Heitor Villa-Lobos / Of Thee I Sing

On this day in classical music: Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “Harp Concerto” was given its premiere by Nicanor Zabaleta in 1955. The composer conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra. Villa-Lobos has been described as “the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music.” He left a large body of music in virtually every medium, from orchestral and chamber to vocal works and a Broadway musical. He is perhaps best known for his set of nine “Bachianas Brasileiras,” works that pay tribute both to Johann Sebastian Bach and Brazilian folk influences. Listen to the final movement of Villa-Lobos’ “Harp Concerto” performed by the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra. The soloist is not identified. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSlI6BJcUM0 

Heitor Villa-Lobox

On this day in the musical theatre: George and Ira Gershwin’s “Of Thee I Sing” closed on Broadway after 441 performances in 1933. The musical satirizes American politics. John P. Wintergreen runs for President of the United States on the “love” platform but when he falls in love with the sensible Mary Turner instead of Diana Devereaux, the beautiful pageant winner selected for him, he lands in political hot water. The candidate’s party is not identified in the musical because authors by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind believed that absurdity was bipartisan in Depression-era politics. “Of Thee I Sing” was the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Watch a promotional video for a Paper Mill Playhouse production that features excerpts from “Of Thee I Sing.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FInW3HCY9VU