November 4, 1964: The Premiere of Terry Riley’s In C

This piece, which debuted at the San Francisco Tape Music Center, and the minimalist outpouring that it sparked, were a reaction to the rigid strictures of serialism and the strangleh... Aug 30, 2011

January 28, 1936: Stalin Reprimands Shostakovich

This publication in Pravda of the article titled "Chaos Instead of Music" signaled Stalin’s displeasure with Shostakovich’s opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and led to the composer’s “re... Aug 23, 2011

January 10, 1931: The Debut of Charles Ives’s Three Places in New England

Before Ives, American concert music was almost entirely based on European models. After him, through Copland, Cage, and beyond, American “classical” music found its own voice. Hear ... Aug 17, 2011

December 26, 1926: The Premiere of Tapiola

Sibelius in his time was seen as a nationalist along the lines of Grieg, but we now hear his music as radical and astonishingly prescient.

Aug 9, 2011

May 29, 1913: The Premiere of the Ballet, The Rite of Spring

Stravinsky’s completely original instrumentation and rhythms, and his use of dissonance, have made this work one of the most important of the 20th century. Hear how it happened, tonight at 10 pm.

Aug 2, 2011

January 25, 1909: The Premiere of Elektra

Richard Strauss’s Electra is perhaps the only piece from the days of early modernism that retains its ability to shock today. Find out why on tonight's episode.

Jul 26, 2011

May 6, 1889: The Opening of the Exposition Universelle in Paris

The Exposition Universelle was where Debussy first heard gamelan music, and “world” music became a part of Western classical language. Hear why that event was so influential on subs... Jul 20, 2011

August 13, 1876: The First-Ever 'Ring' Cycle at Bayreuth

The past year has seen the debuts of three major productions of Wagner's "Ring" Cycle -- in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Tonight at 10 pm: the appeal and danger of Wagner... Jul 12, 2011

April 7, 1805: The First Performance of Beethoven’s Eroica

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 changed our idea of what music could express. Instead of classical form and rarified beauty, this symphony lays out the full range of human feelings. Hear... Jul 6, 2011

August 8, 1803: Beethoven Gets a New Piano

With a new instrument by Parisian piano maker Sebastien Erard, Beethoven was able to set aside his forte piano and write more expressive music.

Jun 28, 2011