Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District
Jan 22 Dmitri Shostakovich's opera "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" debuts in Leningrad
- Jan 24 Dmitri Shostakovich's opera "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" is performed in Moscow; roundly criticized by the Communist Party and banned in the Soviet Union until 1961
Merry Mount
Feb 10 Howard Hanson's opera "Merry Mount" premieres in NYC
- Feb 20 Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein's opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" opens on Broadway at the 44th Street Theatre, NYC
Mathis der Maler
Mar 12 Paul Hindemith's symphony "Mathis der Maler" premieres in Berlin
- Mar 24 Dmitri Shostakovich's Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 1 premieres in Leningrad, USSR
Cocktails For Two
May 12 "Cocktails For Two" by Duke Ellington hits #1
Cantata Profana
May 25 Béla Bartók's "Cantata Profana - The Nine Enchanted Stags" premieres in London, England, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Wireless Chorus conducted by Aylmer Buesst
Life Begins at 8:40
Aug 27 Harold Arlen, Ira Gershwin and Yip Harburg's musical "Life Begins at 8:40", starring Ray Bolger and Lulla Gear opens at the Winter Garden Theatre, NYC; runs for 237 performances
The Silent Woman
Oct 20 Richard Strauss completes his opera "Die Schweigsame Frau" (The Silent Woman)
Anything Goes
Nov 21 Cole Porter's musical "Anything Goes" opens at the Alvin Theatre, NYC, later transferred to 46th Street Theatre; runs for 420 performances
"Zouzou"
Dec 21 French film "Zouzou" premieres in Paris, starring Josephine Baker; 1st black woman to star in a major motion picture
- Dec 27 Musical revue "Thumbs Up", including music and lyrics by Vernon Duke, James Hanley, and Ira Gershwin (among others), premieres at the St. James Theatre, NYC; runs for 156 performance
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