1997
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1 January 1997 Hoping to derail the peace process, an Israeli soldier opens fire on Arabs in Hebron before being subdued by Israeli troops. Seven people are wounded.
Marxist rebels occupying the Japanese embassy in Lima free seven of their hostages. But negotiations break down when the rebels are given air time on Peruvian television which angers President Fujimori.
3 January 1997 The Parliament of Bosnia and Hercegovina meets for the first time, in Sarajevo, and approves a new cabinet. Haris Silajdzic and Boro Bosic are named co-Prime Ministers.
Two Hutus, Deo Bizimana and Egide Gatanazi, having been found guilty of eleven crimes, including murder and rape of Tutsis, are sentenced to death in Kibungo, Rwanda.
5 January 1997 The Russian Interior minister announces that all Russian troops have withdrawn from Chechnya. Over 4,000 Russians died in 21 months of war in Chechnya.
7 January 1997 The One Hundred-and-fifth Congress of the United States convenes in Washington. The opposition Republican Party controls both houses.
9 January 1997 Seven Gates of Jerusalem for solo voices, narrator, three choruses, and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (63) to words of the Bible is performed for the first time, in Jerusalem.
10 January 1997 Government soldiers in Burundi kill 126 Hutu refugees attempting to escape from a detention center.
Clarinet Concerto by Elliott Carter (88) is performed for the first time, in Le Châtelet, Paris, conducted by Pierre Boulez (71).
11 January 1997 Venus and Adonis, an opera by Hans Werner Henze (70) to words of Treichel, is performed for the first time, at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich.
13 January 1997 At a scientific conference in Toronto, a team of US researchers led by Ramesh Narayan announce that they have found the first evidence of an event horizon, a characteristic of a black hole.
15 January 1997 Two weeks of rallies begin across Albania calling on the government to protect investments in pyramid schemes.
Representatives of Israel and the Palestinian Authority sign an agreement for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Hebron.
Mexico pays off an emergency $12,500,000,000 loan from the United States three years ahead of schedule and with interest of $580,000,000.
16 January 1997 Two bombs explode at a building in Atlanta which houses a clinic where abortions are performed. The second bomb is timed to go off after emergency personnel arrive. Six people are injured. The bombs are planted by Pro-Life advocate Eric Rudolph who is responsible for the Olympic Park bombing of 1996.
Impromptu for flute, violin and strings by Sofia Gubaidulina (65) is performed for the first time, in the Cologne Philharmonie.
17 January 1997 Following an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian authority, Israeli troops withdraw from Hebron.
Six Celebratory Inventions for piano by George Perle (81) is performed for the first time, in Boston.
Sonata Profondo for piano by Ralph Shapey (75) is performed for the first time, in Jordan Hall, Boston.
18 January 1997 Norwegian Boerge Ousland arrives at Scott Base becoming the first person to cross Antarctica alone, having traveled 2,690 km from Berkner Island over the last 64 days.
Molto Adagio for orchestra by William Bolcom (58) is performed for the first time.
19 January 1997 Two bombs explode outside a clinic in Tulsa where abortions are performed. There are no injuries.
Petur Stefanov Stoyanov replaces Zhelyu Mitev Zhelev as President of Bulgaria.
21 January 1997 A Bosnian state commission reports that 31 mass graves containing 1,462 bodies, plus 466 single graves were discovered in 1996.
For the first time, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States is reprimanded by the House. Newt Gingrich is fined $300,000 for using tax-exempt donations for political purposes and giving false information to the House Ethics Committee.
Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus sign an agreement ending the disputes between Germany and the Czech Republic dating from before World War II. Both sides apologize for their actions.
Nicaragua joins the Central American Parliament.
24 January 1997 Ion Ciubuc replaces Andrei Sangheli as Prime Minister of Moldova.
Ekphrasis for orchestra by Luciano Berio (71) is performed for the first time, in Las Palmas, Canary Islands directed by the composer.
25 January 1997 Mobs in Lushnja, Albania burn down the courthouse and other government buildings.
As One Who Has Slept for chorus by John Tavener (52) to words from the Orthodox liturgy is performed for the first time, in Winchester Cathedral.
26 January 1997 About 35,000 rioters in Tirana, Albania throw rocks at policemen. 84 people are injured. Government buildings in four other Albanian cities are set alight. Parliament gives President Sali Barisha the power to send troops to quell civil unrest.
Fourth Sonata for violin and piano by William Bolcom (58) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan the composer at the keyboard.
28 January 1997 President Sali Berisha of Albania promises that the government will repay investors in several failed pyramid schemes.
South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission announces that five former policemen have admitted killing civil rights advocate Steve Biko in 1977.
Viktor Klima replaces Franz Vranitzky as Chancellor of Austria.
31 January 1997 5:4 for percussion and tape by Kevin Volans (47) is performed for the first time, in the Schauspielhaus, Frankfurt.
Erlkönig, a fantasia for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (70), is performed for the first time, in Paris in a concert celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Franz Schubert.
2 February 1997 Serbian police attack a sit-in demonstration in Belgrade with tear gas and water cannons. The demonstrators are protesting the failure of the government to acknowledge victory of the opposition in municipal elections. 100 people are injured.
3 February 1997 Parliamentary elections in Pakistan result in a victory for the Moslem League of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. They gain 62 seats in the National Assembly.
4 February 1997 Ross Lee Finney dies in Carmel, California, aged 90 years, one month, and twelve days.
Iannis Xenakis (74) is awarded the Kyoto Prize.
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic calls for legislation to seat opposition candidates who won many municipal elections last year.
Five United Nations human rights monitors are ambushed and killed by unknown gunmen in southwestern Rwanda.
A civil court jury in California finds former football player OJ Simpson liable in the murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and friend Ronald Goldman. They award $8,500,000 to the Goldman family. An award to the Brown family will be given later.
5 February 1997 Morgan Stanley Group Inc. agrees to merge with Dean Witter, Discover & Co. to create the biggest securities firm in the United States. The new company will have a market capitalization of $23,300,000,000.
6 February 1997 Police and rioters exchange gunfire in two colored suburbs 50 km south of Johannesburg. At least four people are killed. Coloreds claim discrimination from the predominantly Black government.
The Congress of Ecuador votes 44-34 to remove President Abdalá Jaime Bucaram Ortiz from office due to “mental incapacity.” He is replaced ad interim by the President of Congress Fabián Ernesto Alarcón Rivera.
Quintet “Five Objects Darkly” op.62 for bass clarinet, horn, violin, viola, and piano by Alexander Goehr (64) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.
9 February 1997 Today begins four days of riots in Vlora, Albania over failed pyramid schemes. Four people will die during the violence.
Amidst considerable confusion, Vice-President Rosalía Arteaga Serrano Fernández de Córdova is named interim President of Ecuador, until the constitution is amended to create a clear line of succession.
10 February 1997 About 700 Bosnian Croats attack 500 Moslems visiting family graves in Mostar. One person is killed, 22 injured.
Prime Minister Aleksandr Meksi of Albania declares a partial state of emergency in Vlora during violence over failed pyramid schemes.
A civil court jury in Santa Monica, California imposes $25,000,000 in punitive damages on OJ Simpson, to be paid to the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. They found him liable in the two deaths.
11 February 1997 The Congress of Ecuador votes 57-2 to elect Fabián Ernesto Alarcón Rivera as interim President, providing for amendments to the constitution within 95 days.
The Parliament of Serbia passes legislation to recognize several opposition victories in municipal elections last year. Street demonstrations demanding this have been going on since November.
Talks resume between Peruvian government officials and rebels holding 72 hostages in the Japanese embassy in Lima.
12 February 1997 Stefan Antonov Sofiyanski replaces Zhan Vasilev Videnov as Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
Nine Coptic Christians are killed when gunman attack a church in Abu Qurqas, Egypt.
The Clinton administration announces it will allow US news organizations to set up offices in Cuba.
13 February 1997 American Bouquet for guitar by George Rochberg (78) is performed for the first time, at the Manhattan School of Music, New York.
14 February 1997 A former Rwandan politician, Froduald Karamira, is sentenced to death in a Kigali court for leading massacres of Tutsis in 1994. He is also ordered to pay $380,000 in compensation to the families of the victims.
15 February 1997 Meeting in Geneva, 65 countries agree to open their telecommunication markets to foreign and domestic competition. It will take effect next 1 January.
After daily protest demonstrations for the last 89 days, Serbian opposition supporters hold their last rally today. Their demands were met four days ago.
17 February 1997 Mohammed Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Moslem League replaces Malik Miraj Khalid as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Five Burundian soldiers are convicted of killing dozens of Hutu civilians last year. They are given sentences of between eight and ten years in prison.
Planctus, a song for voice and piano by Philip Glass (60) to words of Merchant, is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.
19 February 1997 Deng Xiaoping, the de facto ruler of China, dies in Beijing at the age of 92.
20 February 1997 Dozens of students in Vlora, Albania begin a hunger strike calling for the resignation of the government. Police battle about 1,000 protesters in Tirana. Four people are injured.
Olympic Dances for orchestra by John Harbison (58) is performed for the first time, in Denton, Texas. See 27 February 1997.
21 February 1997 A bomb explodes at an Atlanta nightclub popular with homosexuals, injuring four people. Another bomb is found outside the building and is destroyed by police. The bombs are planted by Pro-Life advocate Eric Rudolph who is responsible of the Olympic Park bombing of 1996 and the bombings of 16 January 1997.
23 February 1997 The British periodical The Observer reports that Scottish scientists led by Ian Wilmut have successfully cloned an adult animal for the first time. The sheep is named Dolly.
Palestinian Ali Abu Kamal opens fire on the observation deck of the Empire State Building. He kills one person and injures six others. He then kills himself. Kamal’s family claims he was motivated by recent financial losses, not politics, but will later reveal this story was concocted by the Palestine National Authority. Kamal acted out of vengeance for the US support of Israel.
25 February 1997 Three bus bombs explode almost simultaneously in Urumqi, capital of China’s Xinjian Uighur Autonomous Region. Moslem separatists are suspected of being responsible.
27 February 1997 Following a 1995 referendum, divorce becomes legal in Ireland.
Thoughts That Sing, Breathe, and Burn for orchestra by Leslie Bassett (74) is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Detroit.
Olympic Dances, a ballet by John Harbison, is performed for the first time, in Atlanta. See 20 February 1997.
28 February 1997 An earthquake in Ardabil Province, Iran kills about 1,000 people.
Citizens of Vlora and several other Albanian cities take up arms and begin widespread looting and confrontation with authorities. Members of the secret police attempt to storm a university building where many students are on a hunger strike since 20 February. Citizens surround the headquarters of the secret police and a two-hour long gun battle ensues. Ten people are killed, mostly police.
2 March 1997 The Parliament of Albania declares a nationwide state of emergency, giving security forces free rein to deal with violence over failed pyramid schemes. Mobs loot the summer home of President Berisha near Vlora. Civilians in Gjirokaster burn down the police station.
3 March 1997 A naval base in Sarande, Albania is looted by armed civilians. The Albanian Parliament reelects President Sali Berisha to a five-year term.
4 March 1997 Albanian security forces respond to recent violence by sending tanks into Gjirokaster.
5 March 1997 The government of Switzerland announces that they will create a fund totaling $,4,700,000,000 to compensate victims of the Nazi era.
6 March 1997 Rhymes with Silver, a dance for violin, viola, cello, piano, and percussion by Lou Harrison (79) is performed for the first time, in Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, California.
7 March 1997 A bomb explodes on a Beijing bus injuring eleven people. No one takes responsibility but Moslem separatists from Xinjiang are widely suspected.
Broke Baroque for violin and piano by TJ Anderson (68) is performed for the first time, in Atlanta.
8 March 1997 Jacob’s Prayer for chorus by Gian Carlo Menotti (85) to words of the Bible is performed for the first time, in the Civic Theatre, San Diego.
9 March 1997 Looters invade the Kalashnikov factory in Polican, 140km south of Tirana, carrying off 40,000 weapons.
10 March 1997 Armed insurgents gain control of an Albanian air base at Kucove south of Tirana.
11 March 1997 An explosion and fire takes place at Tokaimura uranium processing plant 120 km northeast of Tokyo. Radiation is discharged into the atmosphere. 37 workers receive radiation poisoning.
Bashkim Muhamet Fino replaces Aleksandër Gabriel Meksi as Prime Minister of Albania.
Hugo David Weisgall dies from injuries suffered in a fall, in North Shore Hospital, Manhasset, New York, aged 84 years, four months, and 26 days.
12 March 1997 Anti-government mobs take control of the streets of Tirana, Albania. Dependents of the United States embassy are ordered by Washington to evacuate the city.
Talks between Peruvian government officials and rebels who have been holding 72 hostages in the Japanese embassy in Lima since December collapse once again.
13 March 1997 A Jordanian soldier opens fire on a group of Israeli schoolgirls on Nahayarim Island, on the border between the two countries, killing seven of them and wounding six others.
Thousands of Albanians begin gathering at Durres in an attempt to flee the country. United States and European forces begin an airlift of foreigners out of the country. The government begins passing out arms to its civilian supporters in an attempt to fight the insurgency.
13 Coptic Christians are killed when gunman attack a Christian village 480 km south of Cairo.
14 March 1997 A United States helicopter evacuating foreign nationals from Albania is fired on by a shoulder-fired missile.
Jackie O, a chamber opera by Michael Daugherty (42) to words of Koestenbaum, is performed for the first time, in Houston.
15 March 1997 Rebels opposed to President Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire capture Kisangani.
Mavis in Las Vegas for orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (62) is performed for the first time, at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester conducted by the composer.
Levertov Breviary for voice and piano by Mel Powell (74) is performed for the first time, at Harvard University.
16 March 1997 Albanian government security forces regain some control in Tirana.
Kofi Annan pays tribute to Henry Cowell (†31) in a special address for his “contributions to intercultural music.”
18 March 1997 Construction of an Israeli housing complex begins in East Jerusalem.
The Parliament of Zaire votes to unseat Prime Minister Leon Kengo wa Dondo and initiate talks with the rebels.
Festival Dance for two pianos by Lou Harrison (79) is performed for the first time, at Cooper Union College, New York, 46 years after it was composed.
19 March 1997 Albanian police regain control of Durres, the country’s largest port. By today, 10,000 Albanians have reached Italy.
Willem de Kooning dies at his home in East Hampton, New York at the age of 92.
20 March 1997 Arabs begin violent protests in Bethlehem against the building of a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.
Liggett Group, Inc., the smallest of the five major tobacco companies, settles a lawsuit brought by 22 states of the United States. In so doing, they acknowledge that smoking cigarettes is addictive and causes cancer, and that the tobacco industry has targeted minors for decades. For the next 25 years, Liggett will pay one-quarter of its pre-tax profits to a fund to compensate the states and other plaintiffs.
21 March 1997 An Arab terrorist detonates a bomb in a Tel Aviv café killing three people and himself, wounding 40 others.
Violent Palestianian protests begin in Hebron.
22 March 1997 Peanuts® Gallery for piano and orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (57) is performed completely for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York. The performance marks the premiere of two sections: Lullaby for Linus and Snoopy Does the Samba.
25 March 1997 Arabs battle Israeli soldiers in Hebron.
During the electrocution of Pedro Medina at the state prison in Starke, Florida, flames erupt from the condemned man’s face to a height of 30 cm. The electrocution proceeds as the chamber fills with smoke.
A 12-Tone Morning After to Amuse Henry for piano by Lou Harrison (79) is performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street Y, New York, 52 years after it was composed. This is the centennial year of its dedicatee, Henry Cowell (†31).
26 March 1997 The violent Arab protests begun 20 March spread to Ramallah.
Authorities find the bodies of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate religious cult in Rancho Santa Fe, California. They have all apparently killed themselves.
27 March 1997 The world’s only physician-assisted suicide law is repealed by a bill signed by William Deane, Governor General of Australia. It nullifies a law in the Northern Territory.
2,000,000 Russian workers demonstrate across the country demanding to be paid.
In the worst violence of the ongoing Albanian unrest, at least 17 people are killed in a gun battle in Levan.
Petite symphonie concertante for violin and orchestra by Betsy Jolas (70) is performed for the first time, in the Grand Théâtre de Besançon.
28 March 1997 An Italian warship rams a vessel filled with Albanian refugees out of Vlore. Four bodies are recovered, 34 people are rescued. 83 others are missing. The incident follows the flight of 13,000 people from unrest in southern Albania over the last two weeks.
The United Nations Security Council approves an Italian plan for a multinational force to oversee relief efforts in Albania.
30 March 1997 460 Arabs have been wounded in the last ten days of violent protests in the West Bank.
The Albanian parliament approves the Italian plan for a multinational force for the country.
31 March 1997 Meeting in Cairo, the Arab League votes to reinstate the economic boycott of Israel.
TV Globo in Brazil broadcasts a videotape of military police in São Paulo attacking and brutalizing drivers at a road block. It causes an uproar in the country.
1 April 1997 Two Arabs are killed attempting to carry out suicide attacks against civilians near Netzarim and Kfar Darom.
Prime Minister Fino of Albania announces the dissolution of the secret police.
2 April 1997 The Polish Sejm approves a new constitution.
Phantasyplay for piano by George Perle (81) is performed for the first time, in New York.
3 April 1997 Arabs battle Israeli soldiers in Bethlehem.
4 April 1997 Rebels in Zaire capture Mbuji-Mayi in the country’s diamond region.
5 April 1997 Alan Ginsberg dies in New York at the age of 70.
6 April 1997 He’s Our Dad for soprano, keyboard, and computer generated sound by Tod Machover (43) to words of Julie Anderson Machover is performed for the first time, at the Boston Computer Museum, the composer taking the vocal part.
8 April 1997 President Mobutu Sese Seko declares a nationwide state of emergency in the face of recent successes by rebels opposing his rule.
9 April 1997 Zairean rebels opposing President Mobutu Sese Seko capture Lubumbashi, the country’s second largest city.
Cesare Romiti and Paolo Mattioli, chairman and chief financial officer of Fiat SpA, are convicted in a Turin court of false accounting, tax fraud, and illegal campaign contributions. They both receive suspended sentences are forbidden to hold corporate office in any Italian company.
10 April 1997 Toshiro Mayuzumi dies of liver failure in Kawasaki, aged 68 years, one month, and 21 days.
Zythos for trombone and six percussionists by Iannis Xenakis (74) is performed for the first time, in Birmingham.
11 April 1997 The 13-party coalition which has governed India for the last ten months collapses in a vote of no confidence.
After decades of civil war, a national unity government is sworn in in Angola.
George Whitefield Chadwick’s (†66) tragic opera The Padrone to words of Stevens after the composer is staged for the first time, at New England Conservatory, Boston 85 years after it was composed. See 6 December 1961 and 29 September 1995.
12 April 1997 Mikis Theodorakis (71) conducts his music in the National Theatre of Skopje, Macedonia, at a concert attended by President Kiro Gligorov and leading members of his government, along with 200 Greeks. It is part of a movement by Greek politicians and citizens to promote friendship between Greece and Macedonia.
13 April 1997 In view of the events of two days ago, Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda of India resigns.
14 April 1997 Pro-democracy advocates in Zaire conduct a general strike in Kinshasa today and tomorrow.
Critical Moments for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion by George Perle (81) is performed for the first time, in New York.
15 April 1997 1,200 peacekeeping troops from France, Italy, and Spain arrive in Albania in an attempt to halt months of civil unrest.
A fire and subsequent stampede at Mina, outside Mecca, causes over 300 deaths of pilgrims to the annual Hajj. About 1,300 people are injured.
17 April 1997 The Tokelau Islands in the South Pacific become the last national entity in the world to install telephone service.
Concerto for viola and orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (65) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
19 April 1997 The United Democratic Forces win a majority of seats in elections to the Bulgarian Parliament.
21 April 1997 Inder Kumar Gujral replaces HD Deve Gowda as Prime Minister of India.
22 April 1997 Peruvian soldiers storm the residence of the Japanese ambassador in Lima where rebels have been holding 72 hostages since December. 14 rebels, two soldiers and one hostage are killed. The other hostages, including ambassadors and government officials, are freed.
23 April 1997 Piccolo Concerto by Peter Maxwell Davies (62) is performed for the first time, in the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham conducted by the composer.
24 April 1997 Robert Erickson dies in San Diego, aged 80 years, one month, and 17 days.
Ivan Yordanov Kostov replaces Stefan Antonov Sofianski as Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
25 April 1997 Perriault le déluné for twelve voices by Betsy Jolas (70) to words of Illouz is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris.
Responsorium for female voice and ensemble by Wolfgang Rihm (45) to words of Homer is performed for the first time, in Witten.
Ernster Gesang for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (45) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.
26 April 1997 Concerto for P’i-p’a with String Orchestra by Lou Harrison (79) is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Center, New York.
27 April 1997 Turbulence: A Romance for soprano, baritone, and piano by William Bolcom (58) to words of Fulton is performed for the first time, in Minneapolis.
28 April 1997 RomaDue: Sounds and Movements for Improvisation Ensemble and Tape by Larry Austin (66) is performed for the first time, in the Frederick Loewe Theatre, New York University, New York.
29 April 1997 The Chemical Weapons Convention enters into force. It provides for the elimination of chemical weapons.
1 May 1997 Parliamentary elections in Great Britain result in a resounding victory for the Labour Party, winning 418 of 659 seats, a gain of 145. 120 women gain seats, the highest number ever in the British House of Commons.
2 May 1997 Anthony (Tony) Blair of the Labour Party replaces Conservative John Major as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
4 May 1997 About 1,200 Albanian refugees reach Bari, Italy aboard a tanker. Italy returns 180 of them and charges five crew members with trafficking in refugees.
A joint concert by Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis (71) and Turkish composer Zülfü Livaneli in the House of Cultures of the World in Berlin continues the efforts of the two men to bridge differences between the two countries. It is designed to be the first of a concert tour, but during the concert, Theodorakis suffers recurring respiratory problems. The tour will go on without him.
6 May 1997 Former Indian Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao is indicted for criminal conspiracy and bribery in a vote-buying scheme.
The new Labour government transfers control of interest rates from the government to the Bank of England.
7 May 1997 In its first contested conviction, Dusan Tadic is found guilty of eleven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
9 May 1997 Douglas (Pete) Peterson arrives in Hanoi as the first ambassador of the United States to post-war Vietnam. Peterson was held prisoner for six years during the Vietnam war.
10 May 1997 An earthquake in northeastern Iran kills more than 1,600 people. 200 villages are destroyed and 50,000 are left homeless.
The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four, and Five, an opera by Philip Glass (60) to words of Lessing (tr. Wesnigk), is performed for the first time, in the Stadttheater, Heidelberg.
11 May 1997 Job, an oratorio by Peter Maxwell Davies (62) to words of Lemon after Mitchell’s translation of the Book of Job, is performed for the first time, in Chan Center for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
12 May 1997 A peace treaty is signed by Russian president Boris Yeltsin and President Aslan Maskhadov of Chechnya which renounces the use of force.
Over the next three days, Croat mobs beat 100 Serbs and force them from their homes in central Croatia.
Classical Action Samba for orchestra by William Bolcom (58) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York. Also premiered is “Classical Action” Variation for chamber orchestra by David Del Tredici (60).
14 May 1997 Agreement is reached in Moscow between NATO and Russia allowing NATO to expand into the former Soviet bloc.
Turkish armed forces enter Iraq to battle Turkish Kurds seeking safety there.
15 May 1997 Heroes Symphony by Philip Glass is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.
16 May 1997 After 32 years of power, President Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire steps down in the face of an imminent rebel takeover of the capital, Kinshasa. He will seek exile in Togo. Many members of his government cross the Congo River to safety in Brazzaville.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair lifts the ban on contacts with Sinn Fein.
Alternatim for clarinet, viola, and orchestra by Luciano Berio (71) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.
Balseros, an opera by Robert Ashley (67) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Colony Theatre, Miami Beach.
17 May 1997 As his rebel forces secure Kinshasa, Laurent Kabila names himself head of state and returns the name of Zaire to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Hymn of the Unwaning Light for chorus by John Tavener (53) is performed for the first time, in Sherborne Abbey.
Celebración for orchestra by Karel Husa (75) is performed for the first time, in La Coruna, Spain.
22 May 1997 Dodecaphonia for mezzo-soprano and piano by John Corigliano (59) to words of Adamo is performed for the first time, in Symphony Space, New York.
Allegro Scorrevole for orchestra by Elliott Carter (88) is performed for the first time, in Severance Hall, Cleveland. See 25 April 1998.
23 May 1997 Moderate candidate Mohammed Khatami wins the presidential election in Iran.
The CIA releases documents which reveal their 1954 plan to murder 58 Guatemalan political leaders as part of their scheme to overthrow President Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán.
Galgenlieder à 5, a cycle for mezzo-soprano, flute, percussion, bayan, and double bass by Sofia Gubaidulina (65) to words of Morgenstern, is performed for the first time, in Hannover.
24 May 1997 Taliban forces capture Mazar-i-Sharif and threaten to complete their takeover of Afghanistan.
25 May 1997 Pakistan becomes the first government to recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Voters in Poland approve a new constitution to replace the amended communist constitution of 1952.
Three ballets by Hans Werner Henze (70) are performed for the first time, in Schwetzingen: Labyrinth to a scenario by Baldwin, Le disperazioni del Signor Pulcinella to a scenario by Sivori after Molière (a revision of Jack Pudding), and Le fils de l’air to a story by Cocteau. See 29 May 1952 and 30 December 1950.
26 May 1997 A report by the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group alleges 42 cases of torture and abuse by the security forces of the Palestinian Authority.
27 May 1997 President Boris Yeltsin of Russia and representatives of the 16 nations of NATO sign a mutual cooperation treaty in Paris.
The United States Supreme Court rules in the case of Clinton v. Jones that a sitting president may be sued while holding office.
Avel for computerized sounds by Jean-Claude Risset (59) is performed for the first time, at Radio-France, Paris.
28 May 1997 Northern Alliance forces, bolstered by ethnic Uzbeks, drive the Taliban from Mazar-i-Sharif.
Electronic Music with Sound Scenes from Freitag aus Licht by Karlheinz Stockhausen (68) is performed for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, Köln.
29 May 1997 Laurent Kabila is sworn in as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
30 May 1997 Travelling with Gulliver, a theatre piece by John C. Eaton (62) to his own words after Swift, is performed for the first time, in Boston.
31 May 1997 The Confederation Bridge spanning the 13 km between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick opens to traffic.
1 June 1997 Socialists and their allies on the left regain a majority of seats in the second round of voting for the French National Assembly.
Notre Père for children’s choir by John Tavener (53) is performed for the first time, at Saint-André de Colmar, France.
2 June 1997 A federal jury in Denver convicts Timothy McVeigh on eleven counts stemming from the explosion at the Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995.
National elections in Canada result in a victory for the ruling Liberal Party of Prime Minister Jean Chretien, but with a reduced majority.
3 June 1997 Socialist Lionel Jospin replaces Alain Juppe as Prime Minister of France. His cabinet includes two Communists and one Green Party member.
The first public performance of Study for Player Piano no.30 by Conlon Nancarrow (84) takes place in Cologne.
4 June 1997 And...They’re Off for violin, cello, and piano by Joan Tower (58) is performed for the first time, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
6 June 1997 In Irish parliamentary elections, Fine Gael gains nine seats but its coalition fails. A ruling coalition is formed by Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats.
8 June 1997 Joan Tower (58) makes her conducting debut, at a concert of her works in Halifax.
11 June 1997 Northern Alliance troops take Pul-e-Khumri, 150 km north of Kabul.
Shard for guitar by Elliott Carter (88) is performed for the first time, in Humlebaek, Denmark.
13 June 1997 In a federal court in Denver, Timothy McVeigh is sentenced to death for his part in the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995.
Two popular music entertainers from the group Naughty by Nature are charged in New York with illegal gun possession and reckless driving.
15 June 1997 Double Concerto for violin, viola, and orchestra by Benjamin Britten (†20) is performed for the first time, in Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh, 65 years after it was composed.
18 June 1997 Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan of Turkey resigns under heavy pressure from the military.
20 June 1997 Ex-communist Natsagiin Bagabandi replaces Punsalmaagiyn Ochirbat as President of Mongolia.
An agreement is reached between four tobacco companies and several US states. The tobacco companies are required to pay $365,500,000,000 in damages over 25 years. New, stricter rules are imposed on tobacco marketing and regulation of the industry by the Food and Drug Administration is assured. In exchange, the tobacco companies are immune from many of the legal claims against them.
Meeting in Denver, the Group of Seven industrialized countries formally admits Russia to its number.
Threnody for clarinet and piano by Thea Musgrave (69) is performed for the first time, in Purcell Room, London. Also premiered is Musgrave’s Canta Canta for clarinet, cello, and piano.
Petite sonnerie de juin for horn, trumpet, and trombone by Betsy Jolas (71) is performed for the first time, in Paris.
Between Two Worlds, an opera by Shulamit Ran (47) to words of Kondek after Ansky, is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
21 June 1997 The Cambodian co-premiers announce the capture of Pol Pot, wanted for genocide during the 1970s.
Petra for seven string players (who also sing) by John Tavener (53) is performed for the first time, in Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh.
Schlussgesang for viola and orchestra op.61 by Alexander Goehr (64) is performed for the first time, in Snape Maltings.
22 June 1997 The Magic Fountain, a lyric drama by Frederick Delius (†63) to his own words, is staged for the first time, at the Kiel Opernhaus, 102 years after it was composed. See 20 November 1977.
Glosse for string quartet by Luciano Berio (71) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Municipale Valli, Reggio Emilia.
23 June 1997 Compaq Computer Corp. announces it will buy Tandem Computers, Inc. for $3,000,000,000 in stock.
Excerpts from Three Tales for five singers and ten players with video projections by Steve Reich (60) are performed for the first time, in Bonn State Opera. The videos are by Reich’s wife, Beryl Korot. See 12 May 2002.
A Birthday Card for Hans for mezzo-soprano and ensemble by Peter Maxwell Davies (62) to words of da Ponte is performed for the first time, in St. Magnus Cathedral, Orkney. It was composed to celebrate the 70th birthday of Hans Werner Henze (70).
25 June 1997 Srdja Bozovic replaces Zoran Lilic as President of Yugoslavia ad interim.
A special commission set up by the Peruvian government frees 116 people, finding that they were wrongly convicted of terrorist activities.
The Russian space station Mir collides with an unmanned cargo vessel and loses up to 50% of its power. Three men are aboard the space station at the time.
The Soufrière Hills on Montserrat erupts, killing 19 people and destroying the island’s airport.
26 June 1997 Turkish troops withdraw from northern Iraq after a six-week offensive against Kurdish guerrillas.
Bartholomew Patrick (Bertie) Ahern of Fianna Fail replaces John Gerard Bruton of Fine Gael as Prime Minister of Ireland at the head of a conservative coalition.
The United States Supreme Court, in the cases of Washington v. Glucksberg and Vacco v. Quill, rules that citizens do not have an absolute right to doctor-assisted suicide.
27 June 1997 A peace agreement is signed in Moscow between President Imamali Rakhmanov of Tajikistan and opposition leader Said Abdullah Nuri. It is estimated that as many as 40,000 people may have died in the civil war since 1991. Refugees are estimated at 700,000.
Samaveda for flute, tampura, and soprano by John Tavener (53) is performed for the first time, at the Nehru Center, London.
Toccanta for oboe and harpsichord by Joan Tower (58) is performed for the first time, at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
29 June 1997 Albania’s voters give the Socialist party power and reject the restoration of the monarchy.
30 June 1997 Ahmet Mesut Yilmaz replaces Necmettin Erbakan as Prime Minister of Turkey at the head of a three-party secularist coalition.
1 July 1997 Midnight. Hong Kong is reverted to China after 156 years of British rule. It becomes the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. At dawn, 4,000 Chinese troops enter Hong Kong.
Heaven Earth Mankind (Symphony 1997) for cello, Bianzhong Bells, children’s chorus, cd player, and orchestra by Tan Dun (39) is performed for the first time, in Hong Kong, directed by the composer.
Concerto for clarinet and orchestra op.82 by Robin Holloway (53) is performed for the first time, in King’s School, Canterbury.
Diódia--String Quartet no.3 by John Tavener (53) is performed for the first time, in West Cork, Ireland.
2 July 1997 Vasyl Vasylovych Durdynets replaces Pavlo Ivanovych Lazarenko as Prime Minister of Ukraine.
Jimmy Stewart dies at his home in Beverly Hills, California at the age of 89.
Variations on an Octatonic Scale for recorder and cello by Leonard Bernstein (†6) is performed for the first time, in St. Erin’s Church, Port Erin, Isle of Man.
3 July 1997 The death penalty is abolished in Poland.
Four major US tobacco companies agree to pay the State of Mississippi $3,400,000,000 over 25 years to recoup Medicare costs caused by their products.
4 July 1997 The US space probe Mars Pathfinder lands on Mars in the region of Ares Vallis. It deploys a robotic vehicle to explore the planet.
6 July 1997 Forces of Second Premier Hun Sen oust First Premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh in Cambodia. The Prince left for France two days ago.
For the first time since 1929, the PRI loses its control of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies in elections today. It also loses the mayoralty of Mexico City to Cuauhtemoc Cardenas Solorzano of the Democratic Revolutionary Party.
Aus den Visionen der Hildegard von Bingen for alto by Sofia Gubaidulina (65) is performed for the first time, in Ludwigsburg.
12 July 1997 Love Song for guitar and strings by Peter Sculthorpe (68) is performed for the first time, in Darwin, Northern Territory.
A Spanish policeman who was kidnapped and held hostage by Basque separatists is found shot and wounded in Ermua. He will die tomorrow.
Two bombs explode at tourist hotels in Havana, injuring three people. The government blames Cuban exiles in Florida.
14 July 1997 The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia sentences a Bosnian Serb, Dusan Tadic, to 20 years in prison. Tadic was found guilty of crimes against humanity last May. It is the first contested trial by the tribunal in The Hague.
16 July 1997 Ung Huot replaces Prince Norodom Ranariddh as First Premier of Cambodia.
Valerii Pavlovych Pustovoitenko replaces Vasyl Vasylovych Durdynets as Prime Minister of Ukraine.
19 July 1997 Ahmed Daqamseh, a Jordanian soldier, is sentenced to life in prison by a Jordanian court for killing seven Israeli schoolgirls last March.
The Provisional IRA declares a cease-fire in its war against British rule in Northern Ireland.
Former warlord Charles Taylor is elected President of Liberia.
22 July 1997 The United Nations Children’s Fund issues a report which estimates that over half of the world’s population does not have access to sanitary toilet facilities. About 36% of people have access to a flushable toilet.
23 July 1997 Slobodan Milosevic replaces Srdja Bozovic as President of Yugoslavia.
The Swiss Bankers’ Association publishes 2,000 names on bank accounts opened before World War II but dormant since then. It is part of an effort to return assets of Holocaust victims to their survivors.
Sea-Change for orchestra by Iannis Xenakis (75) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.
24 July 1997 Rexhep Kemal Mejdani replaces Sali Ram Berisha as President of Albania.
Socialist Fatos Thamas Nano replaces Bashkim Muhamet Fino as Prime Minister of Albania.
A team of scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland announce they have cloned a sheep with human genes. It is an attempt to create animals which could help treat human diseases.
25 July 1997 Kocheril Raman Narayanan replaces Shankar Dayal Sharma as President of India. Narayanan is the first Dalit (untouchable) to attain the post.
Orkney Saga I: Fifteen keels laid in Norway for Jerusalem-farers for orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (62) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London the composer conducting.
26 July 1997 Litanei 97 for chorus by Karlheinz Stockhausen (68) is performed for the first time, in Schwäbisch Gmünd.
27 July 1997 20,000 Basques rally in San Sebastian in support of separation from Spain.
30 July 1997 Arab terrorists detonate two bombs in a Jerusalem market, killing 13 people and injuring over 150.
Two scientific teams, one Dutch, one American, announce that they have observed the most distant object ever seen from Earth. It is a galaxy 13,000,000,000 light years away.
31 July 1997 Six men convicted of ethnic massacres are hanged in Burundi.
Two Arab terrorists are arrested in New York City when police raid their apartment. The police find two pipe bombs.
1 August 1997 Svyatoslav Richter dies in Moscow at the age of 82.
The National Cancer Institute reveals that between 10,000 and 75,000 people are at risk of developing thyroid cancer because of nuclear explosions in Nevada between 1951-1962.
2 August 1997 Mobs of Croats near Jajce, Bosnia attack about 500 Moslems who are attempting to return to their prewar homes. One person is killed.
Charles Taylor is sworn in as President of Liberia after seven years of civil war.
Night under the Big Sky for woodwind quintet and piano by Robert Ward (79) is performed for the first time, in Denver.
3 August 1997 Mohammad Khatami-Ardakani replaces Hojatolislam Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as President of Iran.
The Israeli cabinet votes to suspend payment of taxes and customs fees it collects for the Palestinian Authority. Prime Minister Netanyahu says that he would not honor agreements negotiated by the previous government unless the Palestinian Authority takes steps against terrorists.
4 August 1997 The Red Act Arias for speaker, chorus, orchestra, and electronic sound generators by Roger Reynolds (63) to words of Aeschylus (tr. Lattimore) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.
7 August 1997 Guntars Krasts replaces Andris Skele as Prime Minister of Latvia.
10 August 1997 Samuel Conlon Nancarrow dies in Mexico City, aged 84 years, nine months, and 14 days.
11 August 1997 The last Italian soldiers leave Albania. They were sent during unrest this spring.
In a court in New York City, the Palestine Liberation Organization agrees to pay an undisclosed amount to the family of Leon Klinghoffer, who was killed by Arab terrorists on the cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985.
14 August 1997 Albanian army and police forces take control of Vlore, the center of violent opposition to the Tirana government.
A federal judge in Denver formally sentences Timothy McVeigh to death for his part in the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City.
Il Rozzo Martello for chorus by Peter Maxwell Davies (62) to words of Dante and Michelangelo is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
17 August 1997 Five Russian journalists held hostage for over three months are freed by Chechen rebels.
19 August 1997 Arab terrorists fire about 45 rockets into northern Israel from Lebanon.
20 August 1997 Israeli planes attack terrorist bases in Lebanon.
NATO forces raid six buildings in Banja Luka, Bosnia used by secret police loyal to Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic. They find a vast cache of arms.
24 August 1997 Fancy on a Bach Air for cello by John Corigliano (59) is performed for the first time, in Jordan Hall, Boston.
25 August 1997 Egon Krenz, former leader of East Germany, is sentenced in a Berlin court to six years and six months in Günther Kleiber receive three-year sentences for their complicity. The court found Krenz guilty of manslaughter because of his “shoot to kill” order to border guards.
Four US tobacco companies agree to pay the State of Florida $11,300,000,000 over the next 25 years to help recover Medicare costs caused by their product.
28 August 1997 Bosnian Serb supporters of Radovan Karadzic use rocks and fire bombs to attack NATO troops attempting to take control of the police station in Brcko. Two soldiers are injured.
29 August 1997 The British government formally invites Sinn Fein to participate in multiparty peace talks for the province.
Unknown gunmen kill over 300 residents of Rais, a village 25 km south of Algiers. The government blames Islamic militants.
31 August 1997 Diana, Princess of Wales and two others are killed in an automobile accident in Paris. A fourth occupant of the car, her bodyguard, is seriously injured but will survive. The car was being pursued by photographers on motorcycles at the time. French officials report that the driver of the car is legally drunk.
Im Freundschaft for trumpet by Karlheinz Stockhausen (69) is performed for the first time, in Körten.
The Larghetto movement from the Serenade for string orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (63) is performed for the first time, in Lucerne. See 20 August 1996.
4 September 1997 Arab terrorists explode three bombs in a pedestrian mall in Jerusalem. Four people, plus the three bombers, are killed. About 190 are injured.
Three more bombs explode in tourist hotels in Havana. Cuban exiles from the United States are suspected. The bombings are masterminded by ex-CIA operative Luis Posada.
5 September 1997 Mother Teresa dies in Calcutta at the age of 87.
Arab terrorists blunder into an Israeli raid south of Saida (Sidon), Lebanon. Twelve Israelis and two civilians are killed.
Algerian security forces kill 68 people near Chrea. Four candidates for public office are killed near Saida.
Sir Georg Solti dies in Antibes, France at the age of 84.
Spiral by Karlheinz Stockhausen (69) is performed completely for the first time, in Cologne.
6 September 1997 A funeral is held in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales in Westminster Abbey, London. 2,000 people are inside the abbey while about 1,000,000 gather in the vicinity to hear the service on loudspeakers. Approximately 2,000,000,000 view the proceedings on television around the world.
About 100 people are killed by unknown attackers in Beni Messous, west of Algiers.
Two moons of Uranus are discovered by scientists at Mt. Palomar Observatory in California. They will be named Caliban and Gladman and bring to 17 the number of known moons of Uranus.
7 September 1997 A new setting of Gebild for trumpet, percussion, and strings by Wolfgang Rihm (45) is performed for the first time, in Lucerne. See 15 May 1983.
11 September 1997 Voters in Scotland approve, by a 3-1 margin, the creation of a Scottish Parliament. The last Scottish Parliament was dissolved by England in 1707.
Symphony no.9 for chorus and orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (71) to words of Treichel is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
12 September 1997 In a speech to the fifteenth congress of the Communist Party of China, President Jiang Zemin announces that all but about 3,000 of the country’s 300,000 companies will be sold off.
President Mary Robinson of Ireland resigns to become the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. A four-man council takes over until a successor can be elected.
13 September 1997 A string quartet by Wolfgang Rihm (45) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, 29 years after it was composed.
Songs of Milarepa for baritone and chamber orchestra by Philip Glass (60) is performed for the first time, commissioned by Sagra musicale umbra.
14 September 1997 A string quartet in g by Wolfgang Rihm (45) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, 31 years after it was composed.
Echoes of America for clarinet, cello, and piano by Robert Ward (80), is performed for the first time, in Raleigh, North Carolina.
15 September 1997 For the first time, representatives of Sinn Fein take part in multiparty talks on peace in Northern Ireland.
Parliamentary elections in Norway result in a loss for the ruling Labor Party. Right wing parties make gains.
16 September 1997 Tran Duc Luong replaces Le Duc Anh as President of Vietnam. Phan Van Kai replaces Vo Van Kiet as Prime Minister.
17 September 1997 Representatives of 89 countries meeting in Oslo agree to ban the use of land mines. It is estimated that 110,000,000 land mines are currently in the ground around the world. 9,600 people are killed and 14,000 are injured each year by land mines. Refusing to sign the treaty are China, India, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States.
18 September 1997 Taliban forces take the town of Hiratan on the Uzbek border.
US billionaire Ted Turner pledges to donate $1,000,000,000 to the United Nations over the next ten years.
Voters in Wales narrowly approve a Welsh assembly. Only 50.3% of eligible voters take part. It will be the first Welsh assembly since 1494.
Islamic militants attack a tourist bus in Cairo. Nine German passengers and the bus driver are killed.
Verborgene Formen for chamber ensemble by Wolfgang Rihm (45) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
19 September 1997 Talks between North Korea, South Korea, China, and the United States, aimed at a peace treaty for the Korean peninsula collapse after two days.
Fanfare for a new President for band by William Bolcom (59) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
20 September 1997 Apokryph for baritone and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (45) after Büchner is performed for the first time, in Berlin. Also premiered is Rihm’s String Quartet no.10.
21 September 1997 53 civilians are killed by gunmen in Beni-Slimane, south of Algiers.
The 36-party Solidarity Electoral Action coalition gains the most votes in balloting for the Polish Sejm.
22 September 1997 80 hatchet-wielding men invade a neighborhood in Baraki, a suburb of Algiers, and kill about 200 residents, injuring about 100.
23 September 1997 10,000 Turkish troops with 100 tanks and warplanes enter Iraq to battle Kurdish guerrillas.
Around 85 people are killed by persons unknown south of Algiers.
For the first time since the partition of Ireland in the 1920s, the most important Protestant Unionist leader participates in a meeting which includes the leader of Sinn Fein. David Trimble and Gerry Adams meet at the Parliament building in Belfast.
A Gentle Little Fanfare for orchestra by William Bolcom (59) is performed for the first time.
24 September 1997 Two Basque separatist guerrillas are killed in a gun battle with police in Bilbao.
The main Islamic terrorist group in Algeria calls for a cease-fire in its battle with the government.
The conglomerate Travelers Group announces it will purchase Salomon Inc., the holding company of Salomon Brothers Inc. investment bankers. They will merge it with their Smith Barney Holdings to form Salomon Smith Barney Holdings Inc. The purchase price is $9,000,000,000.
25 September 1997 Israeli agents attempt to kill Khaled Meshal, the political leader of Hamas, in Amman by spraying him with a nerve agent. The agents are apprehended by Jordanian authorities.
The FBI releases almost all of its 300-page surveillance file on John Lennon.
Century Rolls, a concerto for piano and orchestra by John Adams (50), is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.
26 September 1997 Two earthquakes strike central Italy, damaging the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Two Franciscan monks and two government surveyors are killed when the roof of the basilica collapses. A fresco by Cimabue and another attributed to Giotto are destroyed. Other priceless art works are damaged.
A court in Düsseldorf convicts Bosnian Serb Nikola Jorgic of the murder of 22 Moslem civilians in Grapska, Bosnia in 1992 as well as other crimes. He is found guilty of eleven counts of genocide and 30 counts of murder and is sentenced to life imprisonment.
Of Things Exactly as they Are for soprano, baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Leon Kirchner (78) to words of various authors is performed for the first time, in Boston.
27 September 1997 The government of Thailand approves a new constitution designed to reform the political system and wipe out corruption.
Ritorno Perpetuo for harpsichord by Sofia Gubaidulina (65) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.
29 September 1997 Turkish warplanes attack Kurds in northern Iraq. At the same time, Iranian warplanes attack camps of an Iranian opposition group inside Iraq.
Roy Lichtenstein dies in New York at the age of 73.
30 September 1997 A coalition of the Socialist Party of Slobodan Milosevic and the Serbian Renewal Party removes Zoran Djindjic as mayor of Belgrade. Also removed are the directors of the city television station. 20,000 people take to the streets to protest the ousters. The rallies are dispersed by riot troops.
1 October 1997 Jordan exchanges the two Israeli agents it apprehended on 25 September for the release of 22 Arab prisoners held by Israel, and Sheik Ahmed Yassin, spiritual leader of the terrorist group Hamas.
A rally by 20,000 ethnic Albanians in Pristina, Kosovo is attacked by Serbian police with tear gas and clubs. The protesters are students who demand classes at Pristina University be held in Albanian, the language of 90% of the Kosovo region.
NATO troops seize four television transmitters in Serb held areas of Bosnia. The transmitters have been used to broadcast inflammatory material.
Smog in Paris is so bad the government invokes emergency clean air laws. About 1,000,000 cars are not allowed into the city. Public transportation is free for commuters.
3 October 1997 Jacob’s Ladder for orchestra by Anthony Davis (46) is performed for the first time, in Kansas City.
Three Delgado Palacios Dances for orchestra by William Bolcom (59) is performed for the first time.
4 October 1997 Hymne an den heiligen Daniel for chorus and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (63) is performed for the first time, in Moscow, directed by the composer.
Niagara Falls for wind ensemble by Michael Daugherty (43) is performed for the first time, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
6 October 1997 Ten Bosnian Croats surrender to the UN war crimes tribunal in Split, Croatia. They are charged with a massacre of Moslems in 1993.
7 October 1997 Scientists at the Space Telescope Science Institute and the University of California at Los Angeles announce that they have seen the Pistol Star with the Hubble Telescope. The Pistol Star is the brightest star yet seen from Earth with energy 10,000,000 times greater than the Sun. It is 25,000 light years from Earth near the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
Sinatra Shag for violin and chamber ensemble by Michael Daugherty (43) is performed for the first time, at Indiana State University, Terre Haute.
Djuro’s Tree, an octaphonic computer music composition by Larry Austin (67), is performed for the first time, at North Carolina State University.
8 October 1997 Kim Jong Il formally takes control of the Korean Workers’ Party in North Korea.
9 October 1997 A Song of War and Victory for orchestra by Arnold Bax (†44) is performed completely for the first time, at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, 92 years after it was composed. See 24 September 1994.
10 October 1997 Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad of Malaysia blames his country’s economic woes on Jews trying to oppress a Moslem country.
Four US tobacco companies settle a lawsuit brought by flight attendants claiming that second-hand smoke has damaged their health. The companies are required to pay $300,000,000 to fund a research center to study diseases related to smoking. In addition, they must pay $49,000,000 to the plaintiffs lawyers.
12 October 1997 Little Fantasia for violin and piano by Henryk Górecki (63) is performed for the first time, in Hannover.
13 October 1997 As two Basque separatist guerrillas plant bombs at the new Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, they are interrupted by two policemen. The guerrillas shoot and mortally wound one policeman. He will die tomorrow. King Juan Carlos is scheduled to appear at the official opening of the museum on 18 October.
Turkish forces withdraw from northern Iraq after attacking Kurdish guerrillas.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, the first such meeting in 76 years.
14 October 1997 Four former coaches of the East German swimming team are charged in a Berlin court with causing bodily harm for giving anabolic steroids to 17 girls between 1974 and 1989.
15 October 1997 A truck bomb explodes in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 18 people are killed and over 100 are injured. Tamil separatists are blamed for the blast.
Cassini, a space probe sent to orbit Saturn, is launched into space by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency.
The Jacobite Rising for vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (63) is performed for the first time, in City Halls, Glasgow the composer conducting.
17 October 1997 Jerzy Karol Buzek replaces Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz as Prime Minister of Poland at the head of a two-party center-right coalition.
Kjell Magne Bondevik of the Christian Democratic Party replaces Thorbjørn Jagland of the Labor Party as Prime Minister of Norway at the head of a three-party minority center-right coalition.
The remains of Ernesto Che Guevara are interred in a mausoleum amidst solemn ceremony in Santa Clara, Cuba. Guevara’s remains were identified in Bolivia last July and transported to Cuba. He was killed in Bolivia on 9 October 1967.
Etude 16 from György Ligeti’s (74) Etudes for piano Book III is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.
Sequenza IXc for bass clarinet by Luciano Berio (71) is performed for the first time, in Turin.
Two Voices--an allegory for orchestra and electronic sound generators by Roger Reynolds (63) is performed for the first time, at the Philadelphia Academy of Music.
18 October 1997 Two works for chorus to Biblical words by Arvo Pärt (62) are performed for the first time, in Karlstad Cathedral, Sweden: Tribute to Caesar and The Woman with the Alabaster Box.
Hymne an den heiligen Adalbert for chorus and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (63) is performed for the first time, in Gdansk, directed by the composer.
19 October 1997 The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain opens to the public. It was designed by Frank Gehry.
Anthemes II for violin and electronic sound generators by Pierre Boulez (72) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.
20 October 1997 US philanthropist George Soros announces he will donate $300,000,000 to $500,000,000 over the next three years to Russia’s health care, education, and social welfare.
22 October 1997 The South Korean government announces it will take over the debt-ridden Kia Motors, Corp.
23 October 1997 Orkney Saga II: In Kirkwall, the first red Saint Magnus Stones for orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (63) is performed for the first time, in New Broadcasting House, Manchester conducted by the composer.
24 October 1997 DC Fanfare for orchestra by John Corigliano (59) is performed for the first time, in Washington.
26 October 1997 Italy implements the Schengen Treaty.
126,000 teachers walk off the job for two weeks in Ontario in the largest teacher strike ever in North America.
27 October 1997 The Dow Jones average drops 554 points, its largest one-day drop so far. For the first time, “circuit breakers” installed in 1987 are triggered.
29 October 1997 Iraq orders all US members of United Nations inspection teams to leave the country.
30 October 1997 Two men accused of attacking a tour bus in Cairo and killing ten people are sentenced to death.
Iraq stops three UN arms inspectors from the US from entering the country.
31 October 1997 Jerzy Karol Buzek replaces Marek Belka as Prime Minister of Poland.
Fanfare for the Free Man for three oboes and three bassoons by John Harbison (58) is performed for the first time, in Boston.
1 November 1997 Shouts for oboe, violin, cello, and piano by TJ Anderson (69) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
2 November 1997 250,000 French truck drivers begin a week-long strike in a pay dispute. They block roads and ports.
3 November 1997 The United States imposes new sanctions on Sudan because of human rights abuses and because it sponsors terrorism.
7 November 1997 Night Mail, for speaker and 16 instrumentalists by Benjamin Britten (†21), to words of Auden, is performed for the first time, in London. It comes from his film score of the same name released in 1936.
Concerto for piano and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (63) is performed for the first time, in the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham.
9 November 1997 Chuan Leekpai replaces Chavalit Yongchaiyudh as Prime Minister of Thailand.
10 November 1997 MCI Communications, Inc. accepts a takeover bid from WorldCom, Inc. for $37,000,000,000. It is the largest corporate merger in United States history. The new company, MCI WorldCom, is the second largest telecommunications company in the United States.
Mir Aimal Kasi, a Pakistani national, is convicted of ten charges in the shooting deaths of two people outside the Central Intelligence Agency in 1993. One of the counts is capital murder. Three other people were injured.
11 November 1997 Mary McAleese becomes President of Ireland, succeeding a four-man commission which took over following the resignation of Mary Robinson in September.
Apolytikion of St. Martin for chorus by John Tavener (53) is performed for the first time, at St.-Martin-in-the-Fields, London.
12 November 1997 Four United States businessmen and their Pakistani driver are shot to death in Karachi by unknown gunmen, apparently in retaliation for the Kasi verdict of two days ago.
The local government in Saratov passes the first legislation in Russia regarding the buying and selling of land.
A federal court in New York finds Ramzi Ahmed Yousef and Eyad Ismoil guilty of conspiracy and explosives charges in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Yousef was the mastermind of the plot. Ismoil drove the truck full of explosives into the underground garage and parked it next to support beams.
13 November 1997 Iraq expels six US members of the UN arms inspections team, forcing them to travel 650 km from Baghdad to the Jordanian border.
14 November 1997 Students clash with police at the University of East Timor in Dili. Two students are killed.
Most of the UN arms inspectors leave Iraq after the country expelled six US members of the team.
Piece for Tape by Conlon Nancarrow (†0) is performed for the first time, in Basel.
16 November 1997 Hungarian voters approve their country’s entry into NATO.
17 November 1997 Six Moslem militants open fire at the Luxor, Egypt tourist site, killing 60 people and injuring 24. Police engage the attackers in a two-hour gun battle. All of the six attackers are killed.
20 November 1997 Russia and Iraq jointly announce that United Nations weapons inspectors may return to Iraq without conditions.
21 November 1997 United Nations arms inspectors return to their duties in Iraq.
22 November 1997 Popular music entertainer Michael Hutchence, lead singer of the Australian group INXS, ingests alcohol, cocaine, and Prozac and then hangs himself in a Sydney hotel room.
Quatuor VI “avec clarinette” for clarinet and string trio by Betsy Jolas (71) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio France.
24 November 1997 Yamaichi Securities announces it is ceasing operations. It will be declared bankrupt in 1999. It is Japan’s largest corporate failure.
26 November 1997 Bent, a film with music by Philip Glass (60), is released in the United States.
The Red Violin: Chaconne for violin and orchestra by John Corigliano (59) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.
Reverie (Reflections on a Hymn Tune) for orchestra by Dominick Argento (70) is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis. It is a reworking of his organ piece Prelude for Easter Dawning.
27 November 1997 The Firearms Act of 1997 is granted royal assent. It effectively bans private ownership of handguns in Great Britain.
28 November 1997 The Congress (I) Party withdraws from the seven-month ruling coalition of Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral causing it to collapse. Gujral resigns.
33 Moslem militants are sentenced to death in an Ankara courtroom for a 1993 attack on a secularist conference in Sivas where 37 people died.
29 November 1997 Histoire naturelle, ou Les roués de la terre for tape by Pierre Henry (69) is performed for the first time, in Salle Olivier Messiaen of Radio France, Paris.
Fear and Rejoice, O People for chorus by John Tavener (53) to words of Mother Thekla and the Orthodox liturgy is performed for the first time, simultaneously at St. John’s College, Cambridge and Winchester Cathedral.
Amistad, an opera by Anthony Davis (46) to words of T. Davis, is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
30 November 1997 Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus resigns amidst charges of campaign finance irregularities.
The mandate for the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti ends. Within a few days, troops from Canada and Pakistan will begin to leave.
O-Mega for percussion and chamber orchestra by Iannis Xenakis (75) is performed for the first time, in Huddersfield, Great Britain.
1 December 1997 The Supreme Court of Spain orders the imprisonment of 23 leading members of Herri Batasuna, the Basque separatist party. They are sentenced to seven years in prison for consorting with terrorists.
A 14-year-old boy opens fire at a high school in Paducah, Kentucky. Three students are killed, five others are injured. He is taken into custody.
Music for the silent film Cenere by Phillip Glass (60) is performed for the first time, in Messina. The music is performed live by the composer and Jon Gibson, saxophone. It will later be made into a soundtrack.
Ballad in Yellow for piano by David Del Tredici (60) is performed for the first time, in New York.
2 December 1997 President Farooq Ahmed Leghari of Pakistan resigns and is succeeded ad interim by Wasim Sajjad.
Cabaret Songs, a cycle for medium voice and piano by William Bolcom (59) to words of Weinstein, is performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street Y, New York.
3 December 1997 Representatives of 121 nations sign a treaty banning the use, stockpiling, producing or exporting of land mines, in Ottawa. The United States, Russia, and China do not sign.
Former Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi is convicted in a Milan court of fraud in the 1989 purchase of a film company by his firm, Fininvest SpA. He is given a 16-month suspended sentence and fined 60,000,000 lire.
5 December 1997 Turkish forces once again enter Iraq to attack Kurdish guerrilla forces.
Leftist Cuauhtemoc Cardenas Solorzano is sworn in as the first democratically elected mayor of Mexico City.
6 December 1997 Dopo La Vittoria for chorus by Arvo Pärt (62) is performed for the first time, in Basilica di San Simpliciano, Milan.
7 December 1997 When Famous Last Words Fail You for voice and orchestra by Robert Ashley (67) is performed for the first time.
8 December 1997 Jenny Shipley replaces Jim Bolger as Prime Minister of New Zealand. Bolger was encouraged to resign by his own party who are concerned about the government’s low opinion ratings.
Union Bank of Switzerland and Swiss Bank Corp. confirm that they plan to merge. The new entity would be the second largest bank in the world, with $590,000,000,000 total assets.
Four Songs on Czech Folk Poetry for voice and piano by Bohuslav Martinu (†38) is performed for the first time, in Prague, on the 107th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
Chansons cachées for piano by George Perle (82) is performed for the first time, in Boston.
10 December 1997 The Parliament of Kazakhstan votes to move the capital from Almaty to Akmola, 1,200 km to the north. The vote is taken in the new capital.
Arianna abbandonata op.58c for tenor and guitar by Alexander Goehr (66) to words of Rinuccini is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of BBC Radio 3. See 14 November 1998.
11 December 1997 An international conference in Kyoto, attended by 150 nations, tentatively agrees on a plan to limit the emission of greenhouse gases. Under the agreement, 38 industrialized countries are required to reduce their greenhouse emissions to below 1990 levels. Developing countries will set voluntary goals. Industrialized nations that create or protect domestic or foreign forests will receive emission credits.
For the first time in 76 years, an Irish republican leader visits 10 Downing St. to speak with the British Prime Minister. Gerry Adams and Tony Blair both call the meeting constructive.
12 December 1997 Cello Concerto by Kevin Volans (48) is performed for the first time, in Munich.
13 December 1997 Idées fixes op.63 for 13 players by Alexander Goehr (65) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
Cellist Étienne Pasquier, who played the famous premiere of Olivier Messiaen’s (†5) Quatour pour la fin du temps, dies at the age of 92 in a nursing home in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris. See 15 January 1941.
14 December 1997 Rain Waves for clarinet, violin, and piano by Joan Tower (59) is performed for the first time, in the Frick Museum, New York.
16 December 1997 Mikis Theodorakis (72) hands over his personal archives to the Lilian Voudouri Music Library at a ceremony in Athens.
17 December 1997 Josef Tosovsky replaces Vaclav Klaus as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic.
18 December 1997 Voters in South Korea elect longtime opposition leader Kim Dae Jung as President.
19 December 1997 Hutus carry out two separate attacks in Rwanda which leave 84 people dead. It is part of worsening ethnic violence surrounding the return of thousands of refugees from the Congo.
21 December 1997 Chiaroscuro for two pianos (a quarter tone apart) by John Corigliano (59) is performed for the first time, in Miami.
22 December 1997 US President Bill Clinton receives a tumultuous welcome as he visits Sarajevo.
A report by the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva notes an “escalation of repression” by the Chinese in Tibet. They say China is engaged in an “all-out war” against the Dalai Lama.
20-25 gunmen with machetes invade the Indian village of Acteal in Chiapas state, Mexico killing 45 residents and wounding at least 25 others. Local officials and other members of the governing PRI party will be charged with the crimes. The village supported Zapatista rebels.
23 December 1997 A federal grand jury in Denver finds Terry Nichols guilty of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter for his part in the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City.
Peter Maxwell Davies (63) arrives at the Rothera Research Station where he will stay one month in preparation to compose an “Antarctic” symphony. The work is commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra and the British Antarctic Survey.
24 December 1997 Toshiro Mifune dies in Mitaka, Japan at the age of 77.
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, aka Carlos the Jackal, is found guilty by a Parisian court of the killing of two French intelligence agents and a Lebanese informant. His career as a “professional revolutionary” led him to several high profile terrorist acts in the 1970s and 1980s.
25 December 1997 Kundun, a film with music by Philip Glass (60), is released in the United States.
29 December 1997 La Kha Phieu Dec replaces Do Muoi as secretary general of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
Turkey announces that it has completed its offensive against Kurds in northern Iraq.
30 December 1997 400 people are killed in several attacks in Algeria on the first day of Ramadan.
31 December 1997 Betsy Jolas (71) is named a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur.
New Year’s Eve celebrations in Strasbourg turn violent when revelers, upset over unemployment, throw firebombs and set many cars afire. The scene is repeated in the suburbs of Paris.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
25 January 2012
Last Updated (Wednesday, 25 January 2012 07:44)