13 Days When Music Changed Forever
Produced by WFMT. This show is no longer airing.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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