grace Ann Under Pressure" (Opera News, March 2001)

Grace Bumbry sings:

"Nel giardin del velo" from Verdi's Don Carlo (Théâtre Antique d'Orange, 1984)


"Les tringles des sistres tintaient" from Bizet's Carmen (1967 film, Herbert von Karajan conducting)


Grace Bumbry and Juan Diego Flórez sing "Angels from the realm of glory" (Christmas in Vienna, 2006)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 1 (Verreau, Greenhouse)

1926 - Richard Verreau, Château-Richer, Canada; opera tenor

Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)

Richard Verreau sings "Du moment qu'on aime" from Zémire et Azor by André Grétry



1916 - Bernard Greenhouse, Newark, NJ, U.S.A., cellist (a founding member of Beaux Arts Trio) (some sources give birthdate as January 3)

Wikipedia
Conversation with Bernard Greenhouse (1998)

Bernard Greenhouse: Introduction



The Beaux Arts Trios (Isidore Cohen, violin, Bernard Greenhouse, cello, Menahem Pressler, piano) plays Ravel's Piano Trio, 4th (final) mvt. (1970s)

Today's Birthday in Music: December 30 (J. Anderson)

1952 - June Anderson, Boston, MA, U.S.A.; opera soprano

Wikipedia
Official website

June Anderson sings:

"Casta diva" from Bellini's Norma (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2001)


"Salut à la France" from Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment (Opéra Comique, Paris, 1985)

Today's Birthday in Music: December 27 (Schipa)

1888 - Tito Schipa, Lecce, Italy; opera tenor

Wikipedia
Schipa family website

Tito Schipa sings:

"Che farò senza Euridice?" from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice (Orchestra of La Scala, Milan, conducted by Carlo Sabajno.  1932 HMV recording)


"M'appari" from Flotow's Martha

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 25 (De Luca, Swarthout)

1876 - Giuseppe De Luca, Rome, Italy; opera baritone

Wikipedia
Official website

Giuseppe De Luca sings the Largo al Factotum from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1920s?)



1900 - Gladys Swarthout, Deepwater, MO, U.S.A.; opera contralto

Biography and more

Gladys Swarthout sings "Stride la vampa" from Verdi's Il Trovatore (1937 recording)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 24 (Larsen, Stich-Randall)

1950 - Libby Larsen, Wilmington, DE, U.S.A.; composer

Official website
Interview

"Concert Piece for Tuba and Piano" (Beth McDonald, tuba; Tedrin Lindsay, piano.  Singletary Center for the Arts, 2008)



1927 - Teresa Stich-Randall, New Hertford, CT, U.S.A.; opera and concert soprano

Biography and pictures
Obituary (The Times, London, July 2007)

Teresa Stich-Randall sings "Non mi dir" from Mozart's Don Giovanni (1960)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 23 (Gruberová, Boismortier)

1946 - Edita Gruberová, Bratislava, Slovakia; opera and concert soprano

Wikipedia
Biography and pictures

Edita Gruberová sings "Ach ich liebt" from Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1989, Karl Böhm conducting)



1689 - Joseph Boismortier, Thionville, France; composer

Wikipedia

"Air de dessus" from Motet à grand choeur (Véronique Gens, soprano, with Le Concert Spirituel, directed by Hervé Piquet)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 21 (Turp, Tilson Thomas)

1925 - André Turp, Montreal, Canada; opera tenor

Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)

1944 - Michael Tilson Thomas, Los Angeles, U.S.A.; conductor, pianist, composer

Wikipedia

Official website

Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, 1st mvt. (BBC Promenade Concert, London, 2007)

Today's Birthday in Music: December 18 (Streich)

1920 - Rita Streich, Barnaul, Russia; opera soprano

Wikipedia

Rita Streich sings:

"Song to the Moon" from Dvořák's Rusalka


Felix Mendelssohn's "Auf Flügein des Gesanges" (1972 performance)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 14 (Tureck, Thill)

1914 - Rosalyn Tureck, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.; pianist and harpsichordist

Wikipedia
Tureck Bach Research Foundation webpage

Rosalyn Tureck plays Prelude and Fugue from J.S. Bach's Well Tempered Klavier Book II, No. 22, in B flat minor



1897 - Georges Thill, Paris, France; opera tenor

Life and career

Georges Thill sings:

 "J'aurais sur ma poitrine" from Massenet's Werther


Adolphe Adam's Cantique de Noël (1932 recording)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 9 (Schwarzkopf, Bell)

1915 - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Jarotschin, Germany; opera and lieder soprano

Wikipedia
Obituary (The Times, London, August 2006)

First part of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf documentary (1985)


"Frühling" and "September" from Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs (Georg Szell conducts the Radio Symphonie Orchestra Berlin



1967 - Joshua Bell, Bloomington, IN, U.S.A.; violinist

Wikipedia
Official website

Joshua Bell plays and conducts Haydn's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in C (Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, July 2008)


Joshua Bell plays The Girl with the Flaxen Hair, by Debussy (with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 5 (Carreras, Zimerman)

1946 - José Carreras, Barcelona, Spain; opera and concert tenor

Wikipedia
Official website

José Carreras sings Larà's "Granada" (Three Tenors concert, Rome, July 1990)



1956 - Krystian Zimerman, Zabrze, Poland; pianist

Wikipedia
Profile

Krystian Zimerman plays "Valses nobles et sentimentales" Nos. 1-4 by Ravel

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 4 (Harty, Minton)

1879 - Hamilton Harty, Hillsborough, Ireland; composer and conductor

Wikipedia

Scherzo from An Irish Symphony.  The composer conducts the Hallé Orchestra (1929 recording)



1938 - Yvonne Minton, Sydney, Australia; opera and concert mezzo-soprano

Biography and pictures

Yvonne Minton performs "Der Abschied", the final movement of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Georg Solti conducting)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 2 (Callas, Barbirolli)

1923 - Maria Callas, New York, U.S.A.; opera soprano

Wikipedia

Maria Callas sings "Suicidio" from Ponchielli's La Gioconda



1899 - John Barbirolli, London, England; conductor and cellist

Wikipedia
Biography and pictures

John Barbirolli conducts the Hallé Orchestra in Berlioz's Le Corsaire Overture

Today's Birthday in Music: November 20 (B. Hendricks)

1948 - Barbara Hendricks, Stephens, Arkansas, U.S.A.; opera and concert soprano

Official website

Barbara Hendricks sings:

"Salve o Maria" by  Mascagni


"Ah!  Je veux vivre" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette


"You've been a good old wagon" (with the Magnus Lindgren Quartet; recording of Barbara Sings the Blues, Stockholm 2008)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 19 (Baltsa, Anda)

1944 - Agnes Baltsa, Lefkas, Greece; opera mezzo-soprano

Biography and pictures

Agnes Baltsa sings "O don fatale" from Verdi's Don Carlo (Salzburg; Herbert von Karajan conducting)



1921 - Géza Anda, Budapest, Hungary; pianist

Biography and pictures

Géza Anda plays Brahms Paganini variations, Book II (1953 recording)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 16 (Hindemith, Tibbett)

1895 - Paul Hindemith, Hanau, Germany; composer, conductor

Wikipedia
Hindemith Foundation website

Paul Hindemith conducts his Concerto for Orchestra


Glenn Gould plays the Fugue from Hindemith's Piano Sonata No. 3



1896 - Lawrence Tibbett, Bakersfield, CA, U.S.A.; opera baritone

Wikipedia
Biography and photos

Lawrence Tibbett sings "Oh du mein holder Abenstern" from Wagner's Tannhäuser

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 11 (J. Simons, Ansermet)

1925 - Jan Simons, Düsseldorf, Germany; baritone, teacher, administrator

Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)
Winner of 2005 prix Hommage (La Scena Musicale, Feb. 2005)
Remembering Jan Simons (La Scena Musicale, May 2006)

1883 - Ernest Ansermet, Vevey, Switzerland; conductor

Biography and pictures

Ernest Ansermet conducts L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande in Haydn's Symphony No. 90, 4th mvt. (1965 recording)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 10 (Couperin, Scholl)

1688 - François Couperin, Paris, France; composer, organist, harpsichordist

Wikipedia

Tierce en Taille from "Messe des Couvents" (Jean-Baptiste Robin, organ; Cathedral of Saint-Pierre, Poitiers, France)



1967 - Andreas Scholl, Eltville, Germany; opera and concert countertenor

Wikipedia

Andreas Scholl sings "Sicut erat in principio" and "Amen" from Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus (Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, conducted by Paul Dyer)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 9 (Alarie, Terfel)

1921 - Pierrette Alarie, Montreal, Canada; opera soprano, teacher

Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)

Pierrette Alarie sings "Voi che sapete" from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro


Pierrette Alarie and Léopold Simoneau sing "Cara, non dubitar" from Cimarosa's Il Matrimonio Segreto



1965 - Bryn Terfel, Pantglas, Wales; opera and concert bass-baritone

Wikipedia

Bryn Terfel sings:

 "Leb Wohl" from Wagner's Die Walküre (with the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest Holland, conducted by Edo De Waart)


"Oh What a Beautiful Morning" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 8 (Bax, Hines)

1883 - Arnold Bax, Streatham, England; composer

Wikipedia

Summer Music (1920), played by the Ulster Orchestra, Richard Howarth conducting



1921 - Jerome Hines, Hollywood, U.S.A.; opera bass and composer

Biography
Wikipedia
Obituary (The Guardian, UK, February 2003)

Jerome Hines as the Grand Inquisitor, Paul Plishka as the King, in Verdi's Don Carlo (Metropolitan Opera, 1980)


Jerome Hines in The Last Supper Scene from his opera I Am The Way (Bolshoi, 1993)

Today's Birthday in Music: October 29 (Vickers)

1926 - Jon Vickers, Prince Albert, Canada; opera and concert tenor

Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)
Interview

Jon Vickers sings:

 "In des Lebens" from Beethoven's Fidelio


"Comfort Ye, My People" from Handel's Messiah (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Thomas Beecham, 1959)

Today's Birthdays in Music: October 24 (Gobbi, Studer)

1913 - Tito Gobbi, Bassano del Grappa, Italy; opera baritone

Wikipedia
Associazione musicale Tito Gobbi

Tito Gobbi and Maria Callas perform the final scene of Act II of Puccini's Tosca (Covent Garden, 1964)


Gobbi sings "Largo al factotum" from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1956, Carlo Maria Giulini
conducting)



1955 - Cheryl Studer, Midland, Michigan, U.S.A.; opera soprano

Wikipedia
Home page

Cheryl Studer sings "Allmacht Ge Junfrau" from Wagner's Tannhäuser (Bayreuth, 1990)

Today's Birthdays in Music: October 23 (Lortzing, Rorem)

1801 - Albert Lortzing, Berlin, Germany; composer, actor and singer

Wikipedia
Albert Lortzing website

"Heil, sei dem Tag" from Zar und Zimmerman (with Hans Sotin; Hamburg State Opera production, conductor Charles Mackerras, 1969)



1923 - Ned Rorem, Richmond, Indiana, U.S.A.; composer

Wikipedia
Official website

Rorem's Romeo and Juliet for flute and guitar, 8th mvt. (Ryu Cipris, flute, and Max Zuckerman, guitar, Baltimore, 2006)


Anne Hogan sings three songs by Ned Rorem (Dublin, 2008)

Today's Birthdays in Music: October 17 (Panerai, Howells)

1924 - Rolando Panerai, Campi Bisenzio, Italy; opera baritone

Wikipedia

Rolando Panerai and Margherita Rinaldi sing "Sì, vendetta" from Verdi's Rigoletto (1969)



1892 - Herbert Howells, Lydney, England; composer, organist, teacher

Wikipedia
Short biography and picture

"Saviour of the World" and "Eternal Rest" from Howells's Requiem (Segovia, Spain, 2007)

Today's Birthdays in Music: October 16 (Alsop, Hvorostovsky)

1956 - Marin Alsop, New York, U.S.A.; conductor

Wikipedia
Official website

"The Maestra Begins" (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra webumentary)



1962 - Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia; opera and concert baritone

Official website

Dmitri Hvorostovsky sings "In the silence of the night" by Rachmaninov

Today's Birthday in Music: October 6 (Jeritza)

1887 - Maria Jeritza, Brno, Czech Republic; opera soprano

Wikipedia
Interview

Maria Jeritza sings "Vissi d'arte" from Puccini's Tosca

Today's Birthday in Music: October 3 (Raimondi)

1941 - Ruggero Raimondi, Bologna, Italy; opera bass-baritone

Wikipedia
Biography

Ruggero Raimondi sings:

"Va, Tosca" from Puccini's Tosca (1992)


"La calunnia è un venticello" from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid)

Today's Birthday in Music: September 28 (Robbin)

1950 - Catherine Robbin, Toronto, Canada; mezzo-soprano

Biography and pictures
Farewell concert (La Scena Musicale, May 2003)

Catherine Robbin sings "Verdi allori" from Handel's Orlando

Today's Birthdays in Music: September 27 (Kipnis, Barstow)

1930 - Igor Kipnis, Berlin, Germany; harpsichordist, fortepianist, music director

Biography
Obituary (The Independent, UK, April 2002)


1940 - Josephine Barstow, Sheffield, England; opera soprano

Wikipedia

Josephine Barstow sings "Nel di della vittoria" from Verdi's Macbeth

Today's Birthdays in Music: September 26 (G. Gershwin, Wunderlich)

1898 - George Gershwin, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.; composer

Wikipedia
Concise Biography

George Gershwin plays "I Got Rhythm" at the opening of the Manhattan Theatre in New York in August 1931


"They Can't Take That Away From Me" (Fred Astaire sings to Ginger Rogers, original performance, 1937)



1930 - Fritz Wunderlich, Kusel, Germany; opera and concert tenor

Wikipedia
Biography and photographs

Fritz Wunderlich sings:

"Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte


"Morgen" by Richard Strauss (with the Bavarian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jan Koetsier, 1962)


"Mattinata" by Ruggero Leonvacallo

Today's Birthday in Music: September 24 (Rutter, MacNeil)

1945 - John Rutter, London, England; composer and choral conductor

Wikipedia
Sing a Song of Christmas (The Guardian, UK, December 2000)

John Rutter's setting of Psalm 150, sung by the combined choirs of St. Paul's Cathedral and the Chapel Royal (St. Paul's Cathedral, London, 2002)



1922 - Cornell MacNeil, Minneapolis, U.S.A.; opera baritone

Wikipedia
Reunion (Opera News Online, November 2007)

Cornell MacNeil sings "Va, Tosca" (Te Deum) from Puccini's Tosca (Metropolitan Opera, 1978)

Today's Birthday in Music: September 23 (Novotná)

1907 - Jarmila Novotná, Prague, Czechoslovakia; opera and operetta soprano

Wikipedia
Centenary recollections

Jarmila Novotná sings:

Selections from Lehar's Giuditta and "Vilja" from The Merry Widow (1934)


Czech folksong "Vy, zelení hájové", Jan Masaryk accompanies (1942)

Today's Birthdays in Music: September 22 (Tomowa-Sintow, Szeryng)

1941 - Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria; opera soprano

Wikipedia
Home Page

Anna Tomowa-Sintow sings "Or sai chi l'onore" from Mozart's Don Giovanni (Herbert von Karajan conducting; 1987)



1918 - Henryk Szeryng, Zelazowa Wola, Poland; violinist

Wikipedia
Obituary (NY Times, March 1988)

Henryk Szeryng plays Tchaikovsky's Violin Concert, 3rd mvt. (Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta conducting; early 1980s)

Today's Birthday in Music: September 19 (Thebom)

1918 - Blanche Thebom, Monessen, U.S.A.; opera mezzo-soprano

Biography
Famous Ladies with Long Hair

Blanche Thebom sings:

"Printemps qui commence" from Saint-Saens' Samson et Dalila (1944 broadcast)


"Stride la vampa" from Verdi's Il Trovatore (TV performance, 1950)

Today's Birthday in Music: September 18 (F. Caccini)

1587 - Francesca Caccini, Florence, Italy; composer, singer, lutenist

Wikipedia
Opus to Woman Power (La Scena Musicale, March 2005)

"O che nuovo stupor" by Francesca Caccini (Alicia Molina, soprano, with El Concierto Ylustrado; Cádiz, 2007)

Today's Birthdays in Music: September 15 (Norman, Walter)

1945 - Jessye Norman, Augusta, U.S.A.; opera and recital soprano

Wikipedia
Biography and pictures

Jessye Norman sings:

"Ein Schönes war" from Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos (Metropolitan Opera, 1988, James Levine conducting)


"I dreamt that I dwelt in marble halls" from Balfe's The Bohemian Girl (London, 1986)


"Ride on, King Jesus" (Carnegie Hall, James Levine conducting)



1876 - Bruno Walter, Berlin, Germany; conductor

Wikipedia
Biography and pictures

Bruno Walter conducts Beethoven's Leonore No. 3 overture (Metropolitan Opera House, 1941)


Elisabeth Schwarzkopf sings, and Bruno Walter conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Mahler's 4th Symphony (1960)

Today's Birthday in Music: September 12 (Troyanos)

1938 - Tatiana Troyanos, New York City, U.S.A.; opera and concert mezzo-soprano

Wikipedia
Remembering Tatiana Troyanos

Tatiana Troyanos sings:

"Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen" from Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Martin Katz accompanist (Casals Festival, 1986)


'Parto parto ma tu ben mio' from Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito (Jean-Pierre Ponelle film, 1980, shot on location in Rome)


"Sein wir wieder gut" from Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos (Metropolitan Opera, 1988)

Today's Birthdays in Music: September 10 (Hogwood, T. Allen)

1941 - Christopher Hogwood, Nottingham, England; conductor and harpsichordist

Wikipedia
Biography and pictures

C.P.E. Bach's Cello Concerto in A minor - Christopher Hogwood conducts the Bach Collegium München, with David Adorján, cello (Munich 1999)



1944 - Thomas Allen, Seaham, England; opera and concert baritone

Wikipedia
Profile (The Guardian, UK, 2003)

Thomas Allen sings "Largo al Factotum" from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Andrew Davis conducting.  Promenade concert at Buckingham Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee, 2002)

Today's Birthdays in Music: September 7 (J. Cross, H. Aitken)

1900 - Joan Cross, London, England; opera soprano


Joan Cross as Queen Elizabeth in Britten's Gloriana
Wikipedia




1924 - Hugh Aitken, New York City, U.S.A.; composer

Biography

Today's Birthdays in Music: September 1 (Ozawa, Humperdinck, Schikaneder)

1935 - Seiji Ozawa, Shenyang, China; conductor

Wikipedia
Biography and pictures

Seiji Ozawa conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Dvořák's Carnival Overture



1854 - Engelbert Humperdinck, Siegburg, Germany; composer (Hänsel und Gretel)

Wikipedia

Overture to Hänsel und Gretel (Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer conducting)



1751 - Emanuel Schikaneder, Straubing, Germany; impresario, actor, singer, librettist (Die Zauberflöte)


Wikipedia

Today's Birthday in Music: August 30 (Resnik)

1922 - Regina Resnik, New York City, U.S.A.; opera soprano and mezzo-soprano

Wikipedia

Regina Resnik sings:

(1965) "Les tringles des sistres tintaient" from Bizet's Carmen


(1990) As Mme Armfeldt, "Liaisons" from Sondheim's A Little Night Music

Today's Birthday in Music: August 29 (Roswaenge)

1897 - Helge Roswaenge, Copenhagen, Denmark; opera tenor

Grandi tenori
Wikipedia

Helge Roswaenge sings:

"Che gelida manina" (in German) from Puccini's La Bohème


(c. 1938) "Hier soll' ich dich denn sehen, Constanze" from Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail

Today's Birthdays in Music: August 28 (Tucker, Giordano)

1913 - Richard Tucker, Brooklyn, U.S.A.; opera tenor

Wikipedia
Richard Tucker remembered

Richard Tucker sings two Italian songs: "Non ti scordar di me" and "Torna a Sorrento" (early 1960s?)


Richard Tucker and Renata Tebaldi sing the final duet "Vicino a te" from Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chenier (recorded live in Chicago, 1956)



1867 - Umberto Giordano, Foggia, Italy; composer

Wikipedia
Biography

Jon Vickers sings "Come un bel dì di maggio" from Andrea Chenier


Jose Carreras, with Mirella Freni, sings "Amor ti vieta" from Giordano's Fedora (Barcelona, 1993)

Today's Birthdays in Music: August 21 (L. Boulanger, Janet Baker)

1893 - Lili Boulanger, Paris, France; composer

Wikipedia
Women of Note

Lili Boulanger's Psalm 24 for chorus, organ and orchestra (Monteverdi Choir and London Symphony Orchestra, John Eliot Gardiner conductor)



1933 - Janet Baker, Hatfield, England; opera and concert mezzo-soprano

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Biography and pictures


Janet Baker sings:

"Che farò senza Euridice?" from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice (studio performance, 1982)


Schubert's "Who is Sylvia?", accompanied by Murray Perahia (at Covent Garden)

Today's Birthdays in Music: August 19 (Enescu, G. Schwarz, A. Monk)

1881 - George Enescu, Liveni, Romania; composer, conductor, violinist, pianist, teacher

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TRAFFIC String Quintet plays Enescu's Romanian Rhapsody (live concert, Bucharest, 2008)



1947 - Gerard Schwarz, Weekawken, U.S.A.; conductor

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Gerard Schwarz rehearses the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in Louis Gruenberg's Violin Concerto (Koh Gabriel Kameda, violin; Tokyo, 2002)



1942 - Allan Monk, Mission, Canada; opera and concert baritone

Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)

Allan Monk and Marilyn Horne sing "Ai capricci delle sorte" from Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri (Metropolian Opera, 1986)