On This Day

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On This Day
29 April: Zubin Mehta Was Born
When Zubin Mehta made his conducting debut at New York Carnegie Hall in 1967 a critic wrote, “Mehta has the capacity to control every sound made by an orchestra, and he does this with the simplest of gestures, every one
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On This Day
27 April: Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks Was Premiered
To celebrate the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which ultimately ended the War of Austrian Succession, King George II of Great Britain hosted a gargantuan festival on 27 April 1749. Citizens from all corners of the kingdom arrived in London to witness
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On This Day
26 April: Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 4 Was Premiered
For almost 20 years, Niccolò Paganini had patiently confined his concert activities to Italy before setting out to conquer various European capitals. Initially he appeared in Vienna and Franz Schubert excitedly reported, “We will never hear his like again!” He
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On This Day
25 April: Truls Mørk Was Born
Known for his “compelling performances, combining fierce intensity and passion with integrity and grace,” Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk has long taken audiences on compelling musical journeys. One of the pre-eminent cellists of our time, he was the first Scandinavian to
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On This Day
23 April: Sergei Prokofiev Was Born
Sergei Prokofiev was born on 23 April 1891 in Sontsovka, now located in Ukraine but then a remote rural estate of the Yekaterinoslav Governorate of the Russian Empire. His father Sergey Alekseyevich Prokofiev was an agronomist and managed the estate
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On This Day
20 April: John Eliot Gardiner Was Born
John Eliot Gardiner, born on 20 April 1943, is revered as “one of the world’s most innovative and dynamic musicians, constantly in the vanguard of enlightened interpretation and standing as a leader in contemporary musical life.” He founded and artistically
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19 April: Murray Perahia was Born
Armed with consummate technical skills, boundless imagination and near-mystical eloquence, American pianist Murray Perahia’s “artistry connects with their freedom of expression and nobility of sound.” Widely considered one of the greatest living pianists, “his interpretations project above all a compelling
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On This Day
18 April: Ottorino Respighi Died
Ottorino Respighi was working on his last opera Lucrezia when he unexpectedly died of congestive heart failure on 18 April 1936. Respighi had not yet reached his 57th birthday, and his wife Elsa suspected that the cause of his early
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