Historical Events of March 24
24 March
** 1773 - birth of Pierre Louis Hus-Desforges (Toulon, France) d.1838
cellist and trumpeter, theatre orchestra cellist, opera conductor, founder of Metz Conservatoire, conductor of Théâtre du Palais Royal
** 1784 - on 24th March 1784, a concert of new music by Haydn was announced in a London newspaper, The Gazetteer and New Daily Advertiser: “A new concerto, Violoncello, Mr Cervetto, composed by Haydn” - a week later a second performance was announced as “Concerto, Violoncello, Mr Cervetto, composed by Haydn”
** 1852 - in a concert of the New Philharmonic Society at Exeter Hall, London the first part was dedicated to Berlioz - ‘Romeo and Juliet’, with Miss Dolby and Mr Lockey (vocal soloists). Also, later special guest artists were Monsieur Silas (piano), Signor Sivori (violin), Signor Piatti (cello) and Signor Bottesini (double bass).
** 1875 – published by the critics by 24th March 1875 (date of publication), Tchaikovsky reviewed the following events:
"Mr. Karl Davydov's Concert" in the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre on 17th/29th March 1875, at which the famous cellist played an unspecified concerto work by Bernhard Romberg, his own Russian Fantasy for cello and orchestra, Op. 7 (1860), and several shorter pieces, Nikolay Rubinstein played a Barcarolle and Waltz by Anton Rubinstein, as well as Carl Tausig's concert arrangement of Schubert's Military March, and a young singer Madame Terentyeva sang an aria from Bellini's I Puritani and two Russian songs”.
** 1880 - the Cello Concerto in A minor of Robert Schumann was heard for only the third time in Britain, when the soloist was the Belgian cellist Ernest de Munck, at a Philharmonic Society concert, London, on 24th March 1892
** 1901 - solo cello performance in London - Mr W.H. Squire (cello)
unclear as to whether orchestral or chamber concert
** 1916 – shortly after premiering his opera Goyescas at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York on 28th January, Enric Granados and his wife Amparo die when the ship Sussex, on which they were travelling back to Europe, is torpedoed by a German U-boat. Pau Casals takes part in the benefit concert at the Metropolitan Opera House organised for the children of his friend Enric Granados, together with Paderewski and Fritz Kreisler.
** 1923 - Guilhermina Suggia was solo cellist in Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85, with The Reid Orchestra conducted by Donald Tovey, at the Usher Hall (Edinburgh). She also performed J.S. Bach - Solo Suite No.3 in C Major.
** 1931 – A student concert of William Pleeth occurred on 24th March 1931. This was a mixed programme of works by Georg Goltermann, Cesar Cui and David Van Goëns, with piano accompaniment; however, there is no record who the pianist was, although this was usually stated on their programmes.
** 1932 - Guilhermina Suggia was solo cellist in Dvorak - Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104, and Haydn - Cello Concerto in D Major, with The Reid Orchestra conducted by Donald Tovey, at the Usher Hall (Edinburgh).
** 1950 - cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak - Cello Concerto, Op.104. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (24th and 26th March), conducted by Pierre Monteux
** 1950 - first performance of Virgil Thomson - Concerto for cello and orchestra, with Paul Olefsky as cello soloist, with the Philadelphia Orchestra (in Philadelphia, USA). The performances were repeated the following day, and on the 28th of the month in New York.
** 1954 - birth of Hank Roberts (Terre Haute, Indiana, USA)
cellist (jazz/electric) & vocalist
** 1965 - cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (24th and 25th March), conducted by Eugen Jochum
** 1968 - Jacqueline Du Pré performed Schumann - Cello Concerto in A minor in Manchester, with the Hallé Orchestra; Daniel Baremboim conducted this orchestra for the first time in his career.
