by Daniel Hathaway
HAPPENING TODAY:
At 12 Noon, the Church of the Covenant resumes its Tuesdays at the Covenant series with a recital of music by J.S. Bach and Franz Liszt by organist Jonathan W. Moyer.
At 7:30 pm, the Cleveland Chamber Music Society opens its 76th season with a recital by violinist James Ehnes and pianist Orion Weiss of music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Paul Hindemith and Edvard Grieg at Disciples Christian Church.
And at 8 pm, the Oberlin Conservatory hosts saxophonist Branford Marsalis in both classical and jazz pieces in Finney Chapel.
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
By Stephanie Manning
Composing, conducting, and pedagogy — Nadia Boulanger did all three, and she did them all well. Born on this date in 1887 in her home country of France, Boulanger is well-known for influencing an entire generation of composers, with her list of students including Aaron Copland, Philip Glass, and Astor Piazzolla. Her conducting career was equally impressive, as she was the first woman to conduct the Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and other major ensembles.
Though she was also a composer, Boulanger stepped back from writing music after the untimely death of her younger sister Lili (pictured). However, Nadia Boulanger would go on to program and share both her and her sister’s music in concert throughout her life. Enjoy this performance of her Fantaisie pour piano et orchestre on YouTube, and check out the Boulanger Initiative for more resources about women in music.
On this day in 1966, the Metropolitan Opera opened its doors at the company’s new opera house at Lincoln Center. Fittingly for the occasion, the Met began the season with a world premiere — Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra, starring soprano Leontyne Price. Librettist, designer, and director Franco Zefferelli staged an extravagant production, but technical issues, “gaudy” costuming, and an overall clash between Zeffirelli and Barber’s artistic visions resulted in a rocky start for the Met’s new era.
As one of the first international Black opera stars, Price (pictured left with co-star Justino Díaz) unquestionably felt the pressure from the poor reception. As Peter G. Davis wrote in The New York Times in 2009:
“At the Juilliard performance of the revised version in 1975, a fan asked her what it was like to encounter the opera again. ‘Honey,’ she reportedly replied, ‘when I heard the first notes, I broke out into a cold sweat.’”
While we’re on the topic of opera divas — on this day in 1977, soprano Maria Callas died from a heart attack at the age of 53. Much has already said about Callas, a great vocal talent whose regular appearances in the headlines made her a divisive figure. In the New York Times obituary, Dario Soria, the founder of Angel Records, offered this succinct summary of the soprano’s career:
“As a singer, she was responsible for the revival of bel canto. As an actress, she made the stage exciting theater. As a personality, she had the kind of magic that makes news. I think she’ll be remembered as one of the greatest opera singers of all time.”
