1991

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    1 January 1991 Albanian border guards fire on several hundred Albanians trying to cross into Yugoslavia near Shkodër.

    Czechoslovakia removes price controls on 85% of goods.  Some state enterprises are closed and small stores are privatized.  The currency is now convertible.

    Harmoonia, a children’s opera by Harrison Birtwistle (57) to words of Browne, is performed for the first time, in Muscatine, Iowa.

    3 January 1991 Israel opens a consulate in Moscow.

    The One Hundred-and-second Congress of the United States convenes in Washington.  The opposition Democratic Party controls both houses.

    Ave Verum Corpus for chorus by John Harbison (52) is performed for the first time, in Emmanuel Church, Boston.  See 2 June 1991.

    4 January 1991 Jan Krzysztof Bielecki replaces Tadeusz Mazowiecki as Prime Minister of Poland.

    The Sentencing Project, an advocacy group, reports that the United States has more people in jail, compared to its total population, than any country in the world.

    5 January 1991 US and Italian forces begin evacuating foreign nationals from Mogadishu in the midst of a civil war.

    7 January 1991 The USSR sends thousands of troops into the Baltics and four other republics to enforce conscription.

    8 January 1991 Four Belgians held in Lebanon for three years are freed by their Palestinian captors.

    Pan American World Airways files for bankruptcy protection.

    9 January 1991 US Secretary of State James Baker and Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz meet in Geneva for six-and-a-half hours to diffuse the Kuwait crisis.  The talks end in complete failure.

    The Yugoslav Federal Presidency votes to give all paramilitaries ten days to voluntarily disarm.  It will never happen.

    10 January 1991 Supporters of Moscow in Lithuania go on strike.

    Albertas Simenas replaces Kazimiera-Danute Prunskiene as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Lithuania.

    The US Census Bureau reports that the 20% of US households with the highest incomes control 44% of the nation’s wealth.  The bottom 20% control 7% of total wealth.  The top 20% are the only group to see significant wealth gain since 1984.  White households average eight times the wealth of hispanic households and ten times the wealth of black households.

    12 January 1991 Belgium frees an Arab terrorist four days after three Belgians were freed.  Said Nasser was serving a 30-year sentence for killing a child in 1980.

    Both houses of the United States Congress authorize President Bush to use military power to expel Iraq from Kuwait.

    Paraphrasen über Dostojewsky, for actor and eleven instruments by Hans Werner Henze (64) to words of Bachmann, is performed for the first time, in Barbican Hall, London.

    13 January 1991 Independence supporters surround communications facilities in Vilnius.  They are fired upon by Soviet troops and some are crushed by tanks.  15 people are killed, 200 wounded.  Gediminas Vagnorius replaces Albertas Simenas as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Lithuania.

    Representatives of the three Baltic republics and Russia sign a mutual security treaty in Tallinn.

    UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar meets in Baghdad with Saddam Hussein in a vain attempt to avert hostilities.

    14 January 1991 Albania and Greece open their borders to refugees going both ways.

    Iraq recalls its ambassador to the US.

    Two leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization are shot to death in Tunis by rival Palestinians.

    The Israeli Supreme Court orders the army to distribute gas masks to Arabs in the occupied territories in case of a chemical attack by Iraq.

    The Supreme Soviet confirms Valentin Pavlov as Prime Minister of the USSR.

    A revised version of Das Vokaltuch der Kammersängerin Rosa Silber, a ballet by Hans Werner Henze (64), is performed for the first time, in a concert setting, in London.  Also premiered is the Agnus Dei from his unperformed Requiem for piano and strings.  See 24 February 1993.

    15 January 1991 The British Parliament authorizes the use of force to expel Iraq from Kuwait.

    President Bush signs written authority for the US military to attack Iraq.

    Cubic Defense Systems pleads guilty to conspiracy, bribery, and fraud in the US military procurement scandal.  They agree to pay $4,650,000.

    16 January 1991 The French National Assembly authorizes the use of force to expel Iraq from Kuwait.

    17 January 1991 About 01:00  Air and naval forces from the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait attack targets in Iraq and Kuwait.  They are joined later in the day by forces from Canada, France, and Italy.

    Concerto for oboe and orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (51) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    18 January 1991 Iraq fires Scud missiles at Israel and Saudi Arabia, hitting Tel Aviv and other areas.  One aimed at Saudi Arabia does not reach the ground.  Twelve Israelis are wounded.  This begins regular Scud attacks on the two countries by Iraq.

    The Etem Bey Mosque is reopened in Tirana for the first time since 1967.

    King Olav V of Norway dies in Oslo and is succeeded by his son, Harald V.

    Eastern Airlines ceases operations and announces it will sell its remaining assets.

    19 January 1991 The Federal Government of Yugoslavia orders all paramilitaries in Croatia and Slovenia to disband by 21 January.  They will not.  Croatia places its police and other forces on alert.

    20 January 1991 100,000-300,000 people demonstrate in Moscow against military intervention in the Baltics.

    Soviet Interior Ministry troops storm the Latvian Interior Ministry building in Riga.  Four Latvians are killed.

    21 January 1991 Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria agree that Israel has the right to retaliate against Iraqi Scud missile attacks.

    The European Community suspends its food aid to the Soviet Union in response to the violent crackdown in the Baltic States.

    Bug Mudra for two guitars, electronic percussion, conducting dataglove, and interactive computer electronics by Tod Machover (37) is performed for the first time, in Bunkamura Theatre, Tokyo directed by the composer.

    22 January 1991 An Iraqi Scud missile hits a residential area of Tel Aviv.  96 people are wounded, three die of heart attacks.  900 people are left homeless.

    Iraqi  troops begin setting fire to oil wells in Kuwait.

    23 January 1991 Iraq begins emptying oil into the Persian Gulf at the rate of 100,000 to 200,000 barrels per day.

    Allied forces take Qaruh Island, the first part of Kuwait to be recaptured.

    24 January 1991 The presidents of Slovenia and Serbia meet and agree that the other has the right to its own state, as long as it does not hurt the rights of others.

    Concerto for piano and orchestra no.1 by George Perle (75) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    25 January 1991 Iraqi Scuds kill one person in Israel and one in Saudi Arabia.

    Ora pro nobis for flute and guitar by George Rochberg (72) is performed for the first time, in Zanesville, Ohio.

    26 January 1991 Czechoslovakia begins to privatize retail outlets.

    The United States announces that 24 Iraqi warplanes have flown to Iran.  They have been impounded by Iran.

    Over 75,000 people march against the Gulf War in Washington.

    Duets for chamber orchestra by Joan Tower (52) are performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    27 January 1991 United States planes attack the Iraqi oil installation dumping oil into the Persian Gulf.

    Turkey allows NATO forces to use Incirlik air base to bomb Iraq.

    29 January 1991 Iraqi forces cross into Saudi Arabia at three points and seize the abandoned town of Khafji.

    Arab terrorists attack northern Israel.

    30 January 1991 The Federal Government of Yugoslavia demands the arrest of the Croatian Internal Affairs Minister Martin Spegelj for buying weapons for Croatia.  The Croatian government refuses and Minister Spegelj goes into hiding.

    31 January 1991 Allied (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United States) troops retake Khafji.

    Seven Pieces for small orchestra by Antonín Dvorák (†86) are performed for the first time, in London 124 years after they were composed.

    1 February 1991 An earthquake strikes Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing at least 1,200 people.

    Government price controls end in Bulgaria.

    President De Klerk of South Africa announces that he will seek repeal of the apartheid laws.

    The Bulgarian government lifts subsidies on energy and public transportation.

    Piano Sonata no.2 by Alfred Schnittke (56) is performed for the first time, in Lübeck.

    Muse of Fire for flute and guitar by George Rochberg (72) is performed for the first time, in Weill Hall, New York.

    3 February 1991 In a bloodless military coup, General Sunthorn Kongsompong replaces Chatichai Choonhavan as Prime Minister of Thailand.

    The Italian Communist Party changes its name to the Democratic Party of the Left.

    Sonata for violin and piano by Anthony Davis (39) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    5 February 1991 Sutartines for string orchestra, organ, and percussion by Alfred Schnittke (56) is performed for the first time, in Vilnius.

    Aux heures de la nouvelle lune, a symphonic poem by Nikolay Roslavets (†46), is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London approximately 80 years after it was composed.

    6 February 1991 Protests resume at Enver Hoxha University in Tirana demanding liberal reforms, the resignation of the government, and removal of Hoxha’s name from the university.

    US President Bush signs into law compensation for Vietnam veterans who were exposed to the defoliant Agent Orange.  No compensation is included for Vietnamese exposed to Agent Orange.

    7 February 1991 The Provisional Irish Republican Army fires three mortar shells at 10 Downing St. during a cabinet meeting.  No serious injuries are reported.

    Jean-Bertrand Aristide is sworn in as the democratically elected President of Haiti.

    Concerto for piano and orchestra by Richard Wernick (57) is performed for the first time, at the Kennedy Center, Washington.

    8 February 1991 Spring Music for piano trio by Ned Rorem (67) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall for the one hundredth anniversary of the hall.

    9 February 1991 The Mihama Nuclear Power Plant, 320 km west of Tokyo, operated by Kansai Electric Power Company, releases radioactive water into the environment.

    A non-binding referendum in Lithuania votes 90.4% for independence.

    13 February 1991 United States fighter-bombers destroy a structure in a Baghdad residential neighborhood being used as a bomb shelter.  Over 400 civilians are killed.

    Warring factions in Liberia sign a cease-fire agreement in Lomé, Togo and agree to form a provisional government.

    14 February 1991 Song of the Enchanter for orchestra by Thea Musgrave (62) is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    David’s Fascinating Rhythm Method for orchestra by John Harbison (52) is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.

    15 February 1991 Iraq offers to withdraw from Kuwait in return for a complete withdrawal of allied forces, an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan, and Lebanon, and the cancellation of all Iraqi debt and war reparations.  The United States and its allies reject the offer.

    16 February 1991 A car bomb explodes outside the Macarena bullring in Medellín, Colombia.  At least 22 people are killed and 176 injured.  It comes a few hours after the surrender of drug cartel leader Juan David Ochoa Vásquez to authorities.

    Kalt, an octet for oboe, english horn, trombone, viola, cello, double bass, piano, and percussion by Wolfgang Rihm (38), is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    18 February 1991 Soviet President Gorbachev proposes a peace formula for the Persian Gulf War.  Provisional Irish Republican Army bombs explode in London at Victoria Station and Paddington Station.  One person is killed, 40 wounded.

    700 students and faculty begin a hunger strike at Enver Hoxha University, Tirana in support of their demands.

    The Hidden Treasure for string quartet by John Tavener (47) is performed for the first time, in Walter Moberly Hall, Keele.

    19 February 1991 Russian President Boris Yeltsin calls on Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to resign.

    US President Bush rejects the Soviet peace proposal of yesterday.

    Sinfonietta II for orchestra by George Perle (75) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    20 February 1991 5,000 students and workers protest in Tirana at the beginning of a general strike.  Albanian President Ramiz Alia sacks the government of Prime Minister Adil Çarçani.

    The Slovenian Parliament votes that it has superiority over federal laws.  It takes over Slovenian banking and defense and adopts a new constitution.

    21 February 1991 The Croatian Parliament votes that it has superiority over federal laws.

    Soviet President Gorbachev telephones US President Bush and tells him that Iraq has agreed to withdraw from Kuwait.

    Dame Margot Fonteyn dies in Panama City at the age of 71.

    Umfassung for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (38) is performed for the first time, in Milan.  It was composed in memory of Luigi Nono (†0).

    Shog for orchestra by Jacob Druckman (62) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris.

    22 February 1991 President Bush announces the following ultimatum:  1.  Iraq must begin its withdrawal from Kuwait by noon (Washington time) on 23 February, 2.  Iraqi troops must evacuate Kuwait City within 48 hours, 3.  Iraq must complete its withdrawal from Kuwait within seven days, 4.  Iraq must free all POWs and other hostages within 48 hours, 5.  Iraq must remove all explosives and booby traps from Kuwait,  6.  Allied aircraft must be given control of Iraqi airspace.  If the first requirement is not met, the ground offensive to retake Kuwait will begin.

    Iraq begins the wholesale destruction of Kuwait’s oil industry.

    Fatos Thamas Nano replaces Adil Çarçani as Prime Minister of Albania.  He heads an entirely communist government which is to remain in power until national elections next month.

    23 February 1991 Eight hours before the deadline, the USSR and Iraq present an adjusted six-point plan for peace.

    Do you Hear us Luigi? for six percussionists by Sofia Gubaidulina (59) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.  It is in honor of Luigi Nono (†0).

    24 February 1991 04:00  200,000 allied (United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, France, Syria, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman) troops assault Iraqi positions on a 500 km front going west from the Persian Gulf.  The advance is hampered by smoke from 600 Kuwaiti oil wells set alight by the Iraqis.  Arab forces move swiftly up the coast.  United States troops move into the elbow and armpit of Kuwait.  French and US forces move across the Iraqi border toward As Salman.  Other French and US troops engage in combined air-land action moving towards the Euphrates.  To their right, allied (United Kingdom-United States-Egypt-Saudi Arabia-Syria) forces attack through the day into southeastern Iraq and western Kuwait.  By nightfall, United States troops reach the outskirts of al-Jaber military airport 30 km inside Kuwait.  At night, Iraqi troops begin to evacuate Kuwait.

    25 February 1991 An Iraqi Scud missile hits a barracks in Dhahran, killing 28 and wounding 89, all United States military personnel.

    French forces take As Salman.

    Iraqi and United States forces engage in a furious fight near Kuwait International Airport.  60 Iraqi tanks are destroyed.

    The last two Iraqi Scuds are fired at Israel.  The last one is filled with concrete--a dud.

    Foreign and Defense ministers of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the USSR sign an agreement in Budapest to end the Warsaw Pact.

    26 February 1991 In elections held today, Khaleda Zia is chosen as President of Bangladesh.

    As Iraqi troops finish their evacuation of Kuwait City, the Kuwaiti resistance takes control of the city.

    The battle at Kuwait International Airport continues.  All 100 Iraqi tanks are destroyed.

    United States troops reach the main highway between Basra and Kuwait City.  Others take up strong positions on the Euphrates River cutting off the Iraqi retreat.

    Allied planes bomb and strafe an enormous column of Iraqis fleeing north.

    At the European Particle Physics Laboratory in Geneva, Tim Berner-Lee demonstrates the first prototype web browser.

    27 February 1991 British troops cut the Basra-Kuwait highway north of the Americans.

    Allied military forces enter Kuwait City.

    In a letter to the Soviet Union, relayed to Washington, Iraq formally accepts all twelve UN Security Council Resolutions.

    A two-day tank battle, the largest since World War II, begins in northern Kuwait.  US forces inflict high Iraqi casualties.

    President Bush announces that all offensive military operations will cease at midnight (Washington time).

    28 February 1991 Iraq announces a cease-fire.

    The Serbian National Council votes in Knin to declare the independence of Serbs in Croatia.

    Songs of Life, a cycle for soprano, cello, and piano by Ralph Shapey (69) to words of various authors, is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    Symphony no.3 by John Harbison (52) is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.

    1 March 1991 200,000 miners go on strike in Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.

    Revolts are underway by Kurds in the north and Shias in the south to overthrow the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein.

    2 March 1991 140 Iraqi tanks and other vehicles stumble into United States forces and begin shooting.  US counterattacks destroy 60 tanks and capture the other 80.

    The UN Security Council approves terms for ending hostilities in the Persian Gulf.

    Croatian paramilitaries battle Serbs in the majority-Serb town of Pakrac and take control of the town from separatists.

    3 March 1991 A formal cease-fire is arranged by Iraqi and Allied commanders at Safwan, an Iraqi air base eight km north of the Kuwait border.

    Kuwaiti soldiers and resistance fighters move into Palestinian neighborhoods to wreak vengeance on them for their support of the occupation of Kuwait by Iraq.

    In non-binding referenda, about two-thirds of voters in Estonia and Latvia choose secession from the USSR.

    4 March 1991 An exodus of about 24,000 Albanians seeking asylum begins to Italy.

    Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Salim Al Sabah returns to his country.

    President Patricio Aylwin of Chile releases a report detailing the kidnapping, torture, and murder of over 2,000 people during the 17-year rule of the US backed dictator Augusto Pinochet.

    5 March 1991 Shia Moslems revolt in southern Iraq.  Fighting erupts in Basra.

    Iraq voids its annexation of Kuwait.

    6 March 1991 Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar of India resigns after the Congress (I) Party withdraws its support.

    Hymn to the Word of God for chorus by Peter Maxwell Davies (56) is performed for the first time, at King’s College, Cambridge.

    7 March 1991 Anand Panyarachun replaces Sunthorn Kongsompong as Prime Minister of Thailand.

    Allied troops begin evacuating Saudi Arabia.

    The Parliament of Slovenia forbids the conscription of its citizens into the Yugoslav army.

    Rincones de España for guitar and orchestra by Joaquín Rodrigo (89) is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Center, New York.

    Violet’s Invention for piano by Larry Austin (60) is performed for the first time.  It was written for his piano teacher Violet Archer in her 75th year.

    Andante tranquillo for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano by George Perle (75) is performed for the first time, in New York.  The name will be changed to Night Song.

    Mirage for flute/amplified alto flute/piccolo, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by Shulamit Ran (41) is performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street Y, New York.

    9 March 1991 Demonstrations in Belgrade against President Milosevic result in two deaths and 80 injuries when troops and tanks move in on the crowd.  The crowd responds by breaking every window in the Serbian Presidency.

    10 March 1991 About 1,000 students break through police and encamp outside Hotel Moskva in Belgrade to protest the Milosevic regime.

    11 March 1991 Sofia Gubaidulina (59) returns to Germany from Canada and takes up residence at the Worpswede artist colony.  She will live here for over three months and compose Aus dem Stundenbuch inspired by Buch vom mönchischen Leben by Rainer Maria Rilke.

    13 March 1991 Kurdish rebels in Iraq claim that they control Sulaymaniyah and Erbil Provinces.

    Exxon Corporation signs a plea bargain in the Exxon Valdez case.  They agree to pay a criminal fine of $100,000,000 and a civil penalty of $900,000,000 to rehabilitate the Alaskan coast.  Exxon pleads guilty to one count of killing migratory birds.  Exxon Shipping Company accepts the charge of negligent discharge of pollutants and killing wildlife.

    14 March 1991 Emir Sheikh Jabir III Al Ahmad Al Jabir Al Sabah of Kuwait returns home.

    Slovaks attack President Havel’s motorcade and jeer his speech calling for the unity of the country.

    Six Irishmen convicted of two bombings in Birmingham in 1974 are freed after their confessions and other evidence against them are discredited.

    A Court of Appeal in London frees six men convicted in 1975 of IRA bombings in Birmingham that killed 21 people.  All have served 16 years of life sentences.  Evidence shows that their confessions came after beatings by the police.

    A California grand jury indicts four Los Angeles police officers in the beating of Rodney King, a black motorist.  The beating was videotaped by an eyewitness.

    Caroline Mathilde, a ballet by Peter Maxwell Davies (56) to a scenario by Flindt, is performed for the first time, in the Kongelige Theater, Copenhagen.  See 12 July 1991.

    Trois études en duo for a pianist by Jean-Claude Risset (53) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    15 March 1991 Albania and the United States resume diplomatic relations after 52 years.

    Federal President Borisav Jovic of Yugoslavia resigns when he can not get the presidency to move against demonstrators in Belgrade.

    General Merrill McPeak, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, announces that 70% of the tonnage dropped on Iraq during the Gulf War missed its target.  In spite of the daily films of “smart” bombs making precision attacks on specific targets, McPeak admits that 93% of all bombs dropped on Iraq and Kuwait were “dumb” bombs.

    The fifth piece from ...in real time op.50 for piano by Alexander Goehr (57) is performed for the first time, at Harewood House, Leeds.

    16 March 1991 Serbs in Croatia create the Serbian Autonomous Region of Krajina.

    President Milosevic of Serbia announces that he will no longer recognize the federal government, effectively separating Serbia from Yugoslavia.

    17 March 1991 The Albanian government frees 433 political prisoners.

    76% of Soviet voters approve the continuation of the USSR.

    Voters in Finland reject the ruling left-right coalition.  The Center Party gains 15 seats and becomes the largest party in Parliament, surpassing the Social Democrats.

    Piano Sonata no.1 by Henryk Górecki (57) is performed completely for the first time, in Helsinki.  See 28 July 1984.

    18 March 1991 Serbian President Milosevic ends the autonomy of Vojvodina and Kosovo, but demands the retention of three seats in the presidency.  He outlaws the use of Albanian in public documents and begins replacing Albanian officials with Serbs in Kosovo.

    19 March 1991 Karl Otto Poehl, President of the Bundesbank, calls the monetary union between East and West Germany in 1990 a “disaster.”

    The Death of Klinghoffer, an opera by John Adams (44) to words of Goodman, is performed for the first time, at Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels.  The work proves controversial due to its anti-Israel sentiments.

    E.A., petite suite variée for trumpet and vibraphone by Betsy Jolas (64) is performed for the first time, at Opéra Bastille, Paris.

    20 March 1991 Khaleda Zia becomes Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

    The Yugoslav assembly refuses to accept the resignation of President Borisav Jovic, tendered 15 March, and he returns to his post.

    21 March 1991 The Yugoslav Federal Presidency meets at an army barracks under the watchful eye of the Yugoslav army.  Serbia tries to get them to declare a state of emergency and give the Yugoslav army a free hand to deal with the Belgrade protesters and Croatian paramilitaries.  The members are not intimidated.

    22 March 1991 The UN ends a food embargo against Iraq.

    24 March 1991 In the first democratic presidential elections in Benin in 30 years, Prime Minister Nicephore Soglo defeats incumbent Mathieu Kerekou.

    25 March 1991 President Milosevic of Serbia and President Tudjman of Croatia meet in Karadordevo and agree not to interfere as each deals with its minorities.

    16 former members of the Romanian Politburo are sentenced by a military court in Bucharest.  They were convicted for abetting genocide.

    26 March 1991 The government of Angola allows for a multi-party democracy.

    The Bush administration announces that US forces will not assist Iraqis attempting to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

    I Will Breathe a Mountain, a cycle for medium voice and piano by William Bolcom (52) to various American women poets, is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    27 March 1991 Soviet coal miners begin a nationwide strike to demand the resignation of the entire government.

    28 March 1991 100,000 supporters of Russian President Yeltsin march in Moscow in defiance of a ban on demonstrations announced by Soviet President Gorbachev.

    Personae for violin, chamber ensemble, and electronic sound generators by Roger Reynolds (56) is performed for the first time, in Kathryn Bache Miller Theatre, New York.

    29 March 1991 The five-party coalition government of Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti collapses in disagreement amongst themselves.

    Of Rage and Remembrance for mezzo-soprano, boy soprano, chorus, percussion, eight cellos, and four double basses by John Corigliano (53) to words of Hoffman is performed for the first time, in Seattle.

    30 March 1991 Iraqi forces retake Kirkuk from the Kurds.

    31 March 1991 Afghan rebels capture Khost from the government after two weeks of fighting.

    Kurds begin fleeing into the northern mountains in the face of advancing Iraqi troops.

    Voters in Georgia approve secession from the USSR.

    There is a 95% turnout in the first free elections in Albania since World War II.  In rural areas, communists use terror and intimidation on voters.

    Croatian police arrive at Plitvice National Park in an attempt to retake it from armed Serbs.  They are ambushed and a 15-minute firefight ensues.  One combatant on each side is killed, the first fatalities in the dissolution of Yugoslavia.  The battle leads to the recognition by Serbia of the Serbian Autonomous Province of Krajina in Croatia.

    The military structures of the Warsaw Pact are formally dissolved in Moscow.

    1 April 1991 Kurds fleeing the Iraqi army appeal to the US, UK, and France for aid.

    Subsidies on most food items are lifted in Romania.

    The Yugoslav Federal Presidency calls out the federal army in an attempt to diffuse the ethnic tension in Croatia.  They occupy bridges, public buildings, and intersections.

    Martha Graham dies in New York at the age of 96.

    2 April 1991 Results of the first round of voting in Albania are announced.  Communists have won 162 of the 250 seats at stake.  Protests ensue in several cities.  The Communist Party headquarters are set afire.  Four people are killed, 30 wounded when security forces fire on demonstrators.

    France and Turkey call on the UN Security Council to intervene to save the Kurds in Iraq.

    As scheduled removal of price controls goes into effect in the Soviet Union, prices rise from two to ten times on many goods and services.

    Rita Johnston becomes Premier of British Columbia, the first woman to hold the post of premier of a Canadian province.

    3 April 1991 The UN Security Council approves a permanent cease-fire in the Persian Gulf War.  Iraq is required to destroy all chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, renounce terrorism, pay billions of dollars in reparations to Kuwait, and accept the 1963 borders with Kuwait.  The embargo on food to Iraq is immediately lifted.

    A week-long Kurdish revolt in northern Iraq collapses and thousands of Kurds flee into Iran and Turkey.  US President Bush says “I feel frustrated any time innocent civilians are being slaughtered,” but he refuses to intervene on their behalf.

    4 April 1991 Tens of thousands of people demonstrate in Minsk against price rises.

    The US Environmental Protection Agency announces that the ozone layer is shrinking twice as fast as previously estimated.

    5 April 1991 President Bush orders an airlift of humanitarian supplies to freezing and starving Kurds in northern Iraq.

    The Congress of Peoples Deputies of Russia votes to give President Boris Yeltsin emergency powers to deal with the economic crisis.

    6 April 1991 Iraq formally accepts the cease-fire terms of 3 April.

    14 people are killed and over 100 injured in armed conflict in Sarajevo and throughout Bosnia.

    Der verwunschene Wald for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (64) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt.

    One5 by John Cage (78) is performed for the first time, in First Unitarian Meeting House, Madison, Wisconsin.

    7 April 1991 Allied planes begin dropping food and medical supplies to fleeing Kurds in northern Iraq.

    Iran closes its borders to Kurdish refugees.

    A Serb assembly meets in Banja Luka and declares the independent Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Hercegovina.

    8 April 1991 US troops begin to withdraw from Iraq.

    9 April 1991 The Parliament of Georgia declares independence from the Soviet Union under President Zviad Gamsakhurdia and Prime Minister Tengiz Ipolitovich Sigua.

    The UNHCR estimates that 750,000 Iraqi Kurds have crossed into Iran, 280,000 have gone to Turkey and 300,000 are on the Turkish border waiting to cross.

    The UN Security Council approves 1,440 peacekeeping troops to be stationed on the Iraq-Kuwait border.

    Soviet military forces begin to withdraw from Poland.

    Shulamit Ran (41) is awarded the Pulitzer Prize in music for her Symphony. See 19 October 1990.

    11 April 1991 Byzantium for solo voices and orchestra by Michael Tippett (86) to words of Yeats, is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Chicago.

    12 April 1991 Price and other controls are eased in the USSR

    13 April 1991 The US military begins to provide relief to Kurdish refugees along the Iraq-Turkey border.

    John Tavener (47) undergoes surgery in London to repair a leaky aorta.  The operation is successful but while in intensive care after the surgery he begins to bleed again and is rushed back into the operating room.  Surgeons open him up again.  With his surgeon relaying advice from a car phone, the bleeding is stopped and he is once again wheeled into intensive care for recovery.

    14 April 1991 A final round of voting in the Albanian elections leaves the final count:  Communists 169, Democratic Party 75, Omonoia 5, Veterans Committee 1.

    Marching to a Different Song for soprano and chamber ensemble by Jonathan Lloyd (42) to his own words is performed for the first time, in Bracknell, Great Britain.

    Frederick Douglass, an opera by Ulysses Kay (74) to words of Dorr, is performed for the first time, in Newark Symphony Hall, New Jersey.

    15 April 1991 The opening session of the new Albanian Parliament is boycotted by the Democratic Party.

    The European Community ends its economic sanctions on South Africa.

    The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development begins operations in London.

    16 April 1991 President Bush announces that the United States, United Kingdom, and France will set up and operate refugee camps for Kurds in northern Iraq.

    A stock exchange opens in Warsaw.

    David Lean dies in London at the age of 83.

    17 April 1991 US, British, and French troops move in to northern Iraq to secure a “safe zone” for Kurdish refugees and set up camps for them.

    Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti presents a new four-party coalition to Parliament.

    18 April 1991 Europera V by John Cage (78) is performed for the first time, at SUNY Buffalo.

    19 April 1991 Six Greeks and an Arab terrorist are killed in Patras when a bomb, intended for the British consulate, explodes prematurely.

    Piano Study no.16 by Charles Ives (†36) is performed for the first time, at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.

    Broadside:  Ceremonial for Winds by William Bolcom (52) is performed for the first time.

    Soli for percussion duo by Ralph Shapey (70) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    20 April 1991 Kuwait announces a new cabinet dominated by the al-Sabah family.

    String Quartet no.4 by Richard Wernick (57) is performed for the first time, in the Port of History Museum, Philadelphia.

    Everyone Sang for double chorus by Dominick Argento (63) to words of Sassoon is performed for the first time, in Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh.

    21 April 1991 Allied forces begin to construct refugee camps in northern Iraq.

    Iraqi forces begin to withdraw from the northern part of the country.

    23 April 1991 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and leaders of nine of the Soviet Union’s 15 republics sign an agreement to work together to solve the country’s economic and political crisis.

    24 April 1991 The first of the UN truce monitors arrive in Safwan, Iraq.

    The plea bargain of 13 March is rejected by a United States district judge because it does not adequately punish Exxon for its crimes in Alaska.

    The University of Louisville announces that John Corigliano (53) wins the Grawemeyer Award for his Symphony no.1.  The award brings $150,000.

    25 April 1991 The World Health Organization reports that 1,229 people have died of cholera in South America.

    26 April 1991 The UN estimates that Kurdish refugees are dying in Iraq at the rate of 4,000 per day.  Many Kurds begin returning home after Iraqi paramilitaries leave Zakho.

    Esko Tapani Aho of the Center Party replaces Harri Hermanni Holkeri as Prime Minister of Finland at the head of a new four-party coalition.

    Several of the most important sectarian militias in Lebanon begin to disarm in accordance with an order from President Hrawi.  The Palestine Liberation Organization refuses to disarm.

    27 April 1991 Tetora for string quartet by Iannis Xenakis (68) is performed for the first time, in Witten.

    28 April 1991 Polizeiruf110-Der Riß, a film with music by Laurie Anderson (43), is released in Germany.

    The cantata Llama de amor vita for baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Gian Carlo Menotti (79) after St. John of the Cross is performed for the first time, at Catholic University, Washington.

    29 April 1991 A cyclone hits Bangladesh killing around 150,000 people.  Millions are left homeless.

    With United States assurances of their safety, Kurdish refugees begin returning to the area of Zakho, Iraq.

    An interim constitution goes into effect in Albania.  The name of the country is changed to the Republic of Albania.

    Prime Minister Michel Rocard of France formally apologizes for the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland in 1985.

    30 April 1991 David Oddsson replaces Steingrimur Hermannsson as Prime Minister of Iceland.

    Concerto for bass trombone, strings, timpani, and cymbals by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich is performed for the first time, in Chicago on the composer’s 52nd birthday.

    1 May 1991 Russian President Boris Yeltsin signs a decree to bring the republic’s coal industry entirely under Russian control.

    Four Croat policemen drive into Borovo Selo, a Serb village in Slavonia, and attempt to remove a Yugoslav flag.  They are met with a hail of Serb bullets.  Two are wounded and captured, two escape.

    The government of Angola and UNITA rebels initial a cease-fire agreement in Estoril, Portugal.

    2 May 1991 Croatian policemen return to Borovo Selo in an attempt to rescue the policemen wounded yesterday.  Serb militia are waiting in force.  Twelve Croatian police are killed and 20 wounded in the ambush.  This spreads fear throughout Croatia that Serbs in their midst can not be tolerated.

    Concerto grosso no.5 for violin, orchestra, and off-stage piano by Alfred Schnittke (56) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    3 May 1991 The Yugoslav army surrounds Borovo Selo.

    Demonstrations against Serbia in Split and Zadar dissolve into rioting.

    The Swiss Federal Banking Commission announces that secret bank accounts will be phased out.

    John Tavener (47) returns to his home in Wembley Park after an operation to repair a leaking aorta.

    4 May 1991 The Yugsolav federal presidency authorizes the federal army to separate Croats and Serbs in Slavonia.

    The remains of József Cardinal Mindszenty are reburied in Esztergom, the center of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary.  Mindszenty died in exile in Austria in 1975.

    Festive Chant for violin, piano, chorus, and orchestra by Alfred Schnittke (56) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    5 May 1991 United States forces move south from Turkey into Iraq to create a safe zone around Dahok for Kurdish refugees.

    Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman no.3 for brass by Joan Tower (52) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York as part of a gala concert celebrating the 100th anniversary of the hall.

    6 May 1991 The Yugoslav military goes into combat alert.  Colonel General Veljko Kadijevic tells the collective presidency that “Yugoslavia has entered a state of civil war.”

    A UN peacekeeping force takes up positions in a demilitarized zone along the Iraq-Kuwait border.

    NCR Corp. agrees to be taken over by American Telephone & Telegraph Co. in a transaction worth $7,480,000,000.

    7 May 1991 Allied forces begin a three-day withdrawal into Kuwait, thus ending the occupation of southern Iraq.

    The Yugoslav military begins calling up reserves.

    8 May 1991 Rudolf Serkin dies in Guilford, Vermont at the age of 88.

    9 May 1991 Coalition forces complete their withdrawal from southern Iraq.

    Opus 1.991 for orchestra by Mauricio Kagel (59) is performed for the first time, in the Kongreßhalle, Saarbrücken directed by the composer.

    12 May 1991 The first multiparty elections for over 30 years take place in Nepal.

    14 May 1991 Jiang Qing, widow of Mao Zedong, kills herself, reportedly by hanging herself in her home near Beijing.

    Trio “Les Heures” for string trio by Betsy Jolas (64) is performed for the first time, in Salle Gaveau, Paris.

    Eight for winds by John Cage (78) is performed for the first time, outside the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

    15 May 1991 A nationwide strike goes into effect in Albania.  Half of the nation’s workers are off the job, demanding 50% wage increases, better working conditions, and the resignation of the government.

    The government of Yugoslavia is destabilized when the federal presidency can not agree on a new president.  Four members of the committee refuse to allow Croatian Stipe Mesic to accede to the post.

    Edith Cresson is named the new Prime Minister of France, the first woman to hold that position.  She replaces Michel Rocard.

    16 May 1991 Concerto for orchestra by Joan Tower (52) is performed for the first time, in Powell Hall, St. Louis.

    17 May 1991 For a second time, the Yugoslav presidency council refuses to name Stipe Mesic as president.  Representatives of Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia walk out.

    The Wayward Barstow:  Eight Hitchhiker Inscriptions from a Highway Railing at Barstow, California by Harry Partch (†16) is given its first fully staged production on Partch’s original instruments, in New York.

    18 May 1991 Helen Sharman becomes the first citizen of the United Kingdom to be launched into space.  She is aboard a Soviet Soyuz space capsule.

    19 May 1991 90% of Croatian voters approve a sovereign state within a loose Yugoslav confederation.

    20 May 1991 Poland allows its currency to be convertible.

    The Supreme Soviet of the USSR abolishes all travel restrictions.

    Stipe Mesic unilaterally declares himself President of Yugoslavia.

    21 May 1991 While campaigning in a general election, former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi is murdered by a suicide bomber in Sri Perumbudur, Tamil Nadu.  16 others are killed.

    Willi Stoph and other high-ranking East German officials are arrested and charged in the deaths of people who attempted to flee East Germany to the west.

    Rebel forces capture Addis Ababa.  Ethiopian President Mengistu Haile Mariam resigns and leaves the country.  Lt. General Tesfaye Gebre-Kidan is named President.

    22 May 1991 The second and third rounds of voting in India’s national election are postponed until June because of the murder of Rajiv Gandhi.

    The Albanian government resigns as a result of the nationwide strike begun 15 May.  A new caretaker government is equally divided between Communists and opposition.

    One6 for violin by John Cage (78) is performed for the first time, at the University of California at San Diego.

    24 May 1991 The Israeli government secretly transports over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.  It takes them 36 hours and 34 planes.

    26 May 1991 Separatist Zviad Gamsakhurdia is elected President of the Soviet republic of Georgia.

    27 May 1991 A cease-fire goes into effect in Ethiopia.  The government abdicates power.  Rebels are invited into the capital by the United States in an attempt to restore order.  The Peoples Democratic Republic of Ethiopia ceases to exist.

    28 May 1991 Ethiopian rebels take control of Addis Ababa.  Meles Zinawi replaces Lt. General Tesfaye Gebre-Kidan as President.

    30 May 1991 The Croatian parliament authorizes independence if a new confederation agreement for Yugoslavia can not be negotiated by 30 June.

    Gawain, an opera by Harrison Birtwistle (56) to words of Harsent, is performed for the first time, in Covent Garden, London.

    31 May 1991 The government of Angola and UNITA rebels sign a cease-fire in Lisbon.

    1 June 1991 Ojai Festival Overture by Peter Maxwell Davies (56), commissioned for the Ojai Music Festival, is performed for the first time, in Libby Park Bowl, Ojai, California directed by the composer.

    2 June 1991 Ave Verum Corpus for chorus and strings by John Harbison (52) is performed for the first time, in Ojai, California.  See 3 January 1991.

    4 June 1991 The communist government of Albania resigns.

    An ammunition dump in Addis Ababa blows up killing at least 100 people.  The new government claims it is sabotage.

    In the garden of his Wembley Park home, John Tavener (47) becomes engaged to Maryanna Schaefer.

    5 June 1991 Ylli Bufi is named to head a caretaker government in Albania.  Half of the cabinet members are from the opposition.

    All South African laws about property ownership based on race are repealed.

    6 June 1991 Timirat Laynie becomes Prime Minister of Ethiopia.

    Stan Getz dies in Malibu, California at the age of 64.

    Ikon of the Trinity for soprano, bass, and chorus by John Tavener (47) is performed for the first time, in St. John’s Smith Square, London.

    8 June 1991 Samuel Adler (63) marries Emily Freeman Brown, his second wife.

    9 June 1991 King Hussein and members of various political factions in Jordan sign a new national charter in Amman legalizing political parties.

    Italian voters overwhelmingly approve a major change in the electoral system designed to prevent fraud and patronage.

    Claudio Arrau dies in Muerzzuschlag, Austria at the age of 88.

    Inscriptions for violin by Shulamit Ran (41) is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Chicago.

    String Quartet no.3 by Ned Rorem (67) is performed for the first time, for the 50th season of the June Festival of Albuquerque.

    12 June 1991 Major eruptions take place on Mt. Pinatubo, 90 km northwest of Manila.  They continue into tomorrow.

    The Albanian Peoples Assembly confirms the government of Prime Minister Ylli Bufi who promises economic and land liberalization.  It is the first non-communist Albanian government since World War II.  The Communist Party changes its name to the Albanian Socialist Party.

    The Greek government expels six PLO officials and 20 other Arabs for their part in the attempted bombing of 19 April.

    The first free presidential elections in Russia are won by Boris Yeltsin.

    14 June 1991 Former US assistant Secretary of the Navy Melvyn Paisley is convicted of conspiracy, bribery, and conversion of government property in the military procurement scandal.  He is sentenced to four years in prison and fined $50,000.

    Christ’s Nativity, a suite for solo voices and chorus by Benjamin Britten (†14) to words from various sources, is performed completely for the first time, in St. Edmund’s Church, Southwold, 60 years after it was composed.  See 24 June 1955.

    15 June 1991 On election day, terrorists fire on two passenger trains in Punjab.  76 people are killed.

    With the last day of voting, elections for the Indian Lok Sabha once again end in a hung Parliament.  The Congress Party wins the most seats with 244 of 534.

    Thunder Entered Her for chorus, male chorus, and organ by John Tavener (47) to words of St. Ephraim the Syrian (tr. Brock) is performed for the first time, in St. Alban’s Abbey.

    16 June 1991 Viola Zombie for two violas by Michael Daugherty (37) is performed for the first time, in Ithaca, New York.

    17 June 1991 The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act, the key law in the apartheid system.

    Gunther Schuller (65) wins a “genius grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

    The Red Cockatoo for voice and piano by Benjamin Britten (†14) to words of Waley after Bai Juyi, is performed for the first time, at Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh, 53 years after it was composed.

    19 June 1991 The last Soviet troops leave Hungary.

    Leading drug lord Pablo Escobar Gaviria surrenders to Colombian authorities.

    Four Poems by Jaan Kaplinski for soprano and 13 players by Harrison Birtwistle (56) is performed for the first time, at Snape Maltings.

    20 June 1991 The German Bundestag votes 337-320 to move the capital from Bonn to Berlin.

    Four3 by John Cage (78) is performed for the first time, in Theater 11, Zürich.

    21 June 1991 PV Narasimha Rao of the Congress Party replaces Chandra Shekhar as Prime Minister of India.

    The last Soviet troops leave Czechoslovakia.

    Incidental music to two plays by Mackay Brown by Peter Maxwell Davies (56) are performed for the first time, in the Arts Theatre, Kirkwall:  The Road to Colonnus and Witch.

    23 June 1991 A meeting of European Community foreign ministers agrees not to recognize unilateral declarations of independence in Yugoslavia.

    24 June 1991 Ahmet Mesut Yilmaz replaces Yildirim Akbulut as Prime Minister of Turkey.

    Meditation on the Light for counter tenor, guitar, and handbells by John Tavener (47) is performed for the first time, at Spitalfields.

    25 June 1991 Czechoslovakia and the USSR sign an agreement formally ending the Soviet occupation.

    Croatia and Slovenia vote to declare independence from Yugoslavia.  In Slovenia, all symbols of the Federal Republic are replaced by symbols of Slovenia.  They also place border posts along the border with Croatia.  The federal army secures the international borders of Slovenia.

    The Yugoslav Federal Parliament votes not to recognize the independence of Slovenia.

    The Spider’s Revenge, a music theatre by Peter Maxwell Davies (56), is performed for the first time, in the Orkney Arts Theatre, Kirkwall.

    26 June 1991 Books III and IV of the Freeman Etudes for violin by John Cage (78) are performed for the first time, in Zürich.  See 24 April 1978.

    Elegy:  Snow in June for cello and four percussionists by Tan Dun (33) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Space, New York.

    27 June 1991 Do Muoi replaces Nguyen Van Linh as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

    The federal Yugoslav army moves in force into Slovenia capturing Ljubljana airport and moving into Serbian Croatia.  They are hampered by makeshift roadblocks set up by Slovenians.  Slovene leaders order their territorial militia to resist.  They surround federal army bases, cutting electricity and water, and shoot down a federal helicopter over Ljubljana.  Two people are killed.

    A privatization program is announced by the Polish government making every citizen a shareholder in state-owned industries.

    28 June 1991 Iraqi soldiers prevent UN inspectors from inspecting a nuclear weapons facility at Fallujah.

    The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) is officially dissolved.

    A European Community delegation arrives in Belgrade to try to diffuse the crisis.  They later meet in Zagreb with Croatian and Slovenian leaders.

    29 June 1991 Soviet troops complete their withdrawal from Czechoslovakia.

    The European Community delegation leaves Yugoslavia believing they have secured a cease-fire.  Croatia and Slovenia agree to suspend their declarations of independence in return for the pullback of federal troops.  Stipe Mesic, a Croatian, will become federal president.

    Restless Night for woodwind quintet by Jonathan Lloyd (42) is performed for the first time, in Christchurch Priory, Bournemouth.

    The first two of the Three Two-Part Studies for piano by Conlon Nancarrow (78) is performed for the first time, in Cologne, over 50 years after they were composed.

    30 June 1991 Serbia removes its support for Yugoslav army actions in Slovenia.

    Reflets for speaker and 14 instruments by Jean-Claude Risset (53) is performed for the first time, in Chartres.

    1 July 1991 The Warsaw Pact is officially dissolved in a ceremony in Prague.

    The Supreme Soviet of the USSR allows the sale of state-owned enterprises to individuals.

    After a month and a half of wrangling, Croatian Stipe Mesic is elected President of Yugoslavia.  The Yugoslav army begins to call up reservists.

    Delegates from across Ethiopia meet in Addis Ababa to decide the future of the country.

    2 July 1991 Hostilities resume in Slovenia.  The Yugoslav army attempts to break out of its positions in Slovenia, breaking the cease-fire.  They meet heavy resistance from Slovenians.  Reinforcements from Croatia are ambushed as soon as they cross the border.  Federal airstrikes force many Slovenians to flee.

    Yugoslav tanks open fire in Zagreb on Croatian civilians trying to stop tanks from going to Slovenia.

    Serbian parents storm Parliament in Belgrade demanding the return of their sons from Slovenia.

    A column of 180 tanks begins moving north from Belgrade.  It will stop in Croatia, the true goal of its commanders.

    Delegates in Addis Ababa approve a charter for Ethiopia which includes respect for human rights and elections within two years.

    The government of the Central African Republic announces plans to institute a multiparty democracy.

    Popular music entertainers Guns ‘n’ Roses induce a riot among about 3,000 of 15,400 attending their concert in Riverport Amphitheatre near St. Louis.  60 injuries are reported, 16 arrests, and $200,000 in damage to the building.

    3 July 1991 RU-486, which induces miscarriage, is approved for use in Great Britain.

    Delegates in Addis Ababa acknowledge the right of Eritrea to secede from Ethiopia.

    4 July 1991 A cease-fire commences in Slovenia.  The Federal Presidency orders Slovenia to hand over control of border crossings to the Yugoslav army and return to barracks.  The Slovenians do neither, but rather reinforce their positions.

    President Gaviria of Colombia lifts the state of siege imposed in 1984.

    Silouans Song for strings by Arvo Pärt (55) is performed for the first time, in Rättvik.

    5 July 1991 Banking regulators in seven countries take over the Bank of Credit and Commerce International because of alleged widespread fraud and support of drug operations.

    Lebanese government troops complete their capture of territory around Saida (Sidon) from the PLO.  This deprives the PLO of its primary base for terrorist attacks on Israel.  The PLO is forced to hand over their weapons.

    Delegates in Addis Ababa name an 87-member Council of Representatives to rule until elections.

    6 July 1991 Serb soldiers destroy the village of Celije, Slavonia and drive out the Croat population.

    Snow in June for Chinese orchestra by Tan Dun (33) is performed for the first time, in Hong Kong.

    Ubu Rex, an opera by Krzysztof Penderecki (57) to words of Jarocki and the composer after Jarry, is performed for the first time, in the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich.

    The Lagavulin of Riberac for piano by Peter Maxwell Davies (56) is performed for the first time, in London by the composer.

    7 July 1991 On the island of Brioni, European Community representatives negotiate an end to the fighting in Slovenia in return for a three month moratorium on the implementation of the Declaration of Independence.  Slovenia is granted control of border crossings, but all customs revenue goes to the Federal government.  The federal army is returned to barracks and Slovene forces are deactivated.

    Croats and Serbs battle near Tenja, Croatia until Yugoslav federal armor separates them.

    Lord, What is Man? op.77, a motet for chorus by Robin Holloway (47) to words of Crashaw, is performed for the first time, in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.

    9 July 1991 The International Olympic Committee ends its ban on South Africa imposed in 1970.

    10 July 1991 Boris Yeltsin is inaugurated as the first freely elected President of Russia in the Palace of Congresses in the Kremlin.

    The Slovenian Parliament agrees to the settlement of 7 July.

    The Carl Orff (†9) Museum opens in Rinkhof, Diessen on the 96th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

    The United States ends its sanctions on South Africa.

    12 July 1991 Caroline Mathilde:  Concert Suite from Act I of the Ballet by Peter Maxwell Davies  (55) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, Cheltenham conducted by the composer.  See 14 March 1991.

    13 July 1991 Madrigal, in memoriam Oleg Kagan for violin or cello by Alfred Schnittke (56) is performed for the first time, in Kreuth, Germany.

    14 July 1991 A new constitution takes effect in Bulgaria.  There is significant opposition to it from those who fear it favors the Socialists.

    String Quartet no.5 by Isang Yun (73) is performed for the first time, in Isselstein, Netherlands.

    Nangaloar for orchestra by Peter Sculthorpe (62) is performed for the first time, in Aspen, Colorado.

    15 July 1991 Allied forces complete their withdrawal from safe zones in northern Iraq.

    Chemical Banking Corp. and Manufacturers Hanover Corp. announce a trade of $2,300,000,000 in stock, creating the second largest bank in the US.

    16 July 1991 Robert Motherwell dies in Provincetown, Massachusetts at the age of 76.

    Converging on the Mountain for brass, percussion, and organ by William Bolcom (53) is performed for the first time, in Aspen, Colorado.

    18 July 1991 The Yugoslav Federal Presidency agrees that the federal army should be withdrawn from Slovenia within three months.  In the ten-day war, the Yugoslav army lost 44 killed, 187 wounded and thousands taken prisoner.  Slovenian casualties are very light.

    UN weapons inspectors report that Iraq’s uranium enrichment facilities were destroyed by allied bombing during the Gulf War.

    19 July 1991 After a long interview for a documentary film in Hamburg, Alfred Schnittke (56) suffers his second stroke.  An emergency operation is performed at a hospital in Eppendorf.  This stroke is not as serious as the first and affects only his ability to walk.  He will recover.

    Summer Lightning for orchestra by Jacob Druckman (63) is performed for the first time, at Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts.

    20 July 1991 Scrivo in Vento for flute by Elliott Carter (82) is performed for the first time, in Centre Acanthes, Avignon.

    21 July 1991 The Yugoslav army begins to withdraw from Slovenia.

    22 July 1991 Talks begin between the Yugoslav federal presidency and the leaders of the six constituent republics in Ohrid, Macedonia.  At the same time, Serbs battle Croats near Mirkovci, Croatia.  20 people are killed.

    Milwaukee police arrest Jeffrey Dahmer and charge him with 17 murders.

    25 July 1991 Isaac Bashevis Singer dies in Miami at the age of 87.

    Addressing a meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev urges members to leave behind the “outdated ideological dogma” of Lenin, Marx, and Engels.

    26 July 1991 Serbs murder ten Croatian policemen and 17 civilians in the Croatian villages of Struga and Kuljani.

    The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front drops its Marxist-Leninist ideology.

    The government of Mauritania legalizes opposition parties and freedom of the press.

    27 July 1991 Between Two Worlds for soprano, two pianos and two cellos by John Harbison (52) to words of Bly and Boehme is performed for the first time, in Highland Park, Illinois.

    28 July 1991 Zwei Konzertarien for tenor and small orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (65) to words by von Cramer, are performed for the first time, in Montepulciano.

    A local district attorney in New York announces twelve indictments against the Bank of Credit and Commerce International.

    30 July 1991 The Yugoslav air force attacks Kostajnica, Croatia.

    The Romanian Parliament approves giving every adult citizen shares in one-third of state-owned industries.

    31 July 1991 Gunmen attack a Lithuanian customs station.  Six people are killed.

    Soviet President Gorbachev and US President Bush sign the first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in Moscow.  Each side is limited to 6,000 nuclear warheads.

    2 August 1991 Three Lullabies op.49 for chorus by Henryk Górecki (57) is performed for the first time, in Lerchenborg, Denmark.

    3 August 1991 Franjo Greguric replaces Josip Manolic as Prime Minister of Croatia.

    5 August 1991 Turkish aircraft begin a week of raids against Kurds in northern Iraq.

    UN weapons inspectors report that Iraq admitted to developing biological weapons from 1986-1990.

    6 August 1991 Wind Quintet by Isang Yun (73) is performed for the first time, in Altenhof.

    7 August 1991 Not long after a cease-fire goes into effect, Serbs send mortar rounds into a village 50 km south of Zagreb.

    An Alice Symphony by David Del Tredici (54) is performed for the first time, at Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts.

    8 August 1991 18,000 Albanians arrive on ships at Bari, Italy.  Albania closes all its ports.

    British journalist John McCarthy is freed by Islamic Jihad in Lebanon.  He has been held since 1986.

    Former Prime Minister Shapur Bakhtiar of Iran is found stabbed to death in his home near Paris.  His assistant is also found dead.  Rival Iranians are suspected.

    Chantefleurs et Chantefables, a cycle for soprano and orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (78) to words of Desnos, is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London conducted by the composer.

    9 August 1991 Vo Van Kiet replaces Do Muoi as Prime Minister of Vietnam.

    10 August 1991 The Chinese government announces it will sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

    11 August 1991 American Edward Tracy is released by Shia terrorists in Lebanon.  He has been held since 1986.

    12 August 1991 In the largest bank merger to date, BankAmerica Corp. and Security Pacific Corp. announce a $4,470,000,000 stock swap.

    15 August 1991 The Security Council of the UN allows Iraq to sell $1,600,000,000 of oil to buy food and medicine.

    16 August 1991 Leading Soviet reformer Alyeksandr Yakovlev resigns from the Communist Party and warns of a hard-line coup.

    17 August 1991 Serbian forces take Okucani, Slavonia.

    18 August 1991 Murman Omanidze becomes acting Prime Minister of Georgia replacing Tengiz Ipolitovich Sigua.

    Italy completes the forced repatriation of the 18,000 Albanians who arrived on 8 August.

    Agents of the impending coup detain Soviet President Gorbachev, his family, and several aides at their dacha in the Crimea.

    19 August 1991 TASS announces that Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is ill and that an eight-man committee headed by Vice-President Gennadi Ivanovich Yanayev has taken power as the State Committee for the State of Emergency.  They suspend civil rights and ban opposition parties.  Hundreds of tanks enter Moscow and surround the Russian Parliament building.  Russian President Yeltsin, attempting to rally the opposition, manages to convince several tank crews to defect.  Citizens blockade streets around the Russian Parliament with cars and buses.  Martial law is declared in the Baltic republics.

    Armed Serbs issue an ultimatum to Croatian police at Kijevo, a Croat village near Knin in Serb Croatia.  They must leave within 48 hours.  The Croats refuse.

    20 August 1991 President Yeltsin of Russia calls for a general strike against the coup.  Thousands of citizens defy the new government.  150,000 rally in Moscow, 200,000 in St. Petersburg, 400,000 in Kishinev, Moldavia.

    Estonia declares its immediate independence from the Soviet Union under President Arnold Ruutel and Prime Minister Edgar Savisaar.

    The European Community freezes $1,000,000,000 in credit promised to the USSR to buy food.

    By nightfall, the Russian Parliament is defended by hundreds of paratroopers and thousands of citizens.  Armored vehicles supporting the coup attack.  Three defenders are killed but the attackers withdraw.

    21 August 1991 After battling civilians armed with Molotov cocktails, tanks and troops withdraw from Moscow and the Baltics.  Coup leaders fly to the Crimea to meet Gorbachev.  He is released from house arrest as the coup collapses.  The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet voids the decrees of the coup committee.

    Russian President Boris Yeltsin decrees that all public property in the republic belongs to Russia.

    Latvia declares its immediate independence from the Soviet Union under Chairman of the Supreme Council Anatolijs Gorbunovos and Chairman of the Council of Ministers Ivars Jodmanis.

    Lithuania reaffirms its independence from the Soviet Union.

    Serbian troops capture Baranja, Slavonia.

    22 August 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev returns to Moscow from the Crimea.  Boris Karlovich Pugo, one of the coup leaders, kills himself.  All other coup members are arrested.  Crowds take to the streets in Moscow and elsewhere to celebrate the collapse of the coup.  They attack the KGB building, toppling a statue of the founder.

    Croatian President Franjo Tudjman orders the Yugoslav army to leave Croatia or he will mobilize his forces.  Battles continue in Slavonia, especially Pakrac.

    Former US deputy assistant Secretary of the Air Force Victor Cohen is convicted of conspiracy and bribery in the military procurement scandal.  He is sentenced to 33 months in prison and fined $10,000.

    23 August 1991 27,000 Bulgarian miners go back to work after the government agrees to negotiate with them.

    Russian President Boris Yeltsin suspends publication of Pravda and five other Communist Party newspapers.

    24 August 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, disbands the Central Committee and places all party property in the hands of the Soviet Parliament.  Party activity is banned in the police, military, KGB, government, and state-owned enterprises.  He also removes the cabinet.

    100,000 people take part in a funeral for the three men killed defending the Russian Parliament.

    Marshal Sergey Akhromeyev, national security advisor to President Gorbachev, hangs himself.

    Ukraine declares its independence from the Soviet Union under President Leonid Makarovich Kravchuk and Prime Minister Vitold Pavlovich Fokin.

    The Yugoslav army and Serbian irregulars attack Vukovar, Croatia.

    25 August 1991 Byelorussia declares its independence from the Soviet Union, under President Stanislav Shushkevich.

    Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Argentina recognize the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

    The Yugoslav army, in concert with Serb paramilitaries, begins an offensive against Croatia.

    26 August 1991 Serb paramilitaries and the Yugoslav army, acting in unison, bombard and destroy the Croat village of Kijevo.

    Iceland recognizes the independence of Estonia and Latvia, having already recognized Lithuania.

    27 August 1991 Moldavia declares independence from the Soviet Union under President Mircea Ion Snegur and Prime Minister Veleriu Muravsky, and changes its name to Moldova.

    The European Community and Australia recognize the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

    The Croatian government calls on its citizens to take up arms against Serb rebels within its borders.

    Aus dem Stundenbuch for cello and orchestra, male chorus, and female speaker by Sofia Gubaidulina (59) to words of Rilke is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    28 August 1991 Thirteen participants in the Soviet coup are charged with high treason.

    29 August 1991 The Supreme Soviet of the USSR suspends all activities of the Communist Party pending an investigation of their part in the coup.

    30 August 1991 Azerbaijan declares its independence from the Soviet Union under President Ayaz Niyazi Mutalibov.

    31 August 1991 Uzbekistan declares its independence from the Soviet Union under President Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov.

    The Republic of Kyrgyzstan declares its independence from the Soviet Union under President Askar Akayevich Akayev and Prime Minister Nasirdin Isanov.

    2 September 1991 The Yugoslav collective presidency approves a European Community plan to end violence in the country.

    The United States recognizes the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

    4 September 1991 The Council for Security and Cooperation in Europe places an embargo on arms shipments to Yugoslavia.

    5 September 1991 The Soviet Congress of Peoples Deputies agrees to recognize declarations of independence by the republics and devolves most of its powers to them.  They approve a Gorbachev plan for a State Council to run the country while a new constitution and union treaty is written.

    Anatoly Lukyanov, Speaker of the Soviet Parliament, becomes the fourteenth person charged with treason.

    Das Brandenburger Tor, a singspiel by Giacomo Meyerbeer (†127) to words of Veith, is performed for the first time, in the Kammermusiksaal of the Berlin Schauspielhaus on the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth and 177 years after it was composed.

    6 September 1991 The State Council of the USSR recognizes the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

    The name of Leningrad is changed to St. Petersburg.

    Unisys Corp. pleads guilty to conspiracy, bribery, conversion of government property, overbilling the government, and filing false statements in the US military procurement scandal.  They agree to pay $190,000,000.

    7 September 1991 Peace talks for Yugoslavia, sponsored by the European Community, open in The Hague.  The session is acrimonious.

    8 September 1991 In a referendum, Macedonian voters choose independence from Yugoslavia.

    Intense fighting is reported in Pakrac, Croatia between the Yugoslav army together with their Serb allies, and Croatians.

    In the private chapel of Archbishop Gregorios, head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Britain, in Bayswater, John Tavener (47) marries Maryanna Schaefer, a physicist with the British Nuclear Industry Forum, the daughter of an ecology professor.  She is his second wife.

    9 September 1991 Tajikistan declares its independence from the Soviet Union under acting President Kadreddin Aslonov and Prime Minister Akbar Miroyev.

    11 September 1991 Soviet President Gorbachev announces that he will soon withdraw Soviet troops from Cuba.

    12 September 1991 Serbs capture Maslenica Gorge bridge near Zadar, cutting off Zagreb from Dalmatia.

    All Croatians leave their posts with the federal government of Yugoslavia.

    13 September 1991 The US and USSR agree to halt military aid to the warring factions in Afghanistan.

    14 September 1991 Irkanda IV for string quartet by Peter Sculthorpe (62) is performed for the first time, in Perth, Western Australia.

    The Communist Party of Uzbekistan changes its name to the Popular Democratic Party.

    The Croatian National Guard lays siege to federal army barracks all across Croatia.  Electricity, water, food, and telephones are cut off.  Bridges are mined.  Barricades are erected across highways.  Croats begin a policy of terror against Serbs living in their territory.

    Serb paramilitaries begin the assault on Vukovar.  At least 80 Croat civilians are murdered.

    A deranged man wielding a hammer damages part of the Pieta by Michelangelo in Rome.  Experts say the damage is reparable.

    Fantasma/Cantos for clarinet and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (60) is performed for the first time, in Cardiff.

    15 September 1991 The ruling Social Democratic Party in Sweden suffers the loss of 18 seats in parliamentary elections.  They remain the largest party but non-socialist parties win 195 of the 349 seats and will form a new government.

    16 September 1991 The Philippine Senate rejects a treaty to continue a United States lease on Subic Bay Naval Base.

    The Federal Presidency of Yugoslavia agrees to a European Community plan to end the war.

    The Yugoslav army renews its offensive against Croatia.

    Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson of Sweden resigns after yesterday’s election defeat.

    Due to legal technicalities, all charges pending against Iran-Contra mastermind Oliver North are dropped.

    17 September 1991 The UN General Assembly accepts new members:  the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Democratic Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.  This constitutes international recognition of the independence of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, under President Amata Kabua, and the Federated States of Micronesia, under President Bailey Olter, both from the United States.

    Zagreb comes under heavy fire from the Yugoslav army and Serb irregulars.  Yugoslav naval forces begin a blockade of the Dalmatian coast of Croatia.

    18 September 1991 The Republic of Macedonia is declared independent of Yugoslavia under President Kiro Gligorov and Prime Minister Nikola Kljusev.

    Serbian forces capture Petrinja, 30 km from Zagreb.

    Straight and Crooked for seven percussionists by Sofia Gubaidulina (59) is performed for the first time, in Turin the composer playing harpsichord and celesta.

    19 September 1991 Byelorussia changes its name to Belarus.

    A federal armored column more than ten km long leaves Belgrade for Vukovar.

    Concerto for oboe and orchestra by Isang Yun (74) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    The Repentant Thief for clarinet, percussion, and strings by John Tavener (47) is performed for the first time, in the Barbican Hall, London.

    Summer Music:  Concertino no.5 op.74 for oboe, clarinet, and string quartet by Robin Holloway (47) is performed for the first time, in the Purcell Room, London.

    21 September 1991 Acting President Kadreddin Aslonov of Tajikistan outlaws the Communist Party and confiscates its property.

    The Georgian opposition and National Guard seize the national television station.  They accuse President Gamsakhurdia of dictatorship and call on him to resign.  Mobs for and against the president battle in Tbilisi causing dozens of injuries.

    22 September 1991 Lament for cello and strings by Peter Sculthorpe (62) is performed for the first time, in the Sydney Opera House.

    23 September 1991 The legislature of Tajikistan, dominated by communists, sacks the non-communist acting President Kadreddin Aslonov.  They replace him with Rakhman Nabiyev, a communist, and arrest the mayor of Dushanbe who ordered the removal of a large statue of Lenin.

    44 UN inspectors are detained in Baghdad after they discover Iraqi secret plans to build nuclear weapons.

    Results of a referendum in Armenia show that 99.3% of the electorate favor independence.  The government declares independence from the Soviet Union under President Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Prime Minister Vazgen Manukyan.

    24 September 1991 Freed UN inspectors are detained once again when they try to make copies of the Iraqi nuclear weapons plans.

    British hostage Jack Mann is released by Lebanese terrorists.

    President Zviad Gamaskhurdia of Georgia, surrounded by opposition forces in Tbilisi, declares a state of emergency in the country.

    Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada presents far reaching constitutional changes to the House of Commons.

    25 September 1991 Three days of rioting begin in Bucharest between striking miners and police.

    An agreement on economic and political issues is reached between the United States backed government of El Salvador and five guerilla groups.

    26 September 1991 The Romanian government resigns during three days of rioting by miners and others in Bucharest.  The protests kill three and injure 137.

    The United Nations Security Council places an embargo on all arms shipments to Yugoslavia.

    Sonata for violin and piano by Isang Yun (74) is performed for the first time, in the Alte Oper, Frankfurt-am-Main.

    Genesis for chorus and orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (53), to words of the Bible, Liber Usualis, missal, breviary, gradual, and antiphonal, is performed for the first time, at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.

    27 September 1991 The United States announces that it will eliminate all tactical nuclear weapons in Europe and Asia, nuclear cruise missiles on naval vessels, and 450 ICBMs.

    Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Leon Theremin) (95) is present at a concert at Stanford University in his honor.  It is his first trip to the United States in 53 years.  He spontaneously breaks into Midnight in Moscow.  See 15 September 1938.

    28 September 1991 UN inspectors are freed once again by Iraq and allowed to leave the country with Iraqi nuclear weapons plans.

    Colonel Guillermo Alfredo Benavides Moreno of the US-backed and trained El Salvador army, is found guilty of sending the patrol that killed six Jesuit priests, their cook, and her daughter in November 1989.  Another officer is found guilty of carrying out one of the killings.

    The Strategic Air Command’s fleet of strategic bombers stands down from nuclear-attack readiness for the first time since 1957.

    Miles Davis dies in Santa Monica, California at the age of 65.

    29 September 1991 An explosion at an opposition television station in Tbilisi injures several people.

    30 September 1991 President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is overthrown by the Haitian military.  26 people are killed in the coup, 200 injured.  Aristide flees to Venezuela.

    A new plea bargain is reached between the US government, the State of Alaska, and Exxon Corp. in the Exxon Valdez oil spill.  The fine is raised to $900,000,000 and private citizens are given the right to sue Exxon.

    Sofia Gubaidulina (59) returns to Germany from Italy where she has been given a stipend and nine months residence at the Schreyahn artists’ colony in the Wendland.

    1 October 1991 Theodor Stolojan is made Prime Minister of Romania and names a coalition government.  He replaces Petre Roman.

    Vukovar and Vinkovici are besieged by the Yugoslav army and Serb irregulars.

    The Yugoslav army attacks Dubrovnik from Montenegro.

    Medea, an opera by Mikis Theodorakis (66) to words of Euripides, is performed for the first time, at the Opera Arriaga in Bilbao.

    3 October 1991 The Yugoslav navy resumes its blockade of the Croatian coast.  The small Croatian force defending the Dubrovnik area runs away.  Yugoslav troops march through the district, looting and burning every home.

    Carl Bildt of the Moderate Party replaces Social Democrat Ingvar Gösta Carlsson as Prime Minister of Sweden at the head of a four-party, non-socialist minority government.

    4 October 1991 24 nations sign a treaty to ban mineral and oil exploitation of Antarctica for 50 years.

    A meeting takes place in the Hague between Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, federal Defense Minister Veljko Kadijevic and European Community negotiator Lord Carrington.  All agree to a loose association of sovereign republics, human rights guarantees for minority communities, and no unilateral border changes.

    The fiercest attack in the assault on Vukovar takes place as federal artillery and air forces strike the city.  Two bombs hit the Vukovar hospital.

    Homage to Pacifica for chorus, solo voice, narrator, Javanese gamelan, bassoon, harp, psaltery, and percussion by Lou Harrison (74) to words of Twain, Chief Seattle, and the composer, is performed for the first time.

    5 October 1991 In response to the initiative of US President George Bush last week, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev announces an immediate one-year moratorium on nuclear testing, destruction of all ground-based tactical missile warheads, cancels deployment of mobile ICBMs, freezes the production of multiple-warhead missile launchers, and the beginning of a reduction in ICBM warheads to 5,000.

    6 October 1991 National elections in Portugal return the Social Democratic Party of Prime Minister Anibal Cavaco Silva to power.  Socialists make some gains, but not enough.

    Dox-Orkh for violin and orchestra by Iannis Xenakis (69) is performed for the first time, in Strasbourg.

    As part of an all-Hovhaness concert at Carnegie Hall celebrating the 80th birthday of Alan Hovhaness (80), his Symphony no.65 “Artstakh” is performed for the first time.

    7 October 1991 The Yugoslav air force attacks Zagreb.  Many leading figures in the Croatian government narrowly escape death.

    Slovenia and Croatia resume their declarations of independence.

    8 October 1991 A truce is agreed to by representatives of Croatia and the Yugoslav army, at a hotel in Zagreb.

    Former assistant Secretary of State Elliot Abrams pleads guilty to two counts of withholding information from Congress during the Iran-Contra Scandal.

    10 October 1991 Abdur Rahman Biswas becomes President of Bangladesh.

    Afghan government forces break the rebel siege of Gardez.

    11 October 1991 Navigations for string quartet by Alvin Lucier (60) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt.

    12 October 1991 Poems for string quartet by Karel Husa (70) is performed for the first time, in Brno.

    13 October 1991 85% of the Bulgarian electorate choose 110 seats for the United Democratic Front, 106 Socialist and 24 Movement for Rights and Freedom (a Turkish party).

    Quotation of Dream--Say Sea, Take Me! for two pianos and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (61) is performed for the first time, in London.

    14 October 1991 The Rewaking for soprano and string quartet by John Harbison (52) to words of Williams is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.

    15 October 1991 With Serb members having walked out, the Bosnian Parliament declares independence under the Chairman of the State Presidency Alija Izetbegovic.

    16 October 1991 European Community negotiator Lord Carrington floats a proposal for a general settlement to the leaders of the six republics of Yugoslavia.

    A man opens fire in a cafeteria in Killeen, Texas.  He kills 22 people, injures 22 others and then kills himself.

    17 October 1991 The Yugoslav army and navy besiege Dubrovnik.

    Meeting at Taormina, Sicily, NATO defense ministers approve a 50% reduction in nuclear bombs in their arsenals in Europe.

    18 October 1991 Soviet President Gorbachev and representatives of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan sign an economic union treaty in Moscow.

    All Yugoslav state presidents approve the Carrington plan except Milosevic of Serbia who rejects it out of hand.

    Two days after 23 people are killed by a deranged man wielding semi-automatic weapons, the US House of Representatives votes to remove a ban on semi-automatic weapons from a crime bill.

    19 October 1991 ...den 24. xii. 1931 for baritone and eight players by Mauricio Kagel (59) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    20 October 1991 The ruling Motherland Party of Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz finishes second behind the center-right True Path Party in parliamentary elections.

    Parliamentary elections in Switzerland return the same four-party coalition which has ruled since 1959.

    21 October 1991 Shia terrorists in Lebanon free American Jesse Turner, a professor at Beirut University College who they have held since 1987.

    The opening session of the interim Supreme Soviet in Moscow is boycotted by members from five of the twelve republics.

    The Yugoslav army begins bombarding Dubrovnik.

    Gawain’s Journey for orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (57) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    Para Yoko for player piano by Conlon Nancarrow (78) is performed for the first time, in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris.

    22 October 1991 The Ukrainian Parliament votes to create an independent armed force.

    The 19 nations of the European Community and the European Free Trade Association reach agreement in Luxembourg on a Western European free trade area.  It is designed to go into effect at the beginning of 1993.

    23 October 1991 Japan ends sanctions against South Africa.

    The Yugoslav army bombards the ancient city of Dubrovnik.  They demand the surrender of the city.  Daily bombardments beginning today are targeted directly at the city’s historic treasures.

    The Ukrainian Parliament votes to conduct its own economic transactions.

    The government of Cambodia, three rebel groups, and 18 other countries sign a peace treaty in Paris.  It provides for a cease-fire and a transition to democracy.  Prince Norodom Sihanouk will serve as provisional leader.  350,000 refugees will be repatriated.

    24 October 1991 The Brazilian government begins its privatization program by selling 75% of Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais, SA.

    25 October 1991 The Turkish army begins a four-day assault into northern Iraq to strike the Kurds.

    Bosnian Serbs create their own parliament and vote to remain in Yugoslavia.

    Three2 for three percussionists by John Cage (79) is performed for the first time, in the Kitchen, New York.

    26 October 1991 The Yugoslav army completes its withdrawal from Slovenia.

    Yugoslav commanders send a surrender ultimatum to Dubrovnik.  They do not surrender, but remain under siege until next 30 September.

    The first public performance of Study for Player Piano no.46 by Conlon Nancarrow takes place in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, on the eve of the composer’s 79th birthday.

    27 October 1991 Elections are held in Poland but with only a 42% turnout.  Of the 29 parties represented in Parliament, none receive a majority.

    Turkmenistan declares itself independent of the Soviet Union under President Saparmurad Niyazov and Prime Minister Khan A. Akhmedov.

    Bildlos/Weglos for seven sopranos and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (39) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    Quasi una Fantasia op.64 for string quartet by Henryk Górecki (57) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    28 October 1991 The Central American Parliament is founded by El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

    30 October 1991 A Middle East peace conference opens in the Royal Palace, Madrid led by the United States and the Soviet Union.  Present are representatives of Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and a delegation of Palestinian Arabs.

    31 October 1991 In the first multi-party presidential election in Zambia since 1972, opposition candidate Frederick Chiluba defeats President Kenneth Kaunda.  Kaunda has been president since independence in 1964.  Chiluba’s party also wins a majority in the National Assembly.

    1 November 1991 The Russian Congress of Peoples Deputies votes broad powers to President Yeltsin to deal with the economy.

    2 November 1991 Frederick Chiluba replaces Kenneth Kaunda as President of Zambia.

    3 November 1991 For the first time ever, Israeli and Palestinian representatives meet together to discuss their future, in Madrid.

    4 November 1991 Beginning the final push for Vukovar, the Yugoslav air force flies 65 sorties against Croatian positions.  Hand-to-hand fighting begins for the city.

    Over 3,000,000 black citizens of South Africa strike against a new value added tax and the fact that they were not consulted in it.  It is the largest strike in the history of the country.

    5 November 1991 China and Vietnam normalize relations after 13 years.

    The body of Robert Maxwell, British media billionaire, is found floating off the Canary Islands.  Foul play is not suspected.

    6 November 1991 Kiichi Miyazawa succeeds Toshiki Kaifu as Prime Minister of Japan.

    Ukraine and Moldova sign the economic union treaty of 18 October.

    The last Kuwaiti oil well set on fire by the Iraqis is capped.

    How Slow the Wind for orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (61) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.

    7 November 1991 The Middle East peace conference in Madrid closes without substantive progress.  But the groundwork is laid for bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs.

    Two works are performed for the first time, in BBC Concert Hall, London:  First Grace of Light for oboe by Peter Maxwell Davies (57), and An Interrupted Endless Melody for oboe and piano by Harrison Birtwistle (57).

    8 November 1991 Filip Dimitrov replaces Dimitur Ilchev Popov as Prime Minister of Bulgaria.

    European Community foreign ministers, meeting in Rome, vote an economic embargo on Yugoslavia.

    9 November 1991 In a deliberate attempt to destroy one of the great artistic and historic centers of the world, the Yugoslav army and navy heavily bombard the old city of Dubrovnik.

    Yves Montand dies in Senlis, Oise at the age of 70.

    Delight of the Muses, a ballet by Charles Wuorinen (53), is performed for the first time, in a concert performance at the State University of New York, Stony Brook.  It is put on so the choreographer, Peter Martins, can have a recording of the music.  See 29 January 1992.

    10 November 1991 Yugoslav forces take Milovo Brdo, near Vukovar, as the Croats pull back.

    11 November 1991 The first US envoy to Cambodia in 16 years arrives in Phnom Penh.

    Mexico City Blues for orchestra by Terry Riley (56) is performed for the first time, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

    Omaramor for cello by Osvaldo Golijov (30) is performed for the first time, in Painted Bride Arts Center, Philadelphia.

    El Dorado for orchestra by John Adams (44) is performed for the first time, in Davies Hall, San Francisco conducted by the composer.

    Music for Trumpet, Strings, and Timpani by Robert Erickson (74) is performed for the first time, at the University of California at San Diego.

    12 November 1991 Several thousand people attend a memorial service for a man killed by Indonesian authorities in Dili, East Timor.  While marching to his grave, they are set upon by Indonesian police.  Over 250 East Timorese are killed.  The incident is secretly videotaped by a British cameraman.

    The Tulsa World reports that television evangelist Oral Roberts asked his followers for $500 each to prevent a “satanic conspiracy to stop God’s healing ministry in the Earth.”

    13 November 1991 Peter Sculthorpe (62) is elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

    Workmen in Berlin begin to dismantle a 19m-high statue of Lenin.

    14 November 1991 Prince Norodom Sihanouk returns to Cambodia after 13 years to become provisional president.

    Leftist rebels announce an open-ended cease-fire in El Salvador.

    Swords and Plowshares, an oratorio for solo voices and orchestra by Ned Rorem (68) to words of various authors, is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston.

    15 November 1991 A federal appeals court in Washington overturns the convictions of John Poindexter on a technicality.  Poindexter was national security advisor to Ronald Reagan.

    Former assistant Secretary of State Elliot Abrams is sentenced to two years probation and 100 hours of community service for his part in the Iran-Contra cover-up.

    The US Justice Department brings criminal charges against the Bank of Credit and Commerce International and three individuals.

    String Trio by Krzysztof Penderecki (57) is performed completely for the first time, in Metz.  See 8 December 1990.

    Two4 for violin and piano or sho by John Cage (79) is performed for the first time, at the National Academy of Sciences, Washington.  This performance is on piano.

    16 November 1991 A few hours after a cease-fire goes into effect, Yugoslav forces begin a final assault on Vukovar.  They take Borovo Naselje, cutting off the defenders and citizens of the city.

    Silenzio for bayan, violin, and cello by Sofia Gubaidulina (60) is performed for the first time, in Hannover.

    17 November 1991 GENDY3 for two-track Dynamic Stochastic Synthesis by Iannis Xenakis (69) is performed for the first time, in Metz.

    Four More Occasional Pieces for piano by John Harbison (52) is performed for the first time, in First and Second Church, Boston.

    Voyage Through Death to Life Upon These Shores by Anthony Davis (40) to words of R. Haydn is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    18 November 1991 After a three month battle, during which most of the city was destroyed, Croats defending Vukovar surrender to the Yugoslav army.  Many fighters escape at night through Serb lines to Vinkovici.  Serb irregulars enter the city and run amok, looting and murdering.  They begin deporting women and old men, in direct contradiction of the cease-fire agreement.  260 wounded and captured Croatian soldiers are executed.  Other men are sent to detainment in Vojvodina, stripped naked, and all their personal possessions stolen.  For weeks they will be crowded into small cells and sleep on wooden floors.  They will not be released until January.

    Shia terrorists in Lebanon release Briton Terry Waite, held since 1987, and American Thomas Sutherland, held since 1985.

    Several new works are performed for the first time, in the Konzerthaus, Vienna to celebrate the 90th birthday of Alfred Schlee, director of Universal Edition:  Pièce pour piano et quatuor à cordes by Olivier Messiaen (82), Anthèmes I for violin by Pierre Boulez (66), the second movement of the Sonata for viola by Györgi Ligeti (68), Psalmen for string quartet by Arvo Pärt (56), Zwischen den Zeilen for string quartet by Wolfgang Rihm (39) and Freize I for string quartet by Harrison Birtwistle (57).  See 19 October 1997, 28 March 1993, 23 April 1994, and 28 April 1996.

    20 November 1991 Norodom Sihanouk takes office as Head of State of Cambodia.

    Süleyman Demirel replaces Ahmet Mesut Yilmaz as Prime Minister of Turkey at the head of a two-party coalition.

    The government of Bosnia and Hercegovina requests UN troops be sent to the republic.

    21 November 1991 The Yugoslav army attacks Osijek, Croatia.

    Concerto Fantastique for orchestra by Ralph Shapey (70) is performed for the first time, in Mandel Hall of the University of Chicago conducted by the composer.

    22 November 1991 Das Rot, six poems for high voice and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (39) to words of von Günderrode, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    23 November 1991 Representatives of Serbia, Croatia, and the Yugoslav military sign a cease-fire agreement in Geneva.  They agree in principle to an international peacekeeping force.

    Trio no.2 for oboe, bassoon, and piano by Conlon Nancarrow (79) is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Center, New York.

    24 November 1991 Voters in Tajikistan choose Rakhman Nabiyev as their first democratically elected President.

    Parliamentary elections in Belgium see losses for the two main parties and gains for language-based groups.

    Youth, an overture for orchestra by Karel Husa (70), is performed for the first time, at the Seattle Opera House.

    26 November 1991 Japan agrees to stop using big fishing nets which kill dolphins and turtles.

    The European Court of Human Rights rules that the British government violated the European Convention on Human Rights when they banned three newspapers from writing about Spycatcher, the memoirs of a British intelligence agent.  The court awards the three newspapers £100,000 in legal costs.

    27 November 1991 The house of Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan in Phnom Penh is attacked by crowds and he personally is beaten.  The Khmer Rouge leaders are evacuated to Thailand.

    The Group of Seven industrial nations reaches agreement with the USSR and eight Soviet republics to defer debt payments.

    28 November 1991 South Ossetia declares independence from Georgia.

    30 November 1991 Two works by John Cage (79) are performed for the first time, in Stuttgart:  One8 for cello and 108 for orchestra.  The two works are played simultaneously.

    1 December 1991 A referendum in Ukraine votes overwhelmingly for secession from the USSR.  Voters also choose Leonid M. Kravchuk as their first democratically elected President.

    Voters in Kazakhstan choose Nursultan A. Nazarbayev as their first democratically elected President.

    The fugue from the unfinished Sonata for cello op.134 by Sergey Prokofiev (†38) is performed for the first time, in London.

    2 December 1991 Shia terrorists in Lebanon release American Joseph Cicippio.

    Poland and Canada become the first two nations to recognize the independence of Ukraine.

    One4 for percussion by John Cage (79) is performed for presumably the first time, in Merkin Concert Hall, New York.

    3 December 1991 Shia terrorists in Lebanon release American Alan Steen.

    Russian President Boris Yeltsin recognizes the independence of Ukraine.

    Variation for piano by Roger Reynolds (57) is performed for the first time, in Merkin Concert Hall, New York.

    4 December 1991 Shia terrorists in Lebanon release the last American hostage, Terry Anderson.  Anderson has been held for 2,454 days.

    The coalition government in Albania collapses when the Democratic Party withdraws its seven ministers.

    Pan American World Airways ceases operations.

    Lullaby for music box by John Cage (79) is performed for the first time, in Nice.

    5 December 1991 Jan Olszewski is named the new Prime Minister of Poland, replacing Jan Krzysztof Bielecki.

    Croatian Stipe Mesic resigns as President of Yugoslavia and returns home.

    Strict gun control laws are given royal assent in Canada.

    Un Sourire for orchestra by Olivier Messiaen (82) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre du Chatelet, Paris to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of Mozart.

    Wa Wa Mozart for chamber orchestra by Jonathan Lloyd (43) is performed for the first time, in Broadcasting House, London.

    Concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (52) is performed for the first time, in Louisville, Kentucky.

    6 December 1991 Local Yugoslav commanders defy a negotiated cease-fire and shell Dubrovnik for ten hours.  22 people are killed.

    One Hundred Frames for orchestra by Kevin Volans (42) is performed for the first time, in Ulster Hall, Belfast.

    7 December 1991 Prime Minister Ylli Bufi of Albania resigns.

    A Concerto for clarinet and orchestra by Lukas Foss (69) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    8 December 1991 Leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus sign an agreement in Brest forming the Commonwealth of Independent States.  They declare Soviet law void on their territories.

    Serbia and Croatia agree to United Nations peacekeeping troops.

    The European Community repeals its economic embargo of Yugoslavia except for Serbia and Montenegro.  An arms embargo remains in effect.

    The Romanian electorate approves a new constitution.

    Triptyque for clarinet and orchestra by Jean-Claude Risset (53) is performed for the first time, in the Palais des Festivals, Cannes.

    9 December 1991 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev declares the Commonwealth of Independent States to be illegal.

    The Yugoslavian navy ends its blockade of Dubrovnik after having destroyed many historic buildings, some dating to Roman times.

    Eight officials of the former communist government of Romania are sentenced to prison terms of 15-25 years by a military court in Bucharest.

    King Baudouin of Belgium asks Guy Verhofstadt of the Flemish Liberal Party to form a government.

    The Dallas Times Herald ceases publication.

    10 December 1991 All former Soviet republics except Georgia and the Baltics sign the Commonwealth of Independent States treaty in Alma Ata (Almaty).

    President Alia of Albania names a nonpartisan, Vilson Ahmeti, as Prime Minister.

    11 December 1991 From Uluru for orchestra by Peter Sculthorpe (62) is performed for the first time, in Eugene Goossens Hall, Sydney.

    The Kenyan Parliament votes to allow multiparty politics.

    Two treaties signed in Maastricht, the Netherlands pledge the twelve European Community members to create a common foreign policy and a common currency.

    Dies irae, Ave verum corpus, and Lux aeterna, from Hans Werner Henze’s (63) unperformed Requiem, for piano and chamber orchestra, are performed for the first time, in London.  See 24 February 1993.

    Strathclyde Concerto no.5 for violin, viola, and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (57) is performed for the first time, in City Halls, Glasgow, conducted by the composer.

    12 December 1991 Erich Honecker takes refuge in the Chilean embassy in Moscow.

    Chicago Skyline for brass and percussion by Shulamit Ran (42) is performed for the first time, in Chicago conducted by Pierre Boulez (66).

    13 December 1991 North and South Korea sign a non-aggression pact in Seoul.

    Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan join the Commonwealth of Independent States.

    16 December 1991 The Republic of Kazakhstan declares its independence from the Soviet Union, under President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Prime Minister Sergey Tereshchenko.

    Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland sign association agreements with the European Community.

    The UN General Assembly votes 111-25-13-17 to repeal its 1975 resolution equating Zionism with racism.

    The Canadian government announces a land claim settlement with Inuit leaders which will create the territory of Nunavut.

    Summer 1990:  Piano Trio no.3 by George Rochberg (73) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    17 December 1991 After a two-hour meeting with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, President Yeltsin of Russia announces that Gorbachev is resigned to the dissolution of the USSR.

    The Yugoslav army begins shelling Osijek.

    The European Community invites all Yugoslav republics to apply for recognition, effectively ending Lord Carrington’s peace efforts.

    Recuerdos for two pianos by William Bolcom (53) is performed for the first time, at the Murray Dranoff two-piano competition in Miami.

    18 December 1991 Sofia Gubaidulina (60) is awarded the Premio Franco Abbiati in Varese, Italy.

    The orchestral setting of Berliner Messe by Arvo Pärt (56) is performed for the first time, at Schloss Werneck near Schweinfurt.

    19 December 1991 Russian President Boris Yeltsin orders that the Kremlin be seized and that the functions of the Soviet government be taken over by his officials.

    Ante Markovic resigns as Prime Minister of Yugoslavia.  He is the last non-Serb to hold an important position in the Yugoslav government.

    Germany and Iceland recognize the independence of Croatia and Slovenia.

    Macedonia petitions the European Community for recognition.

    Investigators announce that BCCI agrees to forfeit all its US assets of $550,000,000 to settle criminal charges pending against it.

    The Ghosts of Versailles, an opera buffa by John Corigliano (53) to words of Hoffman after Beaumarchais, is performed for the first time, at the Metropolitan Opera, New York.

    20 December 1991 Paul John Keating replaces Robert James Lee Hawke as Prime Minister of Australia.

    Representatives of 19 political groups meet in Johannesburg to discuss the end of white minority rule in South Africa.

    Threnody for cello by Peter Sculthorpe (62) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, Sydney.

    Bosnia and Hercegovina petitions the European Community for recognition.

    Aleksandar Mitrovic replaces Ante Markovic as President of the Federal Executive Council of Yugoslavia ad interim.

    Ikon of the Nativity for chorus by John Tavener (47) to words of St. Ephrem the Syrian (tr. Brock) is performed for the first time.

    21 December 1991 Leaders of eleven Soviet republics meet in Alma Ata (Almaty) and formally create the Commonwealth of Independent States.  Not present are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Georgia.

    22 December 1991 Fierce fighting erupts in Tbilisi between backers and opponents of Georgian President Gamsakhurdia.

    The Israel Philharmonic announces it is canceling a concert of the music of Richard Wagner (†108) because of public and official outrage.

    23 December 1991 Ernst Krenek dies of respiratory failure in a hospital in Palm Springs, California, aged 91 years and four months.

    24 December 1991 President Boris Yeltsin of Russia informs Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar that all seats, powers, rights and responsibilities at the UN previously held by the USSR will henceforth be exercised by Russia.

    25 December 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev turns over the nuclear weapons codes to President Boris Yeltsin of Russia.  He gives a speech on national television and then resigns as President of the USSR.  The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceases to exist.

    27 December 1991 The US Navy announces it will leave Subic Bay by the end of 1992, after it was evicted by the Philippine government.

    Sonata for two percussionists by Sofia Gubaidulina (60) is performed for the first time, in Moscow 25 years after it was composed.

    Lauda for vocal soloists, speaker, chorus, and orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina is performed for the first time, in Genoa.

    28 December 1991 Russian President Boris Yeltsin eases restrictions on the private ownership of land.

    Autumn for oboe and piano by Michael Tippett (86) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC.  It is an arrangement by Bowen of music from Crown of the Year.  See 25 July 1958.

    30 December 1991 The eleven leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States announce that Soviet nuclear weapons will be placed under a centralized command.

    ©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger

    25 July 2012

    Last Updated (Wednesday, 25 July 2012 05:06)

     

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