FEBRUARY 25

Anton REICHA

1643 Death of Italian composer Marco da Gagliano, in Florence. b-1582.

1682 Death of Alessandro Stradella, murdered in Genoa. Perhaps for running off with a Venetian nobleman's mistress. b-Rome, 1 OCT 1644.

1705 FP of G. F. Handel's second opera Nero in Hamburg.

1723 Handel becomes music director for His Majesty's Chapel Royal in London.

1725 (1727?) Birth of French composer and Notre Dame organist Armand Louis COUPERIN, in Paris. d-2 FEB 1789.

1770 (26th?) Birth of Czech composer Anton REICHA, in Prague. d- Paris, 28 MAY 1836.

1829 Birth of tenor and coach Benno Stolzenburg in Konigsburg.  Died 22 Apr 1906 Debut as Almaviva in Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) 1852 Teachers, Eduard Mantius, Heinrich Dorn Pupils, Margarethe Arndt-Ober, Hans Breuer, Max Dawison, Arthur Preuss Nicola Geisse-Winkel, Albert Reiss, Max Merter, Sigurd Lunde Hermann Rosenberg, Klara Stolzenburg (daughter) Wilhelm Vilmar Toni Claar-Eibenschutz, Dorothea Egidi, Hans Basil, Wilhem Fenten, Franz Fitzau, Heinrich Zeller, Heinz Sattler Peter Heidkamp, Otto Holldaek, Clemens Kaufung, Richard Kothe Arthur Kistenmacher, Siegmund Krause, Heinrich Scheuten.

1850 FP of Robert Schumann's Concertstück for four horns and strings. The horn quartet of Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra with Julius Rietz conducting.

1857 A Grand Ball opens The Academy of Music in Philadelphia. Presenting Il Trovatore with soprano Marietta Gazzaniga in her American debut.

1862 Birth of baritone Bohumil Benoni Baritone Born 25 Feb 1862 in Chrudim.  Died 10 Feb 1942 Teachers,  Anny Chrzova, Jan Ludevit Lukes Pupil, Zdenek Otava Sang in premiere of Bride of Messina (Fibich) Jacobin (Dvorak) Debora (Foerster) Rusalka (Dvorak) Eva (Foerster).

1863 Death of soprano Laure Cinti-Damoreau. Born 6 Feb 1801 in Paris. Debut as Lilla in Cosa Rara (Martin y Soler) 1816 Teachers, Giulio Bordogni, Angelica Catalani, Plantade Pupils, Jeanne Anais Castellan, Maria Nau, Delphine Ugalde Created Elvira in Masaniello (Auber) Isabella in Robert le Diable (Meyerbeer) Matilda Gessler in William Tell (Rossini) Anais in Mose in Egitto (Rossini) Adele in Comte Ory (Rossini) Pamyre in Siege de Corinthe (Rossini) Countess of Folleville in Viaggio a Reims (Rossini) Angele D'Olivares in Domino Noir (Auber) Sang in premiere of Le Philtre (Auber) Le Serment (Auber) L'Ambassadrice (Auber) Zanetta (Auber) Le Rose de Peronne (Adam) Ali Baba (Cherubini) Macbeth (Chelard).

1873 (27th ?) Birth certificate indicates birth date of Italian tenor Enrico CARUSO  in Naples on this day. Many sources also indicate birth as 27th.

1874 Birth of soprano Helene Noldi Alberti in Chicago.  Died 9 Aug 1962 Teacher, Mathilde Marchesi.

1877 FP of Peter Tchaikovsky's symphonic-fantasy Francesca da Rimini in Moscow.

1881 FP of P. I. Tchaikovsky's opera The Maid of Orleans in St. Petersburg.

1886 Birth of tenor Carmelo Alabiso in Sicily.  Died 11 Jun 1966 Debut as Hoffmann in Contes D'Hoffmann (Offenbach) 1913 Teachers, Giuseppe Bracci, Raffaele Tenaglia Created Baldo in Compagnacci (Riccitelli) Enrico in Vera (Savasta) Sang in premiere of Goffredo Mameli (Leoncavallo) Pastore (Berlendis) Mirra (Alaleona).

1888 FP of Benjamin Godard's opera Jocelyn in Brussels.

1890 Birth of English pianist Dame Myra HESS in London. d-London, 25 NOV 1965.

1897 Death of French soprano Marie Cornélie Falcon [mah-ree kawr-nay-lee fahl-kaw]. b-Paris, 28 JAN 1812. Debut as Alice in Robert le Diable (Meyerbeer) Teachers, Giulio Bordogni, Henri, Adolphe Nourrit, Pellegrini Created Amelie in Gustave III (Auber) Valentine in Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Rachel in Juive (Halevy) Leonora in Allessandro Stradella (Niedermayer) Morgiana in Ali Baba (Cherubini) Esmeralda in La Esmeralda (Bertin).

1898 Birth of English composer Dorothy HOWELL in Birmingham. d- 1982.
1898 Birth of Russian pianist Mischa LEVITZKI. d-Avon, NJ 2 JAN 1941.

1898 Birth of soprano Margarete Baeumer in Dusseldorf.  Died 1 Dec 1969 Debut 1920 Sang in premiere of Die Windsbraut (Zillig).

1900 Birth of English conductor Victor SILVESTER. d-1978.

1904 Birth of soprano Marion Claire in Chicago. Debut as Mimi in Boheme (Puccini) Teachers, Mario Malatesta, Ettore Titta.

1904 FP of Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Debussy: La Mer, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, etc. The 'faun' is a rustic forest god or goddess of Roman mythology often associated with enchanted woods and the Greek god Pan and his satyrs.

1905 FP of Koussevitzky's Double-Bass Concerto, composer was soloist in Moscow.

1906 Death of Russian composer Anton Arensky at age 44, of TB, in Terijoki, Finland. b-Novgorod, 12 JUL 1861.

1911 FP of Victor Herbert's grand opera Natoma, in Philadelphia.

1918 Death of Spanish composer Pedro Miguel Marques. b-Palma de Mallorca, 20 MAY 1843.

1922 FP of Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals, in Paris. Published postumosly at his request.

1925 Birth of mezzo-soprano Jarmila Palivcova in Bezdedice. Teachers, Tino Pattiera, Hilbert Vavra Created Dosia in Verchovina (Blazek) Sang in premiere of Krakatit (Berkovic) Osud (Janacek).

1932 Birth of American composer William KARLINS in NYC.

1932 FP of Carl Ruggles' Sun-Treader for orchestra. The Paris Symphony, Nicholas Slonimsky conducting.

1935 Birth of English pianist David WILDE.

1936 Birth of tenor Giorgio Grimaldi in Bologna. Debut as Paolino in Matrimonio Segreto (Cimarosa) Teacher, Ettore Campogalliani.

1936 Birth of American choral conductor and administrator Norman O. SCRIBNER.

1937 Birth of American cellist and conductor Frances STEINER, in Portland OR.

1938 Death of soprano Ruzena Maturova. Born 2 Sep 1869 in Prague. Died 25 Feb 1938 Debut as Pamina in Zauberflote (Mozart) 1889 Teachers:- Loewe, Aug Vyskocil Pupils, M Kolarova, Marta Krasova, M Kottnaurova-Alexova Created Sarka in Sarka (Fibich) Rusalka in Rusalka (Dvorak) Sang in premiere of Devil & Kate (Dvorak) Hedy (Fibich).

1940 Birth of Spanish conductor Jesus LOPEZ-COBOS in Toro, Spain.

1943 Birth of American composer Maryanne AMACHER.

1944 Birth of Spanish violinist and conductor Jose Luis Garcia. d-11 August 2011.

1944 Death of soprano Lalla Miranda. Born 1874 in Melbourne. Teachers, Mme Richard, Mlle de Garetti.

1948 Birth of Welsh tenor Denis O'NEILL in Pontarddulais S Wales. Debut as Ramiro in Cenerentola (Rossini) 1971 Teachers, Ettore Campogalliani, Frederic Cox, Luigi Ricci Sang in premiere of Fiery Tales (Sitsky).

1956 Death of tenor Rene Lapelletrie. Born 2 Nov 1884 in Libourne.  Died 25 Feb 1956 Debut as Loredan in Haydee (Auber) 1908 Teacher, Leopold Ketten Pupils, Roger Gardes, Guy Fontagnere Created Alexander de Medici in Lorenzaccio (Moret) Sang in premiere of Le Sauteriot (Lazzari) Quand la cloche sonnera (Bachelat).

1957 Birth of American composer Melinda WAGNER in Philadelphia.

1959 Birth of American composer Carl BYRON in Lebanon.

1961 Birth of Italian composer Giorgio COLOMBO-TACCANI in Milan.

1964 Death of baritone Kenneth Spencer. Born 25 Apr 1911 in Alabama. Teacher, Roland Hayes.

1973 FP of Stephen Sondheim's musical A Little Night Music, with Glynis Johns as "Desirée", Len Cariou as "Fredrik", Hermione Gingold as "Madame Armfeldt", Victoria Mallory as "Anne", and Laurence Guittard as "Carl-Magnus" at the Shubert Theatre in NYC.

1976 Death of soprano Tarquinia Tarquini. Born 1882 in Colle, Val D'Elsa. Died 25 Feb 1976 Debut 1905 Created Conchita in Conchita (Zandonai) Sang in premiere of Filibuster (Cui).

1982 Death of soprano Marianne Warneyer. Born 25 May 1907 in Leipzig. Debut 1930 Teacher, Gertrude Forstel Sang in premiere of Der Falsche Waldemar (Hoffer) Die Nacht mit Casanova (Grothe).

1993 Death of soprano Walburga Wegner. Born 25 Aug 1908 in Cologne. Debut as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly (Puccini) 1940 Teachers, Clemens Glettenburg, Maria Philippi, Hilde Wesselmann Sang in premiere of Verkundigung (Braunfels).

1993 Death of tenor Warren Ellsworth. Born 28 Oct 1950 in Worcester. Debut as Sid in Albert Herring (Britten) Teachers, Marlena Malas, Elena Nikolaidi.

1993 FP of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Symphony No. 3. New York Philharmonic, Jahja Ling conducting. Zwilich: Concerto Grosso; Symphony No. 3; Oboe Concerto.

2001 FP of Robert Capanna's String Quartet No. 2. The Mendelssohn String Quartet, in Philadelphia.