1990
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1 January 1990 Polish economic reforms go into effect. Prices rise sharply, wages are frozen, and the currency is devalued.
President Vaclav Havel makes a televised New Year’s address to Czechoslovakia. He tells the country that it is in poor economic condition. He also grants amnesty to 20,000 prisoners serving terms of two years or less.
The Romanian provisional government abolishes the Securitate, the secret police.
Yugoslavia devalues its Dinar 10,000-1 making it convertable to DMarks.
Gunmen ambush some Roman Catholic clergy in northeast Nicaragua. Two nuns are killed, a bishop and a nun are wounded. The church blames the conservative Contra rebels.
2 January 1990 Soviet troops are sent to Azerbaijan to protect Armenians.
3 January 1990 Two US nuclear experts report in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists that German-born British spy Klaus Fuchs was probably not important in the development of the Soviet hydrogen bomb.
Manuel Noriega surrenders in Panama City. United States agents whisk him away to Miami. Thousands take to the streets of Panama City in celebration.
4 January 1990 Rebel radio announces that 2,000 Blacks were killed in December by Arab militia in Sudan.
Vladimir Alexis Ussachevsky dies of a brain tumor in New York, aged 78 years, two months, and one day.
6 January 1990 Rioting Azerbaijanis attack Soviet border stations on the Iranian frontier.
The nationalist Serbian Renewal Movement is formed, headed by Vuk Draskovic.
7 January 1990 Soviet troops are sent to Georgia to prevent violence between Georgians and Ossetians.
Romanians stage protests throughout the country protesting the abundance of former communists in the provisional government.
President Alfredo Cristiani of El Salvador admits that the US-backed military was involved in the murder of six priests and two others last November.
A Violin Sonata by Krzysztof Penderecki (56) is performed for the first time, in Houston 37 years after it was composed.
8 January 1990 The Romanian government restores free travel and emigration rights.
9 January 1990 The Supreme Soviet of Armenia issues an economic plan for the region which includes Nagorno-Karabakh.
10 January 1990 The Chinese government lifts martial law after eight months.
Comecon nations meeting in Moscow agree to adopt free-market trading policies.
Interlude for orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (76) is performed for the first time, in Munich conducted by the composer. Also premiered is Lutoslawski’s orchestration of Partita for violin and orchestra, also conducted by the composer. See 18 January 1985.
New Year Suite for orchestra by Michael Tippett (85) is performed for the first time, in the Flint Center, San Francisco.
11 January 1990 With the lifting of martial law in China, Tienanmen Square in Beijing is reopened.
Armenia asserts its right to overrule federal decrees.
Symphony no.5 by William Bolcom (51) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.
12 January 1990 Four days of talks between the Bulgarian government and ethnic Turks end with agreement on eleven points including freedom of religion, the right to choose one’s own name, and the recognition of Bulgarian as the official language of the country.
The Provisional Government in Romania abolishes the Communist Party.
Salome Dances for Peace for string quartet by Terry Riley (54) is performed for the first time, in the Herbst Theatre, San Francisco.
13 January 1990 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev tells officials in Vilnius that he is willing to accept a multi-party system under certain conditions.
Today begins two days of pogroms against Armenians in Baku. 30 people are killed.
A Soedjatmoko Set for chorus, solo voice, and Javanese gamelan by Lou Harrison (72) is performed for the first time, at Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon.
14 January 1990 The first Lutoslawski (76) International Composers’ Competition opens in Warsaw.
Symphony no.5 for chamber ensemble by Jonathan Lloyd (41) is performed for the first time, in Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham.
Dance Suite for brass quintet by Leonard Bernstein (71) is performed for the first time in the Metropolitan Opera House, New York.
15 January 1990 The Soviet government sends troops to the Caucasus to stop violence between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
The Bulgarian government ends the special status of the Communist Party. It is the last Soviet satellite to do so.
100,000 people rally outside the headquarters of State Security in East Berlin. Thousands push their way inside, ransacking the place, and destroying files and furniture.
16 January 1990 The Soviet government drops the requirement that Marxism be studied in universities.
The City of Prague renames Red Army Square for Jan Palach.
Four days of strikes against Polish government economic reforms begin in Silesia.
11,000 Soviet troops are sent to Azerbaijan.
18 January 1990 Mayor Hitoshi Motoshima of Nagasaki is shot twice outside City Hall. A conservative nationalist is arrested and charged. Motoshima said in 1988 that Emperor Hirohito deserved some blame for the role of Japan in World War II.
The Romanian government seizes the assets of the Communist Party.
Mayor Marion Barry of Washington is arrested and charged with cocaine possession. He is videotaped smoking crack in a downtown hotel.
19 January 1990 The Strathclyde Concerto no.3 for horn, trumpet, and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (55) is performed for the first time, in City Halls, Glasgow conducted by the composer.
Concerto for piano three hands for two pianos and chamber orchestra by Gunther Schuller (64) is performed for the first time, in Springfield, Illinois.
20 January 1990 Soviet troops force their way into Baku. In the three days of fighting, 83 people have been killed. Unofficial estimates put the number at 300.
21 January 1990 Soundshape for ceramics, voice, and movement by Tan Dun (32) is performed for the first time, at the Guggenheim Museum, New York.
22 January 1990 The Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan condemns the Soviet occupation of Baku, calling it unconstitutional.
Police use tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades to break up pro-democracy demonstrations in Kuwait.
The Albanian Communist Party Central Committee adopts a program of limited economic reform, decentralization of the party, and multi-candidate elections.
At the 14th Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, multi-party elections are agreed to but no other reforms.
String Quartet no.3 by Richard Wernick (56) is performed for the first time, in New York.
23 January 1990 Completely defeated at the 14th Extraordinary Party Congress in Belgrade, Slovene delegates walk out followed by the Croatian delegation in support. This is the last congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia attended by representatives from all six republics.
24 January 1990 Soviet forces shell ships taken over by Azerbaijani nationalists and end the blockade of Baku harbor.
Police forcefully disperse a demonstration in Pristina, Yugoslavia. Over the next week, 27 people die in rioting by ethnic Albanians.
Hungary’s Parliament passes laws to guarantee freedom of religion and conscience.
26 January 1990 Peter Sculthorpe (60) is made an officer of the Order of Australia.
The Polish Communist Party is reorganized as Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland.
Duplicates for two pianos and orchestra by Mel Powell (66) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles. Powell will win the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for music for this work. See 12 April 1990.
27 January 1990 In ethnic Albanian demonstrations in Kosovo, five protesters are killed.
28 January 1990 All major political groups in East Germany decide to form a coalition government in preparation for free elections in March.
The United Workers (communist) Party of Poland votes to disband at a party congress in Warsaw.
Flute Concerto by Joan Tower (51) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.
Two Sides Of The ‘Same’ Room, a sound work by Max Neuhaus (50), is inaugurated at the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas. It will exist until 22 April.
29 January 1990 The Bulgarian government announces the imprisonment of former Head of State Todor Zhivkov.
Former East German leader Erich Honecker is arrested in East Berlin and charged with treason.
Some members of the now defunct Polish Communist Party form the Social Democracy Party.
30 January 1990 Under an interim agreement, over 100 seats in the Czechoslovak Federal Assembly are given to the opposition. For the first time in over 40 years, Communists do not hold a majority.
Orchestra Piece by Leon Kirchner (71) is performed for the first time, in Jordan Hall, Boston.
31 January 1990 The first McDonald’s restaurant in the USSR opens in Moscow.
1 February 1990 The Bulgarian Communist Party votes to change its ideology.
The government of Bulgarian Prime Minister Georgi Atanasov resigns.
The Yugoslav army moves into Kosovo to put down disturbances between ethnic Albanians and police. In a week of demonstrations, 30 people have been killed.
2 February 1990 Show trials of former government officials begin in Romania. A military court sentences four top aides of former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu to life in prison for genocide.
South African president FW de Klerk announces that Nelson Mandela will be freed, the bans on the African National Congress, Communist Party, Pan-African Congress, and 33 other groups and 374 individuals are lifted. Press censorship is ended, executions are suspended, and all non-violent political prisoners will be freed.
3 February 1990 Reform Communist Andrey Karlov Lukanov replaces Georgi Ivanov Atanasov as Prime Minister of Bulgaria with an all-Communist cabinet.
4 February 1990 In the biggest unofficial demonstration in the USSR since 1917, 100,000 people rally in Moscow for democracy.
Slovenia removes its police and army members from Kosovo.
Arab terrorists attack a bus in Egypt carrying Israeli civilians. Eight people are killed, 17 wounded.
5 February 1990 Mikhail Gorbachev calls for an end to the monopoly of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
President Iliescu of Romania signs a decree allowing businesses of 20 employees or less to operate as profit making ventures.
Eight non-communists are added to the East German cabinet, putting the communists in the minority for the first time.
In a speech in Washington before the International Panel on Climate Change, US President George Bush expresses concern for the problem but says more research is needed, and the needs of economic development must be taken into account.
7 February 1990 The Bulgarian Secret Police is abolished.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union approves a program to end their monopoly on power.
8 February 1990 Spring Music for violin, cello, and piano by Ned Rorem (66) is performed for the first time.
9 February 1990 Hungary and the Vatican resume diplomatic relations after 45 years.
The Nicaraguan government frees all political prisoners.
10 February 1990 The United States and the USSR agree to slowly reduce and destroy their stockpiles of chemical weapons.
11 February 1990 Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 1/2 years in South African prisons. He makes his first speech in Cape Town before 50,000 people calling for armed struggle against the apartheid regime.
Illuminations for flute and piano by Leslie Bassett (67) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
12 February 1990 Carmen Lawrence becomes Premier of Western Australia. She is the first woman state premier in the history of Australia.
Soviet Interior Ministry troops enter Dushanbe, Tajikistan to stop three days of anti-American rioting. 37 people are killed.
13 February 1990 The Communist Party of the Soviet Union adopts a new platform. It calls for a market economy, the right of secession and self-determination, and a multi-party system.
Leaders of the two Germanys Helmut Kohl and Hans Modrow meet and announce a joint committee to coordinate currency and economic union.
Tens of thousands of people turn out to cheer the return of Nelson Mandela to Soweto.
At the first meeting of foreign ministers of all NATO and Warsaw Pact countries in Ottawa, agreement is reached on a format for German reunification. There is also agreement between the US and USSR on limiting troop levels in Europe.
Drexel Burnham Lambert Group Inc. files for bankruptcy protection. It is the largest financial services company to do so, defaulting on $100,000,000 in short-term loans.
14 February 1990 Voyager 1 takes the first photograph of the entire solar system.
16 February 1990 The body of Kenyan Foreign Minister Robert Ouko is found shot and partially burned near his family farm in Koru. (the identities of the killers has never been definitively established)
Former US President Ronald Reagan gives two days of taped testimony in the trial of his former National Security Advisor, John Poindexter. Reagan says “I don’t recall” 130 times and he can not name the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during his administration.
17 February 1990 A cease-fire ends 18 days of fighting between rival Christian groups in Lebanon. 600 people have been killed in the fighting, 2,000 injured, mostly civilians.
The Serbian Democratic Party is founded in Knin, Croatia to further the nationalistic aims of the Serb minority.
18 February 1990 Elections to the Japanese Diet result in a surprising victory for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. They lose 25 seats but retain a majority. The Japan Socialist Party gains 51 seats.
19 February 1990 Over the next two days, the Bulgarian Parliament passes laws allowing farmers to grow whatever they please and establishing a bank to give loans to small farms.
20 February 1990 The British government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announces that it will lift the ban on new investments in South Africa, without the approval of the European Community.
23 February 1990 At a memorial service in Nairobi for Foreign Minister Robert Ouko, riot police with tear gas and clubs battle demonstrators who claim that President Daniel arap Moi is responsible for his murder.
Unbenannt III for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (37) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
24 February 1990 An election for the Supreme Soviet of Lithuania is won by Sajudis, a nationalist movement. Communists win seven of 90 seats. It is the first open election in the USSR in 70 years.
Electric Counterpoint for 13 electric guitars by Steve Reich (52) is performed for the first time, at the University of Southern California.
25 February 1990 About 100,000 people march for democracy in Moscow.
80,000 pro-democracy protesters demonstrate in Sofiya.
In presidential elections in Nicaragua, opposition candidate Violetta Barrios de Chamorro defeats President Daniel Ortega Saavedra.
A ban on smoking is extended to all domestic flights in the United States.
26 February 1990 In Moscow, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel sign agreements including a Soviet promise to remove all of their troops by next 1 January. The Soviets begin the withdrawal today.
Transmission Two: The Great Excursion for chorus, computers, and recorded dialogue by Larry Austin (59) is performed for the first time, in Hertz Hall of the University of California at Berkeley. It is simultaneously broadcast over the airwaves of radio station KPFA.
27 February 1990 Poland and Israel resume diplomatic relations, broken in 1967.
28 February 1990 A new Soviet law allows farmers to receive private plots of land.
One-party rule is officially abandoned in Benin.
A cease-fire begins between Nicaraguan government troops and US-backed rebels.
1 March 1990 A peace conference in Jakarta between four warring Cambodian factions collapses in failure.
Indian security forces fire on independence protesters in Srinagar. 32 people are killed.
The Peoples Republic of Benin changes its name to the Republic of Benin.
2 March 1990 20,000 pro-democracy protesters demonstrate in Sofiya.
Today begins three days of fighting between ethnic Romanians and Hungarians in Transylvania. Three people are killed.
Concerto no.2 for cello and computer by John Melby (48) is performed for the first time, at the University of Chicago.
Nor Spell, Nor Charm for chamber orchestra by Jacob Druckman (61) is performed for the first time, in Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles.
4 March 1990 Elections in Russia, Byelorussia, and Ukraine are won by reformers and nationalists.
50,000 Serbs rally in Petrova Gora, Croatia against alleged Croat persecution.
27 people are killed in fighting between blacks in Ciskei. The military of the black “homeland” takes over the government.
6 March 1990 A new Soviet law allows individuals to own assets and shares in enterprises.
The Federal Assembly of Czechoslovakia sets a June date for free multiparty elections.
7 March 1990 Djilile for percussion ensemble by Peter Sculthorpe (60) is performed for the first time, in Elder Hall, Adelaide, South Australia.
Local police open fire on 50,000 demonstrators in Bophuthatswana. Seven people are killed, 450 wounded.
Movement for clarinet and orchestra by Benjamin Britten (†13) is performed for the first time, in Barbican Hall, London, 48 years after it was composed.
8 March 1990 An attempt to overthrow the government of Afghan President Najibullah by Defense Minister Shahnawaz Tanai fails.
Steps for orchestra by David Del Tredici (52) is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York.
Visions for orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (59) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
10 March 1990 In the face of anti-government protests, Lt. Gen. Prosper Avril resigns the presidency of Haiti.
String Quartet no.11 by Peter Sculthorpe (60) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, Adelaide, South Australia.
The Ethiopian Workers Party gives up Marxist-Leninist ideology.
Machaut à ma Manière for orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (55) after Machaut (†612) is performed for the first time, in the Musikhalle, Hamburg.
Beyond the Land for orchestra by Samuel Adler (62) is performed for the first time.
11 March 1990 The Lithuanian Parliament votes 124-0 to declare independence from the Soviet Union. Vytautas Landsbergis is named President. Kazimiera-Danute Prunskiene is named Chariman of the Council of Ministers.
The Soviet military begins to withdraw from Hungary.
Patricio Aylwin replaces General Augusto Pinochet as President of Chile, thus restoring democratic government. The US-backed conservative dictator ruled Chile for 17 years.
13 March 1990 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev calls the Lithuanian declaration of independence “illegitimate and invalid.”
The Soviet Congress of Peoples Deputies creates a new, greatly strengthened office of President and repeals Article Six of the constitution, which guarantees a monopoly of power to the Communist Party.
Supreme Court Justice Ertha Pascal-Trouillot is sworn in as interim President of Haiti until new elections can be held.
After the election of a government acceptable to them, the Bush administration ends all economic sanctions against Nicaragua.
Karel Husa’s (68) Music for Prague 1968 is performed in Smetana Hall in Prague. It is the first time that the work has been heard in the composer’s native land.
14 March 1990 The Mongolian Communist Party drops its monopoly on power. An all-new Politburo is chosen.
15 March 1990 The Soviet Congress of Peoples Deputies elects Mikhail Gorbachev to the new post of executive President, 1,329-495. Almost 400 deputies do not vote. They also vote to invalidate Lithuania’s declaration of independence.
The USSR establishes low-level diplomatic relations with the Vatican, severed in 1923.
Fernando Alfonso Collor de Mello replaces José Sarney Costa as President of Brazil.
Symphony no.1 by John Corigliano (52) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
16 March 1990 The Israeli Knesset votes no confidence in the government of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. The cabinet resigns.
17 March 1990 The Lithuanian Parliament forms a non-communist government with Kazimiera Prunskiene as Prime Minister.
The Bastille Opera opens in Paris as the new French national opera house, on the site of the Bastille.
18 March 1990 Elements of the Soviet military begin maneuvers in Lithuania.
In Benkovac, a gunman unsuccessfully attempts to kill presidential candidate Franjo Tudjman of the Croatian Democratic Union.
The first free elections in East Germany take place. The Alliance for Germany, a coalition supported by West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, wins a surprising victory.
Thieves relieve the Gardner Museum in Boston of eleven paintings and other objects valued at $100,000,000. Among the paintings stolen are two Rembrandts, several Degas and one each of Vermeer and Manet.
Konturen for orchestra by Isang Yun (72) is performed for the first time, in Brunswick.
The Kunstpreis Berlin 1990 is awarded to Luigi Nono (66). He is too ill to receive it in person.
19 March 1990 Opposition candidates win majorities on the city councils of Moscow, Leningrad, and Kiev.
Le Livre des morts égyptien for tape by Pierre Henry (61) is performed for the first time, at the Louvre, Paris.
21 March 1990 Punsalmaagiyn Ochirbat becomes President of Mongolia and Sharavyn Gunjaadorj is named Prime Minister as part of continuing reforms.
Namibia, under President Sam Nujoma and Prime Minister Hage Geingob, becomes independent of South Africa in ceremonies in Windhoek. The US lifts all economic sanctions on Namibia.
22 March 1990 The Soviet military enters Vilnius as part of pressure on the Lithuanian government to rescind its declaration of independence. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev gives Lithuanian President Vytautas Landsbergis two days to stop recruiting a security force.
As Karlheinz Stockhausen (61) and his musicians land at Sheremetovo II Airport in Moscow, they are greeted by local musicians playing various small percussion instruments and flutes. As they play tunes from his works, he drops his bags and begins to conduct them. Stockhausen invites them all to his hotel in the evening.
Joseph Hazelwood is cleared of almost all charges in the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He is found guilty of negligent discharge of oil and sentenced to 1,000 hours community service cleaning beaches and a fine of $50,000.
A gunman working for the Medellin drug cartel shoots Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa to death in the airport of Bogota. Jaramillo is the candidate of the Patriotic Union for President of Colombia.
23 March 1990 Soviet authorities order western diplomats out of Lithuania and restrict the movements of foreign journalists.
The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic officially changes its name to the Czechoslovak Federative Republic.
Nicaraguan Contra leaders agree to dismantle their bases in Honduras.
Der Kuhhandel, an operetta by Kurt Weill (†39) to words of Vambery, is performed for the first time, in a concert performance in the Tonahalle, Dusseldorf 56 years after it was composed. A revised version of it called A Kingdom for a Cow was performed in London on 28 June 1935.
24 March 1990 In Australian parliamentary elections, the Labor Party is returned to power for a fourth time, but with a reduced majority. The Liberal Party makes strong gains, but their coalition partners, the conservative National Party, loses seats.
The last Indian troops leave Sri Lanka.
25 March 1990 Soviet troops seize the headquarters of the Lithuanian Communist Party and other party buildings.
The $3,000,000 restoration of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is unveiled.
Nicaraguan Contra leaders refuse to disarm within Nicaragua.
26 March 1990 Police fire into a large crowd in Sebokeng, a Black township in South Africa. Eleven people are killed, hundreds injured.
28 March 1990 Fighting between rival Blacks in Natal Province, South Africa over the last two days has resulted in 25 deaths.
The first free multiparty general elections take place in Hungary. The center-right Democratic Forum wins a majority of the seats decided today. A runoff is scheduled for 8 April.
29 March 1990 Major recording companies agree to place warning labels on their products which may contain offensive lyrics.
30 March 1990 Soviet troops seize the State Prosecutors office and an independent printing office in Vilnius.
The Estonian Parliament passes a resolution declaring the country “occupied” territory. It declares that Estonia is going through a “transitional period” which will result in independence.
The Bulgarian Communist Party and opposition groups agree to political reforms in Bulgaria.
For Us: Happy Birthday To You! in the version for piccolo/alto flute, clarinet, mandolin, guitar, harp, percussion, violin, and double bass by Mauricio Kagel (58) is performed for the first time, in the Rotterdam. See 29 April 1987.
Quest for guitar, soprano saxophone, harp, contrabass, and percussion by George Crumb (60) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.
31 March 1990 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev tells Lithuania to “immediately annul” its declaration of independence.
Protests in London against new local taxes (poll tax) erupt into violence. Over 400 people, mostly police officers, are injured in the violence. 341 people are arrested.
3 April 1990 In Bulgaria, the Communist Party changes its name to the Socialist Party, Parliament creates the post of President and elects Petar Mladenov to it, and removes the words “communist” and “socialist” from the constitution. They set a June date for free multiparty elections.
The Premier of Kosovo and several ministers resign in protest against forceful measures by the Yugoslav security forces.
The first freely elected East German Volkskammer meets in East Berlin.
The Soviet government admits responsibility for the murder of Polish prisoners-of-war in the Katyn Forest in 1940.
Five Central American presidents meeting in Montelimar, Nicaragua set 25 April as the date by which the Contras must disarm.
Jupiter Landing, a music theatre piece by Peter Maxwell Davies (55), is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
Piano Trio by Lou Harrison (72) is performed for the first time, in Houston.
4 April 1990 The National Peoples Congress of China approves a Basic Law for Hong Kong to be implemented after China gains sovereignty over the city.
Croatia removes its police personnel from Kosovo.
The Belgian Parliament invokes Article 82 of the constitution and takes over the royal responsibilities for one day in order approve a law legalizing abortions. King Baudouin found himself unable to sign the bill in good conscience. The King’s powers will be restored tomorrow.
Schliemann, an opera by Betsy Jolas (63) to words of Bayen and the composer, is performed for the first time, in a concert setting, in Paris. See 3 May 1995.
Casino Paradise, a musical theatre opera by William Bolcom (51) to words of Weinstein, is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.
7 April 1990 John Poindexter, National Security Advisor to Ronald Reagan, is found guilty on five counts of lying to Congress by concealing Reagan Administration culpability in the Iran-Contra Affair. He will be sentenced to six months imprisonment.
The Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center and its director are indicted by a grand jury for displaying photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe which they deem obscene.
8 April 1990 Final balloting for the Hungarian Parliament results in a 42% plurality for the conservative Democratic Forum.
Multi-party elections in Slovenia are won by a broad anti-communist coalition.
A federal judge prohibits local officials from closing an exhibit of photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe in the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center.
9 April 1990 The IRA kills four British soldiers in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland.
10 April 1990 Jacqueline Valente (French), Fernand Houtekins (Belgian), and their two-year old daughter (born in captivity) are released by Palestinian terrorists in Beirut. They have been held since November 1987.
11 April 1990 The Estonian Parliament votes to prohibit conscription of Estonians into the Soviet military.
Konstantinos Kiriakou Mitsotakis replaces Xenophon Efthimiou Zolotas as Prime Minister of Greece. Mikis Theodorakis (64), who stood as an independent candidate of the left, is named Minister without Portfolio in the new right-wing government.
12 April 1990 The Volkskammer installs the first democratic East German government under Lothar De Maiziere. They accept responsibility for Nazi crimes against Jews and condemn East German participation in the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Three major tuna companies agree to stop buying tuna caught with dolphin-killing nets.
Mel Powell (67) is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his Duplicates: A Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra. See 26 January 1990.
Prisons of the Mind for 314 musicians by Henry Brant (76) is performed for the first time, in the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas.
13 April 1990 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev issues an ultimatum threatening economic sanctions on Lithuania if they do not repeal laws intended to aid their independence.
15 April 1990 Greta Garbo dies in New York at the age of 84.
16 April 1990 Dance With Shadows for brass quintet by Jacob Druckman (61) is performed for the first time, in Toad’s Place, New Haven, Connecticut.
17 April 1990 Resurrection for solo voices, chorus, brass, percussion, organ, and string quartet by John Tavener (46) to words of the Bible and Mother Thekla is performed for the first time, in Glasgow Cathedral.
18 April 1990 The Soviet government cuts off all oil to Lithuania.
Concerto for piano four-hands and orchestra by Alfred Schnittke (55) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
A revised version of Don for soprano and orchestra by Pierre Boulez (65) to words of Mallarmé is performed for the first time, in Helsinki. See 13 June 1960 and 5 July 1962.
Haughty Sortie for chorus and piano by Peter Sculthorpe (60) to words of his mother is performed for the first time, in Colorado Springs.
19 April 1990 Three of four gas lines into Lithuania are shut down by Soviet authorities. The Lithuanian government institutes emergency oil and gas rationing to deal with the cutoffs of yesterday and today.
Diplomatic relations are restored between the Vatican and Czechoslovakia for the first time in forty years.
Representatives of the Nicaraguan army, conservative Contra rebels and the incoming government reach agreement on a cease-fire in Managua.
20 April 1990 The Czechoslovak Federative Republic officially changes its name to the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic.
Variations for viola and nine players by Ralph Shapey (69) is performed for the first time, in Mandel Hall of the University of Chicago, the composer conducting.
21 April 1990 On his first visit to a Warsaw Pact country other than Poland, Pope John Paul II arrives in Prague, celebrating the revival of relations announced two days ago. 300,000 people gather for a mass in the rain.
22 April 1990 Multi-party elections in Croatia are won by Franjo Tudjman’s Croatian Democratic Union.
About 1,000,000 people gather in Bratislava to hear Pope John Paul II celebrate mass.
Lebanese terrorists release American Robert Polhill after three years captivity.
The Path of Glory for speaker, solo voice, and orchestra by William Grant Still (†11) to words of his wife, Verna Arvey is performed for the first time, in Holy Family Church, Grand Forks, North Dakota.
23 April 1990 Namibia is admitted to the United Nations.
Wagner Nights op.60 for orchestra by Robin Holloway (46) is performed for the first time, in Colston Hall, Bristol.
24 April 1990 President Patricio Aylwin creates a national commission to investigate human rights abuses during the US backed Pinochet dictatorship and suggest compensation to the victims.
Michael Milken, formerly of Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc., pleads guilty to six counts of securities fraud in a federal court in New York. He is ordered to pay $600,000,000 in fines and restitution.
Toward the Sea III for alto flute and harp by Toru Takemitsu (59) is performed for the first time, in Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall.
Four Movements for Piano Trio by Bright Sheng (34) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
25 April 1990 Violetta Barrios de Chamorro replaces Daniel Ortega Saavedra as President of Nicaragua. She announces an end to conscription, amnesty for all political crimes committed during the Contra war, and retains the Sandinista armed forces chief Genera Humberto Ortega Saavedra, brother of the outgoing president.
The space shuttle Discovery deploys the Hubble space telescope.
26 April 1990 Oskar Lafontaine, Social Democratic candidate for chancellor in the upcoming West German elections, is stabbed in the throat by a deranged man at a campaign rally in Cologne. He will survive.
Concerto for flute and orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (50) is performed for the first time, in Boston.
Concerto for double brass choir and orchestra by John Harbison (51) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.
27 April 1990 Songs of Illumination, a cycle for soprano, tenor, and piano by TJ Anderson (61) to words of TJ Anderson III, is performed for the first time, at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts.
28 April 1990 Together for violin and double bass by Isang Yun (72) is performed for the first time, in Århus.
29 April 1990 Hydrogen Jukebox, a music theatre by Philip Glass (53) to words of Ginsberg, is performed for the first time, in a concert setting, in Philadelphia. See 26 May 1990.
30 April 1990 Arab terrorists release American Frank Reed after four years captivity.
Agreement is reached between the Canadian government and the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut over land claims by the Inuit. The Inuit receive 350,000 sq km of the eastern Arctic, C$612,000,000, and mineral rights over 36,200 sq km of other lands. In return, they give up claims to 2,000,000 sq km of Canada.
Songs of Love (I am My Beloved’s) for voice and piano by Ralph Shapey (69) to words of The Bible, Gibran, and Whitman is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.
1 May 1990 After May Day celebrations in Moscow, thousands march in protest of the Communist Party. In Budapest, a mass picnic takes place sponsored by a trade union federation. Prague citizens revive Majelis, a spring celebration banned by the Communists. In Bucharest, protests continue against the ruling National Salvation Front. A giant flea market is erected in Warsaw.
2 May 1990 Pro-democracy demonstrations take place in Durrës, Albania.
Arpád Göncz replaces Mátyás Szürös as President of Hungary.
The South African government and the African National Congress begin their first formal talks in Cape Town on the future of apartheid.
Violin Concerto by Elliott Carter (81) is performed for the first time, in Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.
3 May 1990 József Antall replaces Miklós Németh as Prime Minister of Hungary. Antall leads the center-right Democratic Forum.
President Felix Houphouet-Boigny of Côte d’Ivoire formally endorses multiparty politics.
Sonata for cello and piano by William Bolcom (51) is performed for the first time, in Boston.
4 May 1990 The Parliament of Latvia votes 138-0 for independence, after an unspecified transition period. Anatolijs Gorbunovs is Chairman of the Supreme Council.
Konstantinos Georgiou Karamanlis replaces Christos Antoniou Sartzetakis as President of Greece.
Two2 for two pianos by John Cage (77) is performed for the first time, in Cooper Union, New York.
Lost Moon Sisters for soprano and ten players by Anthony Davis (39) to words of DiPrima is performed for the first time, in New York.
5 May 1990 Hans Werner Henze’s (63) music drama Das verratene Meer to word of Treichel after Mishima, is performed for the first time, in the Deutsche Oper, Berlin.
Etude 9 from György Ligeti’s (66) Etudes for piano Book II is performed for the first time, in Gütersloh.
6 May 1990 Litany: In Memory of Michael Vyner for piano by Toru Takemitsu (59) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
Leaf for piano by Luciano Berio (64) is performed for the first time, in London.
The last movement of Good Night op.63 for soprano, alto flute, piano, and three tam-tams by Henryk Górecki (56) to words of Shakespeare is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. See 4 November 1990.
Ritual Fragment for 14 players by Harrison Birtwistle (55) is performed for the first time, at Covent Garden.
Introitus, from Hans Werner Henze’s (63) unperformed Requiem, for piano and chamber orchestra, is performed for the first time, in the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. See 24 February 1993.
Eonia for chorus by John Tavener (46) to words of Seferis and the Bible is performed for the first time, in City Hall, Cork.
7 May 1990 The Latvian Parliament names a non-communist, Ivars Godmanis, as Prime Minister. Soviet tanks enter Riga.
8 May 1990 The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic changes its name to the Republic of Estonia and reinstates its prewar constitution. The Estonian flag is its official symbol, and the Parliament declares that only laws passed in Estonia are valid in Estonia.
Several reform measures are passed by the Albanian Parliament. The court system is reorganized, the number of capital offenses is reduced from 34 to eleven, freedom of religion is granted, and citizens are now free to obtain passports.
Luigi Nono dies at his home in Venice of liver disease, aged 66 years, three months, and nine days.
Opus sine nomine by Ernst Krenek (89) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.
Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier replaces Óscar Arias Sánchez as President of Costa Rica.
9 May 1990 At a UN conference in Geneva, representatives of the United States announce the Bush administration’s opposition to a UN plan to aid third world countries in reducing the use of chlorofluorocarbons.
Words from Paterson for baritone, flute/alto flute, oboe/english horn (or harp), piano (or viola), and cello by John Harbison (51) to words of Williams is performed for the first time, in the Kennedy Center, Washington.
10 May 1990 Symphony: Klagegesang for orchestra by Karl Amadeus Hartmann (†26) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh 43 years after it was composed.
11 May 1990 The mortal remains of Luigi Nono are laid to rest on the island of San Michele, Venice. Among the mourners is Hans Werner Henze (63).
12 May 1990 Fourteen for piano and chamber ensemble by John Cage (77) is performed for the first time, in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
13 May 1990 The Chamber of Deputies of Mexico votes to return the nation’s banks to private control after eight years of nationalization.
14 May 1990 A new nationalist government is elected in Slovenia.
15 May 1990 Serbian Borislav Jovic replaces Janez Drnovsek as President of Yugoslavia.
Thousands of demonstrators riot at parliament buildings in Latvia and Estonia. In Tallinn, 2,000 Soviet loyalists attempt to force their way inside but are repulsed by 15,000 Estonians. In Riga, thousands of ethnic Russians along with 100 uniformed members of the Soviet army rush the parliament building but are forced back by police.
16 May 1990 In light of the oil and gas cutoffs, Lithuania suspends the implementation of its Declaration of Independence but not the declaration.
A new government takes power in Slovenia. It is the first non-communist government in Yugoslavia since World War II. The Yugoslav army begins to disarm the Slovenian Territorial Defense Forces.
Five Nocturnes for violin and piano by Hans Werner Henze (63) is performed for the first time, in London.
John Guare’s play Six Degrees of Separation is premiered at Lincoln Center, New York.
17 May 1990 Lithuanian Prime Minister Kazimiera Prunskiene meets with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow. She calls it “a big step forward.”
Ungemaltes Bild for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (38) is performed for the first time, in Stockholm.
18 May 1990 Finance ministers from East and West Germany sign a treaty in Bonn establishing a joint monetary system to take effect in July.
Clarissa, an opera by Robin Holloway (46) to his own words after Richardson, is performed for the first time, in the London Coliseum.
The Uncreated Eros for chorus by John Tavener (46) is performed for the first time, in St. Bride’s, London.
Concerto for viola by John Harbison (51) is performed for the first time, in Bridgewater, New Jersey.
20 May 1990 The Soviet government allows citizens to buy, sell, or build their own housing, and to own the land on which the housing stands.
A deranged Israeli opens fire on a group of Arabs in Rishon Lezion south of Tel Aviv, killing seven. Three days of violence erupt in the Gaza Strip in which 15 Arabs are killed.
The first free elections in Romania since 1937 take place. Former communist Ion Iliescu is elected President. The National Salvation Front wins over two-thirds of the vote for Parliament.
Reform communist Milan Kucan is elected president of Slovenia.
Tarantella for baritone and piano by Witold Lutoslawski (77) to words of Belloc is performed for the first time, in Purcell Room, London. Also premiered is Tractus Clausum et Reconditum for mezzo-soprano and guitar by Peter Maxwell Davies (55) to words of a 15th century legal document from Ferrara.
21 May 1990 Five days of strikes begin in Slusk and Kaszalin by Polish railroad workers against government economic policies.
22 May 1990 The Yemen Arab Republic merges with Democratic Yemen to form the Republic of Yemen.
Simple Daylight for soprano and piano by John Harbison (51) to words of Fried is performed for the first time, in Herbst Theatre, San Francisco.
23 May 1990 The Soviet government announces a new economic program including gradual reduction of price controls and changing state industries into joint stock companies.
Magnificat for chorus by Arvo Pärt (54) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.
24 May 1990 Emperor Akihito of Japan expresses his “deepest regret” for the occupation of Korea from 1910-1945. The exact wording of the apology was negotiated between the two countries and ends weeks of disputes between Korea and Japan.
Berliner Messe by Arvo Pärt (54) is performed for the first time, in St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale, Berlin.
Chevron for chamber ensemble by Kevin Volans (40) is performed for the first time, in Theatre Royal, Brighton.
25 May 1990 A food-buying panic takes place in the USSR ahead of price increases.
The parliament of Croatia announces changes in the republic’s constitution. “Socialist” is removed from the name of the country and a new flag and coat of arms are revealed. The Serb National Council is founded in Srb and rejects the changes and demands a referendum on Serb autonomy.
The British government breaks with the US and proposes a substantial reduction in carbon dioxide emissions to deal with climate change.
Two works by Arvo Pärt (54) are performed for the first time, in the Nathanaelkirche, Berlin: The Beatitudes and Nun eile ich zu euch.
Almighty, Eternal for chorus and organ by Leslie Bassett (67) to words of the composer is performed for the first time, at the University of Alabama, Huntsville.
26 May 1990 Hydrogen Jukebox, a chamber opera by Philip Glass (53) to words of Ginsberg, is staged for the first time, in Charleston, South Carolina. It was commissioned by the Spoleto Festival and the American Music Theatre Festival, Philadelphia. See 29 April 1990.
27 May 1990 In the first free multiparty elections in 30 years, the opposition National League of Democracy wins a majority of seats in the National Assembly of Myanmar.
Violence erupts between Armenians and Soviet troops in Yerevan. By tomorrow, 29 people will be dead.
Concerto for cello and orchestra no.2 by Alfred Schnittke (55) is performed for the first time, in Evian.
28 May 1990 Voters overwhelmingly approve opposition candidates in the first free election in Myanmar in 30 years.
29 May 1990 Boris Yeltsin is elected President by the Supreme Soviet of Russia.
30 May 1990 Arab terrorists attack Israel in two speedboats. Four are killed and twelve captured by Israeli forces.
Nationalist Franjo Tudjman is inaugurated the first democratically elected President of Croatia. Stipe Mesic is named Prime Minister.
A special congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia disintegrates when delegates from three of the country’s six republics don’t show up.
1 June 1990 The Volkskammer of East Germany orders Communist Party symbols removed from all government buildings.
2 June 1990 Near Pisagua, Chile, 20 bullet-riddled corpses are found, opponents of the regime of the US backed dictator Augusto Pinochet.
3 June 1990 The executive committee of the British Social Democratic Party votes to disband the party.
4 June 1990 Violent clashes take place between Kirghiz and Uzbek citizens in Osh, Kirghiz SSR.
Slovak separatists heckle President Havel during events in Slovakia.
Petites musiques de chevet for bass clarinet and piano by Betsy Jolas (63) is performed for the first time, in the École de musique d’Evry.
6 June 1990 A federal judge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida rules that the recording As Nasty as They Wannna Be by popular music entertainers Two Live Crew is obscene.
Little Nourlangie for organ and orchestra by Peter Sculthorpe (61) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, Sydney.
7 June 1990 The South African government ends emergency rule in three of its four provinces.
8 June 1990 Pursuant to the ruling of 6 June, Florida law enforcement officials arrest Charles Freeman, a record store owner, for selling As Nasty as They Wanna Be to an undercover police officer. He is charged with distributing obscene material.
Rejoice before God for chorus and organ by Sofia Gubaidulina (58) to words of the Psalms is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
9 June 1990 Two days of balloting end in Czechoslovak elections. The Civic Forum (Czech) and Public Against Violence (Slovak) win 170 of 300 seats in the federal parliament. The Communist Party finishes second with 47 seats.
48 political prisoners are freed by South African President FW de Klerk.
After 70 hours of intense negotiations, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the ten provincial premiers reach agreement on the Meech Lake Accord.
10 June 1990 Parliamentary elections take place in Bulgaria. The Socialist (former Communist) party wins 47% of the vote and 172 seats. The Union of Democratic Forces wins 36% of the vote and 107 seats.
Passacaglia and Blues for piano by TJ Anderson (61) is performed for the first time, in Winchester, Massachusetts.
11 June 1990 Today begins three days of demonstrations in Sofiya protesting the election results.
A new conservative coalition takes control in Israel under Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir.
Former National Security Advisor John Poindexter is sentenced in federal court in Washington to six months in prison for his part in the Iran-Contra Scandal.
12 June 1990 The Supreme Soviet of the USSR ends censorship and guarantees freedom of the press.
In the Declaration of the State Sovereignty of the Russian Federation, the Russian Parliament declares the supremacy of its laws over those of the USSR.
13 June 1990 Tass reports the death toll in ethnic fighting in the Kirghiz SSR stands at 148.
Police attack a tent city in Bucharest set up by anti-government demonstrators driving out 200 people. Thousands of students riot and burn the central police headquarters. In the fighting, four people are killed, 200 wounded.
14 June 1990 The Supreme Soviet institutes the first corporate income tax and approves price rises.
10,000 miners are trucked into Bucharest by the government. They beat up students, destroy the headquarters of two opposition parties and an independent newspaper, and attack foreign press.
Joaquín Rodrigo (88) is awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Exeter.
Three Fragments for harpsichord by Alfred Schnittke (55) are performed for the first time, in Hamburg.
Marie Galante “Suite Panamienne” by Kurt Weill (†40) is performed for the first time.
15 June 1990 President Chamorro of Nicaragua announces the disarmament of the Contras and the reduction of the national army to 41,000.
16 June 1990 Dunkles Spiel for chamber orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (38) is performed for the first time, in Zürich.
Kammerkonzert I for chamber ensemble by Isang Yun (72) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.
The Lord Has a Child for chorus and brass quintet by William Schuman (79) to words of Hughes, is performed for the first time, in Greenwich, Connecticut for its 350th anniversary.
17 June 1990 Run-off elections in Bulgaria secure a total of 211 of 400 seats in Parliament for the Bulgarian Socialist Party.
Europeras 3&4 by John Cage (77) are performed for the first time, in London. The press is mixed.
19 June 1990 Representatives of Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany sign an agreement in Schengen, Luxembourg to open their common borders.
Concert Piece for organ, brass, timpani, and strings by Charles Villiers Stanford (†66) is performed for the first time, in Belfast, 69 years after it was composed.
20 June 1990 The Uzbekistan Parliament declares the supremacy of its laws over those of the USSR.
Pursuant to last month’s elections, Ion Iliescu is sworn in as President of Romania at the Athenaeum Concert Hall in Bucharest.
Nelson Mandela arrives in New York for an eleven-day tour of the US. He is given a ticker tape parade in New York today.
21 June 1990 A stock exchange opens in Budapest.
An earthquake, the worst in the recorded history of Iran, strikes the northeast of the country. 40,000 people are killed. 100,000 are injured and 400,000 left homeless.
The Parliaments of both East and West Germany approve measures which guarantee the present borders of Poland.
Dérive II for eleven instruments by Pierre Boulez (65) is performed for the first time, in Milan, conducted by the composer. See 7 February 1993 and 1 December 2001.
22 June 1990 Foreign Ministers from East and West Germany, France, the USSR, the UK, and the US take part in a ceremony on Friedrichstrasse in Berlin where Checkpoint Charlie is dismantled.
The series of Canadian constitutional reforms known as the Meech Lake Accord collapses when Manitoba and Newfoundland refuse to approve it.
23 June 1990 The Moldavian Parliament declares the supremacy of its laws over those of the USSR.
Sing, Ariel for mezzo-soprano, two sopranos, tenor saxophone, trumpet, piano, violin, and double bass by Alexander Goehr (57) is performed for the first time, in Aldeburgh.
24 June 1990 Knephas for chorus by Iannis Xenakis (68) is performed for the first time, in London.
25 June 1990 Nelson Mandela meets with President George Bush at the White House in Washington.
In the case of Cruzan v. Missouri, the US Supreme Court rules that patients may refuse life-sustaining treatment if there is “clear and convincing evidence” that that is their wish.
Dangerous Errand, a music theatre piece by Peter Maxwell Davies (55), is performed for the first time, in Papdale Primary School, Kirkwall.
26 June 1990 The Hungarian Parliament votes to negotiate a withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact.
Nelson Mandela addresses a joint session of the US Congress.
27 June 1990 Marian Calfa forms the first democratically elected Czechoslovak government in forty years on the first day of the new popularly elected Federal Assembly. Alexander Dubcek is elected parliamentary chairman.
Three for three recorder players by John Cage (77) is performed for the first time, at the Speyer Cathedral.
29 June 1990 Lithuania agrees to suspend its Declaration of Independence for 100 days in return for oil and gas.
93 nations agree in London to ban the production of ozone-depleting chemicals by 2000.
30 June 1990 The USSR resumes pumping oil to Lithuania.
My Way of Life: In Memory of Michael Vyner for baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (59) to words of Tamura is performed for the first time, in Leeds.
1 July 1990 Australia and New Zealand eliminate all trade barriers.
West Germany formally takes over the economy and currency of East Germany. The West German mark is now the only currency for both countries. Border and customs control between the two Germanys are ended. The Berlin subway system is reconnected. Thousands celebrate in the center of East Berlin.
The government of Argentina sells the state-owned telephone company to two foreign bidders.
Dionysus for flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, horn, trumpet, bass trombone, percussion, piano, and double bass by Roger Reynolds (55) is performed for the first time, at Indiana University.
2 July 1990 The Soviet government announces an end to the economic embargo on Lithuania.
The Kosovo assembly declares its independence from Serbia but not from Yugoslavia.
50,000 pilgrims to Mecca stampede killing 1,426.
The East German government agrees to all-Germany elections in December.
3 July 1990 The Slovenian Parliament approves a declaration of sovereignty, saying their laws take precedence over Yugoslavian laws.
4 July 1990 Nelson Mandela meets with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in London. The talks are cordial in spite of Thatcher’s statements accusing the ANC of being a terrorist organization and her opposition to sanctions against South Africa.
Thousands of Bulgarians march in Sofiya demanding the resignations of President Mladenov.
Dinosaur at Large, a music theatre piece by Peter Maxwell Davies (55) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Leeds Grammar School.
5 July 1990 Serbia suspends the Kosovo assembly and institutes a purge of the media in the province.
The Federal Assembly of Czechoslovakia elects interim President Vaclav Havel to a full two-year term as President.
6 July 1990 Amidst months-long protests, Petar Mladenov resigns as President of Bulgaria and is replaced by Stanko Todorov Georgiev as acting President.
Albanian riot police close off the embassy district in Tirana after thousands of Albanians have sought refuge in foreign embassies. They attack 10,000 people demonstrating for democracy in the capital.
NATO leaders meeting in London agree to changes in fundamental alliance strategy. They agree to reduce front line forces, withdraw nuclear artillery shells from the continent, limit the army of a united Germany and invite Mikhail Gorbachev to address a NATO meeting in Brussels. They declare that they are “no longer adversaries” with the Warsaw Pact countries.
7 July 1990 Hardliners in the Albanian politburo are replaced by reformers.
Organbook II and Organbook III by Ned Rorem (66) are performed for the first time, on Nantucket.
8 July 1990 Over 5,000 Albanians seeking refuge in foreign embassies are allowed to leave the country.
West Germany defeats Argentina 1-0 in Rome to win the 14th FIFA World Cup™.
Psalm 121: I Will Lift up Mine Eyes unto the Hills for chorus by John Tavener (46) is performed for the first time, in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.
9 July 1990 Miroslav Stepan, former Communist Party leader in Prague, is sentenced to four years in prison. He was convicted of abusing his powers during demonstrations in October 1988 and January 1989.
10 July 1990 The Czechoslovak government removes subsidies on most food items. Prices go up an average of 25%.
11 July 1990 Diversions for brass quintet by Ned Rorem (66) is performed for the first time, on Nantucket.
12 July 1990 Boris Yeltsin, President of Russia, resigns from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Dancing in the Ruins for chamber ensemble by Jonathan Lloyd (41) is performed for the first time, in Unitarian Chapel, Warwick.
13 July 1990 The 28th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ends. Mikhail Gorbachev is reelected as party leader and his supporters now hold the important posts. The congress strengthens his position. The mayors of Moscow and Leningrad resign from the CPSU, “to assist the creation of a multi-party system.”
Four ships bring 4,000 Albanian refugees to Brindisi, Italy.
14 July 1990 A radically new Politburo is chosen by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
16 July 1990 An earthquake on the island of Luzon, the Philippines kills at least 1,600 people.
Chancellor Kohl and President Gorbachev announce in Zheleznovodsk that they have agreed that a unified Germany can be a NATO member. In return, Kohl agrees to limit the German armed forces, allow Soviet troops in East Germany during a transition period, and ban integrated NATO troops from East Germany during that time.
The Parliament of Ukraine votes to declare the sovereignty of the country.
Iraq accuses Kuwait of stealing $2,400,000 worth of Iraqi oil from the Rumalia oil field and demands reimbursement.
A new moon of Saturn, Pan, is discovered by Voyager scientist Mark R. Showalter from analysis of old Voyager photographs from as long ago as 1981.
17 July 1990 An earthquake on the island of Luzon kills over 1,600 people.
Saddam Hussein threatens to use force to make Kuwait and the UAE stop overproducing oil.
Nikolay Todorov Todorov replaces Stanko Todorov Georgiev as acting President of Bulgaria.
France, East Germany, West Germany, the USSR, the United Kingdom, and the United States agree in a treaty in Paris that the present borders of Poland are secure.
Líricas castellanas for soprano, recorder, cornetto, and vihuela by Joaquín Rodrigo (88) to anonymous words are performed for the first time, at San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid.
18 July 1990 The body of Georgi Dimitrov, on display since 1949, is removed from a Sofiya mausoleum and cremated.
The Iraqi government accuses Kuwait and the UAE with conspiring with the US to keep oil prices artificially low.
19 July 1990 Nor Spell for mezzo-soprano and english horn by Jacob Druckman (62) to words of Shakespeare is performed for the first time, in Aspen.
20 July 1990 The conviction of Iran-Contra mastermind Oliver North is overturned on a technicality.
The London stock exchange is bombed. A warning by the IRA allows for evacuation of the buildings and no injuries are reported.
22 July 1990 Violence between blacks erupts at Sebokeng, Transvaal Province, South Africa. 30 people are killed today.
23 July 1990 A memorial procession for Georgi Dimitrov in Sofiya draws 150,000 people.
The Washington Post reports that there are 30,000 Iraqi troops on the border with Kuwait and that United States ships in the Persian Gulf have been placed on alert.
24 July 1990 A Toccata of Galuppi’s for chorus, harpsichord, and string quartet by Dominick Argento (61) to words of R. Browning is performed for the first time, in Santa Fe.
25 July 1990 Seven members of the Parliament of Canada who have resigned their respective parties over the Meech Lake Accords, join to form the Bloc Quebecois.
26 July 1990 President Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act.
27 July 1990 The Parliament of Byelorussia declares the sovereignty of the country.
OPEC oil ministers, meeting in Geneva, agree to raise prices by 20%.
The French government releases five men convicted of trying to kill former Iranian Prime Minister Shapur Bakhtiar. They are sent to Teheran.
A group of Black Moslem rebels institutes a coup in Trinidad and Tobago. They seize the parliament building, TV station, and several high officials including Prime Minister Arthur Robinson.
28 July 1990 Alberto Fujimori replaces Alan Garcia Perez as President of Peru.
29 July 1990 In the first free elections in Mongolia since 1921, the ruling People’s Revolutionary Party retains control of both houses of Parliament.
The Auden Poems by Ned Rorem (66) is performed for the first time, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
30 July 1990 Albania and the USSR restore diplomatic relations after 29 years.
British MP Ian Gow is killed when his car explodes from an IRA bomb at his home in Hankham, East Sussex.
Liberian government troops storm a Lutheran church in Monrovia killing 200.
31 July 1990 The Albanian government ends the ban on foreign investment.
1 August 1990 Talks between Iraq and Kuwait in Jeddah about their long standing border dispute break down.
Opposition leader Zhelyu Mitev Zhelev becomes President of Bulgaria replacing Nikolay Todorov Todorov.
113 rebels in Trinidad and Tobago surrender. Their hostages are released. The death toll in the coup attempt reaches 30.
2 August 1990 Iraqi troops overrun border positions and enter Kuwait. 06:31 Kuwait defense ministry broadcasts an appeal to Iraq to withdraw and announces resistance. 07:36 Explosions are reported in Kuwait City and gunfire is heard near the Emir’s palace. 08:04 Iraq announces that “revolutionaries” have overthrown the Kuwaiti government. 08:28 Kuwait Airport is bombed and closed. 09:28 Reports indicate that the Emir’s Palace is occupied by Iraqi troops. The Emir and most of his family have escaped by helicopter.
The US, France, and UK freeze all Iraqi and Kuwaiti assets.
The United Nations Security Council votes 14-0 to condemn Iraq’s invasion and to demand its withdrawal. The USSR suspends arms sales to Iraq.
Moz-Art à la Mozart for eight flutes and harp by Alfred Schnittke (55) after Mozart (†198) is performed for the first time, in Salzburg.
3 August 1990 The Arab League condemns the invasion of Iraq.
Arpád Göncz is elected President of Hungary by the Parliament. He has been serving provisionally since 2 May.
Intermezzo for piano by Henryk Górecki (56) is performed for the first time, in Lerchenborg, Denmark.
4 August 1990 The European Community freezes Iraqi and Kuwaiti assets, bans imports of Iraqi oil, and suspends most trade.
For You, Anne-Lill op.58 for flute and piano by Henryk Górecki (56) is performed for the first time, in Lerchenborg.
MCMXC Tanglewood for orchestra by William Bolcom (52) is performed for the first time, at Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts.
5 August 1990 The Japanese government bans oil imports from Iraq and Kuwait, ends exports to those countries, and suspends all monetary transactions with them.
US Marines arrive in Monrovia, Liberia. Over the next three days they will evacuate 125 foreign nationals.
6 August 1990 President Ghulam Ishaq Khan of Pakistan removes Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto from office, names Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi as interim Prime Minister, and declares a state of emergency.
Iraqi troops begin rounding up hundreds of westerners in Kuwait.
King Fahd gives the United States permission to deploy military forces on Saudi Arabian soil. President Bush immediately orders several thousand troops to Saudi Arabia. The USSR, France, and Britain send ships to the Persian Gulf.
The United Nations Security Council votes 13-0 to urge all member states to end all trade, financial and commercial intercourse, and transportation with Iraq.
7 August 1990 The Parliament of Estonia declares that the country is no longer part of the USSR.
The United States begins sending thousands of troops to Saudi Arabia.
The African National Congress announces that it is suspending its 30-year armed struggle.
8 August 1990 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher orders British troops to Saudi Arabia.
Iraq announces the formal annexation of Kuwait.
9 August 1990 The United Nations Security Council votes 15-0 that Iraq’s annexation of Kuwait is “null and void.”
Iraq seals its borders and allows only foreign diplomats to leave.
A revised version of The English Cat, an opera by Hans Werner Henze (64) to words of Bond after Balzac, is performed for the first time, in Montepulciano. See 2 June 1983.
10 August 1990 The Arab League votes to send troops to defend Saudi Arabia.
Iraq orders all foreign embassies in Kuwait to shut down and their personnel transferred to Baghdad.
Flora for prerecorded soprano and computer-generated sound by Tod Machover (36) is performed for the first time, in a prerecorded format, in Boston.
11 August 1990 Egyptian troops are deployed to Saudi Arabia.
Astra for orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (52) is performed for the first time, in Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen.
13 August 1990 Under pressure from Parliament, the communist-dominated government of Armenia resigns.
15 August 1990 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev restores citizenship to 23 exiled artists and intellectuals, including Alyeksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn.
After three days of fighting between blacks in the Transvaal, South Africa, 140 people are dead.
Orchestral Theatre I: Xun for ceramic xun and orchestra (the orchestra members also making vocal sounds) by Tan Dun (32) is performed for the first time, in Edinburgh.
16 August 1990 Saddam Hussein orders 4,000 Britons and 2,500 Americans in Kuwait to assemble in Kuwaiti hotels.
Mein Tod. Requiem in memoriam Jane S. for soprano and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (38) to words of Wolf Wondratschek is performed for the first time, in Salzburg.
17 August 1990 Iraq announces that citizens of “aggressive nations” held in Kuwait and Iraq have been moved to strategic installations as human shields.
An attempt by the Croatian Interior Ministry to disarm Serb police in Obrovac and Knin is thwarted by local Serbs.
The United States Defense Department issues a call up of reserves.
18 August 1990 The United Nations Security Council calls on Iraq to release all foreign nationals detained in Iraq and Kuwait.
19 August 1990 The Iraqi government orders about 9,000 “Western foreigners and Australians” in Kuwait to gather at three hotels in the city.
A referendum in the Serb regions of Croatia (Krajina) shows a heavy majority favor autonomy.
Today is the last time Leonard Bernstein (71) conducts at Tanglewood.
23 August 1990 The death toll stands at 500 in fighting between Zulus and Xhosas in South Africa.
Jordan temporarily closes its border with Iraq. It has been overwhelmed by 200,000 refugees from Iraq and Kuwait.
In a vote of 182-3 the Parliament of Armenia declares independence and claims Nagorno-Karabakh.
The East German Volkskammer votes 294-62-7 to declare “its accession to the jurisdiction of the Federal Republic of Germany according to article 23 of the Basic Law as from 3 October.”
24 August 1990 Brian Keenan of Ireland is released by Arab terrorists in Lebanon after four years in captivity.
A multinational military force, with elements from Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, lands by sea in Monrovia, Liberia to effect a cease-fire in the civil war.
Iraqi troops surround nine foreign embassies in Kuwait and shut off the water.
President FW de Klerk of South Africa declares a limited state of emergency in 19 districts due to continuing black against black violence.
Josip Manolic replaces Stipe Mesic as Prime Minister of Croatia.
A jury in Reno, Nevada finds that the popular music entertainers Judas Priest are not responsible for the deaths of two young people who shot themselves after listening to the group’s music.
Thrinos for cello by John Tavener (46) is performed for the first time, in Edinburgh.
25 August 1990 The United Nations Security Council votes 13-0-2 to grant member states the right to use force in the embargo of Iraq.
Lebanese terrorists release Irishman Brian Keenan after four years captivity.
200,000 Bosnian Moslems gather in Foca to pay tribute to Moslems killed by Serbs during World War II.
26 August 1990 A protest at Socialist Party headquarters in Sofiya turns violent. The building is set on fire and destroyed.
27 August 1990 Four business executives are convicted of fraud in a London court in the attempt by Guinness PLC to takeover Distillers Co. PLC. They will be sentenced to jail terms totaling over eight years.
The US expels 36 Iraqi embassy workers from the country and compels the remaining 19 to not travel more than 40 km from their embassy.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council agree on a peace plan for Cambodia.
28 August 1990 Saddam Hussein releases all foreign women and children from Iraq and Kuwait. He declares Kuwait to be the 19th province of Iraq.
29 August 1990 The Armenian Parliament declares a state of emergency.
31 August 1990 The National Privatization Policy is established to return Romania to a market economy.
Representatives of East and West Germany sign a treaty setting out the terms of their unification. They name Berlin as the capital of a unified Germany.
1 September 1990 Foreign women and children begin leaving Iraq.
2 September 1990 The Transdniester region declares its independence from Moldova.
3 September 1990 The first democratically elected government in the history of Mongolia convenes in Ulaanbaatar.
Bread is no longer to be had in Moscow.
A general strike begins in Kosovo against the sacking of ethnic Albanian officials and their replacement by Serbs. 200,000 people demonstrate in Pristina.
4 September 1990 Mike Moore replaces Geoffrey Palmer as Prime Minister of New Zealand.
45 people are killed in an attack by Inkatha on rival blacks in Sebokeng township, South Africa.
Tens of thousands of Chileans line the route of a funeral procession bearing the remains of President Salvador Allende Gossens, killed in a US-backed military coup in 1973. They are being reburied in a place of honor in Santiago.
Brazilian investigators uncover a mass grave holding perhaps as many as 1,700 bodies. Those interred are believed to be opponents of the conservative military dictatorships which ruled the country between 1964 and 1985.
5 September 1990 Izvestia announces a radical new economic plan for the USSR worked out by followers of Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. It is called the Shatalin Plan after the committee’s chairman Stanislav S. Shatalin.
6 September 1990 The journal Science reports an ozone hole over the North Pole similar to one already discovered over the South Pole.
7 September 1990 Prince Alexander Karadordevic, son of the late King Petar II of Yugoslavia, visits Belgrade. 80,000 people turn out.
8 September 1990 26 people are killed in an Inkatha raid on a squatter settlement in Soweto.
9 September 1990 At the headquarters of the multi-national force in Liberia, warring factions are brought together for talks. Gunfire breaks out. 78 people are killed, mostly bodyguards of President Samuel Doe. Doe is mortally wounded.
Mindwalk, a film with music by Philip Glass (53), is shown for the first time, at the Toronto Film Festival.
10 September 1990 Meeting in Jakarta, the four warring factions in Cambodia agree to a United Nations cease-fire plan. They appoint a twelve-member Supreme National Council to run the country until elections can be held.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is formally charged in a Pakistani court with abuse of power.
President Samuel K. Doe of Liberia dies of wounds suffered yesterday.
Iran and Iraq announce they will restore diplomatic relations.
West Germany and the Soviet Union agree to maintenance and repatriation of all Soviet troops in East Germany.
Pope John Paul II consecrates the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.
11 September 1990 Dashiyn Byambasüren becomes Prime Minister of Mongolia.
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev announces his support for the Shatalin Plan in the Supreme Soviet, to the astonishment of Prime Minister Nikolay Ryzhkov.
Two Pizza Hut fast food restaurants open in Moscow.
Alleluia for chorus, boy soprano, organ, and orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (58) to words from the Russian Orthodox liturgy, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
12 September 1990 New Zealand completes the privatization sale of its state-owned telephone company, Telecom Corp.
The four victorious World War II allies sign the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, giving up all occupation rights over Germany and Berlin. East and West Germany are now free to unite.
13 September 1990 Blacks run amok through a commuter train between Johannesburg and Soweto killing 26 other blacks and wounding 100.
The UN Security Council votes 13-2 to place limits on humanitarian food shipments to Iraq and Kuwait.
14 September 1990 In the first instance of gene therapy a four-year-old girl receives a blood transfusion in a Maryland hospital to cure an immune deficiency.
15 September 1990 France begins sending troops and aircraft to Saudi Arabia.
Iraq opens its border allowing thousands of Kuwaitis to flee to Saudi Arabia. As Iraqi soldiers begin seizing military-age men the exodus stops. Refugees bring reports of torture and execution.
George Rochberg’s (72) Rhapsody and Prayer for violin and piano is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.
17 September 1990 The UDF holds an anti-government rally in Sofiya. 30,000 people attend.
Cantus firmus for 14 players, composed in memory of Luigi Nono (†0) by Wolfgang Rihm (38), is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.
18 September 1990 The Principality of Liechtenstein is admitted to the United Nations.
20 September 1990 The parliaments of East and West Germany ratify the 31 August treaty.
Scottish Circus, a musicircus based on traditional Scottish music by John Cage (78), is performed for the first time, in University Concert Hall, Glasgow.
21 September 1990 Rebel leader Charles Taylor announces a unilateral cease-fire in the civil war in Liberia.
Ancestral Voices for bass and piano by TJ Anderson (62) to words of Forrest is performed for the first time, in Strasbourg.
22 September 1990 Eight Songs from the Incidental Music to Friedrich Schiller’s “Don Carlos” for voice and piano (or guitar) by Alfred Schnittke (55) is performed for the first time, in Bad Urach.
Ins Offene... for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (38) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow. See 18 January 1995.
23 September 1990 Voters in Switzerland approve a moratorium on construction of new nuclear power plants.
24 September 1990 The Supreme Soviet of the USSR grants President Mikhail Gorbachev decree authority over the economy.
The German Democratic Republic formally withdraws from the Warsaw Pact.
25 September 1990 The Security Council of the United Nations votes 14-1 to end air traffic with Iraq.
The spacecraft Magellan shows Venus to be volcanically active.
Seven2 for seven instruments by John Cage (78) is performed for the first time, in Erlangen.
26 September 1990 Amen for chorus by Henri Pousseur (61) is performed for the first time, in Rome.
27 September 1990 The Polish government begins the privatization of state owned industries.
28 September 1990 A Philippine general and 15 soldiers are sentenced to life in prison for the 1983 murder of Benigno Aquino.
The Volkskammer of the German Democratic Republic votes to make public the names of 56 of its members found to have links to the Ministry of State Security (Stasi).
The Parliament of Serbia makes changes to its constitution authorizing multiparty elections and ending the autonomy of Kosovo.
29 September 1990 Con Leggerezza Pensosa--Omaggio a Italo Calvino for clarinet, violin, and cello by Elliott Carter (81) is performed for the first time, in the Istituto di Studi Musicali, Latina, Italy.
30 September 1990 The USSR and South Korea establish full diplomatic relations.
Concerto for computer and orchestra by John Melby (48) is performed for the first time, at the University of Illinois.
1 October 1990 The Supreme Soviet votes to guarantee religious freedom to all Soviet citizens.
The Serbian minority in Croatia unilaterally declares its autonomy.
3 October 1990 Germany is officially reunited. The German Democratic Republic ceases to exist. 1,000,000 people gather in Berlin for festivities. In the former East Germany, price controls are lifted causing the cost of living to balloon. Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thüringen, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are reconstituted as states. Werner Grossmann, the last head of counterespionage of the Stasi, is arrested.
Foreign Ministers from the US and USSR announce agreement on conventional forces in Europe.
Statuit ei Dominus by Arvo Pärt (55) is performed for the first time, in Basilica di San Petronio, Bologna.
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a jury finds Charles Freeman guilty of obscenity by selling As Nasty as They Want to Be by popular music entertainers 2 Live Crew in his store.
4 October 1990 About 200 soldiers take control of Philippine Army headquarters in Butuan, Mindanao.
The Yugoslav army takes control of the headquarters of the Slovenian Territorial Defense Forces in Ljubljana.
5 October 1990 The British government joins the European exchange rate mechanism, which ties the pound to other European currencies.
A Cincinnati jury acquits the Contemporary Arts Center of charges of obscenity stemming from a Robert Mapplethorpe photography exhibit.
Beatus Petronius by Arvo Pärt (55) is performed for the first time, in Basilica di San Petronio, Bologna.
Rainbow for orchestra by Thea Musgrave (62) is performed for the first time, in Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow.
6 October 1990 The Philippine mutiny ends with the surrender of Col. Alexander Nobel.
7 October 1990 In parliamentary elections in Austria, the Social Democratic Party wins a plurality of seats but the far-right Freedom Party makes large gains at the expense of the conservative Peoples Party. The grand left-right coalition continues under Chancellor Franz Vranitzky.
8 October 1990 Jewish and Arab groups confront each other in the Old City of Jerusalem. Police attempt to bar the Jewish group but Arabs throw rocks at worshippers at the Wailing Wall. Dozens of Jews are wounded. Police fire on the Arabs, killing 19.
String Quartet no.4 “In Memoriam John Ogdon” op.52 by Alexander Goehr (58) is performed for the first time, at the University of Iowa.
9 October 1990 Tuorakemsu for orchestra by Iannis Xenakis (68) is performed for the first time, in Suntory Hall, Tokyo for the 60th birthday of Toru Takemitsu.
Leonard Bernstein (72) announces his retirement from performing due to medical problems.
10 October 1990 Asif Ali Zandari, husband of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, is arrested and charged with kidnapping and extortion.
In a meeting in Rome, the Italian Communist Party, the second largest party in the country, officially changes its name to the Democratic Party of the Left.
12 October 1990 While he addresses thousands of his supporters in Baabda, Christian militia leader Michel Aoun is fired on by a Shia Moslem. The assassin misses.
German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is shot twice and seriously injured by a deranged man in Oppenau near Freiburg.
The Mask, a cycle for chorus and piano by William Bolcom (52) to words of five writers, is performed for the first time.
13 October 1990 Syrian planes bomb the Lebanese Presidential Palace in Baabda, the headquarters of Christian militia leader Michel Aoun. Syrian and Lebanese government troops attack Aoun’s enclave and take the palace. Aoun flees into the French embassy. 750 people are killed and 1,200 wounded in the fighting.
14 October 1990 Elections take place in the five new Länder in the former East Germany. The Christian Democrats win pluralities in four of the five. The other is led by the Social Democrats.
18:15 Leonard Bernstein dies of heart failure from emphysema and lung inflammation, at his home in New York City, aged 72 years, one month, and 19 days.
15 October 1990 South Africa ends racial discrimination in parks, swimming pools, libraries, toilets, and other publicly owned places.
16 October 1990 A funeral in memory of Leonard Bernstein takes place in his apartment in the Dakota on Central Park West. A procession with police escort takes his mortal remains to Green Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn where they are laid to rest. Along the route, ordinary New Yorkers stop, some waving and calling out “Good by, Lenny!”
A revised version of Calmo for mezzo-soprano and 22 players by Luciano Berio (64) to words of various authors is performed for the first time, in Paris, conducted by Pierre Boulez (65). See 25 March 1974.
Correspondences (String Quartet no.4), a dance opera by Kevin Volans (41) to words of Ramanujan, is performed for the first time, in The Palace Theatre, London.
17 October 1990 Vitaly A. Masol resigns as Premier of Ukraine after large nationalist protests in Kiev.
19 October 1990 The Supreme Soviet approves the Gorbachev economic plan. It calls for the selling of state property to individuals, the lifting of price controls and the transferring of economic power to the republics.
From Me Flows What You Call Time for five percussionists and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (60) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.
Symphony by Shulamit Ran (40) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia. It will win the Pulitzer Prize. See 9 April 1991.
20 October 1990 The Stream Flows for violin by Bright Sheng (34) is performed for the first time, at the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston. The work is dedicated to Hugo Weisgall (78).
21 October 1990 An Arab stabs three Jews to death in Jerusalem in apparent revenge for the events of 8 October.
Five Aphorisms for piano by Alfred Schnittke (55) is performed for the first time, in New York.
23 October 1990 String Quartet no.4 with soprano by Brian Ferneyhough (47), to words of Mac Low, is performed for the first time, in Basel.
24 October 1990 In elections to the lower Pakistani house, the Islamic Democratic Alliance wins 105 of 217 seats. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party wins 45 seats. Bhutto claims the government has engaged in election fraud.
Three IRA car bombs kill seven people in Northern Ireland.
25 October 1990 Three major sectarian militias, Amal (Shia), Druze, and Christian, agree to withdraw from a 650 sq km area in and around Beirut.
Symphony (Myths) for orchestra by Roger Reynolds (56) is performed for the first time, in Suntory Hall, Tokyo.
26 October 1990 Coal miners found the first independent labor federation in the USSR.
Mayor Marion Barry is sentenced in a Washington court to six months in prison for possession of cocaine.
27 October 1990 New Zealand’s National Party wins a strong majority in parliamentary elections.
28 October 1990 A coalition of separatist parties wins parliamentary elections in the Soviet republic of Georgia.
Meeting in Rome, eleven leaders of European Community nations approve the creation of a central bank in 1994. Only British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher rejects the idea.
29 October 1990 The center-right coalition of Norwegian Prime Minister Jan Syse collapses over the country’s ties to the European Community.
The United Nations Security Council demands that Iraq stop detaining foreign nationals.
30 October 1990 Hindus occupy a mosque in the holy city of Ayodhya until they are removed by police. Some Hindus claim the site of the mosque is the birthplace of the god Rama and demand the mosque be destroyed and a temple to Rama built there.
Over 260 French hostages are flown out of Baghdad for Paris.
Violin and String Quartet by Morton Feldman (†3) is performed for the first time, in the Musikhochschule, Cologne.
31 October 1990 Ultralight for band by Samuel Adler (62) is performed for the first time.
2 November 1990 Jim Bolger replaces Mike Moore as Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Liturgien for solo voices, two choruses, and orchestra by Mauricio Kagel (58) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
Last Symphony (Symphony no.4) for baritone and orchestra by Lou Harrison (73) is performed for the first time, at the Brooklyn Academy Opera House.
3 November 1990 Gro Harlem Brundtland replaces Jan Peder Syse as Prime Minister of Norway.
Sections of the Concerto for violin and orchestra by György Ligeti (67) are performed for the first time, in Cologne. See 8 October 1992.
4 November 1990 Revelation for eight solo voices by Jonathan Lloyd (42) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
Good Night op.63 for soprano, alto flute, piano, and three tam-tams by Henryk Górecki (56) to words of Shakespeare is performed completely for the first time, in London. See 6 May 1990.
5 November 1990 The City Council of Moscow begins to rename streets and localities named after prominent communists.
Jewish extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane is shot and killed in a New York hotel by an Egyptian-born US citizen. The assailant is shot and captured by authorities.
6 November 1990 Nawaz Sharif replaces Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
In congressional election in the United States, the opposition Democratic Party makes slight gains in their majorities in both houses.
7 November 1990 Indian Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh resigns after losing a confidence vote in Parliament. Singh lost his majority when the Bharatiya Janata Party left his coalition after Singh refused to back the construction of a temple at the mosque site in Ayodhya.
8 November 1990 US President George Bush orders a massive buildup of troops in Saudi Arabia.
Goodbye My Fancy for soprano, baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Ned Rorem (67) to words of Whitman, is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
Gian Carlo Menotti’s (79) cantata For the Death of Orpheus for tenor, chorus, and orchestra to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Atlanta.
9 November 1990 King Birendra of Nepal gives royal assent to a new constitution limiting his powers, guaranteeing civil liberties, and creating a multiparty democracy.
Mary Robinson becomes the first woman elected President of Ireland.
10 November 1990 Chandra Shekhar replaces Vishwanath Pratap Singh as Prime Minister of India.
Pursuant to the 25 October agreement, militias begin to withdraw from greater Beirut.
11 November 1990 Multi-party elections take place for the first time in Macedonia.
Abgewandt II for 14 players by Wolfgang Rihm (38) is performed for the first time, in Gütersloh. It was composed in memory of Luigi Nono (†0).
Repertoire, a film with music by Mauricio Kagel (58), is shown for the first time, over the airwaves of ZDF, Mainz.
12 November 1990 Before representatives of 158 nations, Japanese Emperor Akihito is formally enthroned in Tokyo.
The Parliament of Kyrgyzhia declares itself “an independent and sovereign state.”
13 November 1990 The first stock exchange in the USSR is founded in Moscow.
A new electoral law in Albania creates a secret ballot and allows for independent candidates.
14 November 1990 A battle between Indonesian troops and rebels near Ainaro, East Timor results in the deaths of 70 government soldiers.
Separatist Zviad Gamsakhurdia is elected President of the Soviet republic of Georgia. The words “Soviet Socialist” are removed from the country’s name.
Representatives of Germany and Poland sign a treaty in Warsaw which guarantees the current Oder-Neisse border between them.
15 November 1990 Nationwide protests begin in Romania against price increases.
16 November 1990 The Czechoslovak Federal Assembly votes to confiscate all the property of the Communist Party.
18 November 1990 The first multi-party elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina are won by ethnically-organized parties.
19 November 1990 22 heads of state sign the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe, which begins to dismantle Cold War stockpiles of arms. This takes place in Paris during the summit of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which marks the formal end of the Cold War.
20 November 1990 Polish miners strike against government economic policies.
21 November 1990 German Chancellor Helmut Kohl announces a program in which the government, private industry, and charitable organizations join forces to provide food aid to the Soviet Union.
Michael Milken, formerly of Drexel Burnham Lambert, Inc., is sentenced in federal court in New York to ten years in prison for securities fraud.
Strathclyde Concerto no.4 for clarinet and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (56) is performed for the first time, in City Halls, Glasgow, conducted by the composer.
22 November 1990 Amos Sawyer is sworn in as acting President of Liberia.
25 November 1990 The Australian government provides A$500,000,000 of export credits for the Soviet Union to purchase Australian agricultural products.
Lech Walesa finishes first of six candidates in presidential elections in Poland. He will face a runoff with the second-place finisher, Stanislaw Tyminski.
26 November 1990 Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki of Poland resigns after finishing third in yesterday’s presidential election.
Kammerkonzert II for chamber ensemble by Isang Yun (73) is performed for the first time, in the Leipzig Gewandhaus.
28 November 1990 Goh Chok Tong replaces Lee Kwan Yew as Prime Minister of Singapore. Lee served in the position for 31 years.
John Major replaces Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after eleven years in power. Thatcher resigns in the face of a revolt within her Conservative Party from Michael Heseltine.
The interim government of Liberia and three warring factions sign a cease-fire agreement in Bamako, Mali.
29 November 1990 In the face of a general strike led by the opposition, the government of Bulgarian Prime Minister Andrey Karlov Lukanov falls, to widespread celebrations.
The United Nations Security Council approves Resolution 678 by a vote of 12-2-1. It authorizes member states to use force to expel Iraq from Kuwait if Iraq does not leave by 15 January 1991.
German Chancellor Helmut Kohl hosts a 45-minute telethon which raises over $3,000,000 to feed hungry Soviet citizens.
30 November 1990 A warrant is issued for the arrest of former East German leader Erich Honecker. He presently resides at a Soviet army base near Berlin.
A new constitution for Mozambique is approved. It guarantees human rights, freedom of the press, and abolishes the death penalty. It allows for a market economy and for multiple political parties. The name Peoples Republic of Mozambique is changed to the Republic of Mozambique.
1 December 1990 French and British workers digging the Channel Tunnel meet in the middle and shake hands.
The cities of Leningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Vorkuta, and Chelyabinsk begin official food rationing.
The government of Mozambique and Renamo rebels sign a partial cease-fire.
2 December 1990 The first post-unification election in Germany is won by the Christian Democratic Union and its allies. Chancellor Helmut Kohl forms a coalition with the Free Democrats.
Aaron Copland dies of respiratory failure in Phelps Memorial Hospital, North Tarrytown, New York, aged 90 years and 18 days. The ashes of his mortal remains will be buried on the grounds at Tanglewood.
3 December 1990 The Russian Congress of Peoples Deputies approves private ownership of farms.
Mary Robinson replaces Patrick John Hillary as President of Ireland.
A coup attempt by several hundred army troops against the government of Argentina is put down.
4 December 1990 After two months of violent anti-government protests, President Hosein Mohammad Ershad of Bangladesh resigns.
The Lebanese army takes control of Beirut and vicinity following the withdrawal of sectarian militias.
Dear John, Dear Coltrane for chorus and piano by TJ Anderson (62) to words of Harper is performed for the first time, at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
6 December 1990 Saddam Hussein announces he will free the 2,300 foreign nationals currently being held in Iraq and Kuwait. They will leave over the next week.
Chief Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed replaces Hossain Mohammad Ershad as President of Bangladesh.
Kehraus um St. Stephan, an opera by Ernst Krenek (90) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Vienna 60 years after it was composed.
7 December 1990 Independent Dimitur Ilchev Popov replaces Andrey Karlov Lukanov as Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
Kyania for orchestra by Iannis Xenakis (68) is performed for the first time, in Montpellier.
8 December 1990 Open elections take place in Serbia. Slobodan Milosevic is elected President.
Suite in d minor op.117 for violin and strings by Jean Sibelius (†33) is performed for the first time, on the 125th anniversary of the composer’s birth and 61 years after it was composed.
The second movement of a String Trio by Krzysztof Penderecki (57) is performed for the first time, in Kraków. See 15 November 1991.
9 December 1990 Lech Walesa is elected President of Poland in a runoff held today.
Three days of anti-government protests begin at the national university in Tirana, Albania.
The first multi-party elections in Serbia and Montenegro take place.
The government of Mexico sells a controlling share of Telefonos de Mexico SA, the state-owned telephone company, thus privatizing it.
Divertimento for oboe, percussion, and piano by Ross Lee Finney (83) is performed for the first time, at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
11 December 1990 The Central Committee of the Albanian Workers Party purges the Politburo and approves the creation of independent political parties.
Trading in new shares of twelve state-owned regional electricity distributors begins in Britain. The privatization is worth £5,180,000,000.
12 December 1990 Government troops fire on demonstrators in Dili, East Timor. About 200 people are killed.
The Democratic Party of Albania is formed in Tirana at a meeting of thousands of students, workers, and intellectuals. After riots erupt in Kavaje, President Ramiz Alia makes a nationwide television address appealing for calm.
In parliamentary elections in Denmark, the party of Prime Minister Poul Schlüter loses five seats but his ruling coalition suffers a net loss of only one seat. Although the opposition Social Democrats gain 14 seats and constitute the largest party in the Folketing, Schlüter will continue in power.
US President George Bush approves up to $1,000,000,000 in loan guarantees to allow the USSR to buy American food. He also promises shipments of food and medicine in the face of impending food shortages.
In a courtroom in Xapuri, Brazil, Darci Alves Pereira, son of a rancher, admits to murdering the environmentalist Chico Mendes in 1988.
13 December 1990 Anti-government riots break out in several Albanian cities. Mass arrests ensue.
Oliver Tambo, leader of the African National Congress, lands at Johannesburg airport after three decades in exile.
14 December 1990 20 Polish Carols for soprano, female chorus, and orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (77) are performed completely for the first time, in Aberdeen conducted by the composer. See 15 December 1985.
15 December 1990 In a court in Xapuri, Brazil, rancher Darly Alves da Silva is convicted of planning the murder of environmentalist Chico Mendes. His son, Darci Alves Pereira is found guilty of the carrying out the act. They are both sentenced to 19 years in prison.
16 December 1990 In the first truly democratic presidential elections in Haiti, Rev. Jean Bertrand Aristide is elected with over 60% of the vote.
String Quartet no.4 “The Ramanujan Notebooks” by Kevin Volans (41) is performed for the first time, in the Almeida Theatre, London.
17 December 1990 President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia signs a constitutional amendment allowing the formation of opposition political parties.
Two Emmanuel Motets for chorus by John Harbison (51) are performed for the first time, in Emmanuel Church, Boston.
18 December 1990 Two works for male chorus and piano by William Bolcom (52) are performed for the first time: Maha Sonnet for male chorus and piano to words of Weinstein, and The More Loving One to words of Auden.
19 December 1990 The original version of Steps for orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (59) is performed for the first time, in Berlin. See 22 June 1989.
20 December 1990 The Foreign Minister of the USSR, Edvard Shevardnadze, resigns and warns of a looming dictatorship.
Alija Izetbegovic is named President of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
21 December 1990 The government of Albania orders the removal of all statues of Joseph Stalin.
The US government suspends its military aid to Guatemala for its human rights abuses. The suspension comes only after Guatemalan soldiers killed a US citizen.
Apple Basket: Apple Blossom for chorus by Peter Maxwell Davies (56) to words of George Mackay Brown is performed for the first time, in St. Alban’s, Highgate, Birmingham.
22 December 1990 Lech Walesa replaces Wojciech Jaruzelski as President of Poland.
A new constitution for the Republic of Croatia is announced, embodying all recent democratic reforms.
A rally for the new Democratic Party of Albania takes place at Tirana University. It is the first non-Communist party rally in the history of the country.
The UN Security Council votes to end the Trusteeship of the Pacific Islands.
23 December 1990 85% of Slovenian voters turn out for a referendum on independence. 95% of those voting say yes.
24 December 1990 Omar Karami becomes Prime Minister of Lebanon.
Mother of God and Virgin for chorus by Arvo Pärt (55) is performed for the first time, in Cambridge.
25 December 1990 King Mihai returns to Romania for the first time since 1948. Within twelve hours he is expelled by the government.
26 December 1990 Soviet Prime Minister Nikolay I. Ryzhkov suffers a heart attack at his home in Moscow and is taken to hospital.
The Parliament of the Russian Federation votes to withhold 80% of its share of the budget of the national government.
Slovenia declares its sovereignty and gives the federal government six months to agree to its demands for a broad decentralization of Yugoslavia.
27 December 1990 The Soviet Congress of Peoples Deputies approves President Gorbachev’s reorganization plan, placing all executive functions under the President.
29 December 1990 President Lech Walesa of Poland names Jan Krzysztof Bielecki as Prime Minister, replacing Tadeusz Mazowiecki.
30 December 1990 More than 3,000 Albanians cross the border into Greece over the next two days. Most are ethnic Greeks.
President Carlos Menem of Argentina pardons nine men who were leaders in the dirty war against the left in the 1970s.
A solis ortu for chorus by Charles Wuorinen (52) is performed for the first time, in St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church, New York.
31 December 1990 Israeli war planes attack a PLO base near Sidon (Saida), Lebanon, killing twelve.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
24 May 2012
Last Updated (Thursday, 24 May 2012 06:11)