Daphne

Richard Strauss Born June 11, 1864, in Munich, Germany Died September 8, 1949, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany An den Baum Daphne (Epilogue from Daphne) Composed in 1943 Text by Joseph Gregor (1888-1960) Premiered on January 5, 1947 in Vienna, Austria by the Vienna State Opera Chorus with the Vienna Boys’ Choir conducted by Felix Prohaska. Performance…

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Beauty in Dark Times: Richard Strauss’ Daphne

The myth of Daphne has come down to us from a myriad of ancient Greek and Roman sources. The most well-known perhaps is the version in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In all its variants, however, three central issues animate the Daphne myth.  First, is beauty and its consequences. Daphne is so uncommonly beautiful and so mesmerizing that…

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Organ + Orchestra

It is a pleasure to welcome the audience to this concert of the American Symphony Orchestra at St. Bartholomew’s. St. Bartholomew’s has a rich and noble history as a venue for concerts, particularly concerts that utilize its spectacular and legendary Aeolian-Skinner organ. Although the present organ dates from 1918, it incorporates much of the previous…

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Camille Saint-Saëns & Dame Ethel Smyth

Camille Saint-Saëns Born October 9, 1835, in Paris, France Died December 16, 1921, in Algiers, Algeria Symphony No. 3, Op. 78, 1886 Composed 1886 Premiered on May 19, 1886, in London, U.K., Conducted by Camille Saint-Saëns Performance Time: Approximately 36 minutes In 1878, Camille Saint-Saëns endured a double tragedy. On May 28, his young son…

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Celebrating Music In New York

This concert celebrates the role New York City has played, and continues to play as a center of national musical culture in the 20th century. At the same time, tonight’s concert marks the 60th anniversary of the American Symphony Orchestra.  The ASO was founded by Leopold Stokowski in the early sixties. Lincoln Center—the not altogether…

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Celebrating New York

Aaron Copland  Born November 14, 1900, in Brooklyn, New York Died December 2, 1990, in North Tarrytown, New York Quiet City Composed 1939-1941 Orchestra version premiered on January 28, 1941 in New YORK, Conducted by Daniel Saidenberg Performance Time: Approximately 10 minutes “My career in the theatre has been a flop,” wrote Aaron Copland to…

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