This is one of a series of postings of important classical music dates, from the 17th century to the present. Included are the date and location of the birth and death of composers, and the premiere date and location of the first public performance of works. When the premiere date and location is unknown, the date or year of completion of the work is given. Though reasonably comprehensive, this is a subjective list, so the choice of composers and works is mine. If you find any errors, or if you can offer a premiere date and location for a work where only the completion date or year is listed, please post a comment here.
1950
Gyula Dávid (1913-1977) completed the Viola Concerto
January 6 – Piano Concerto in C♯ minor, FP 146 by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) was first performed in Boston, Massachusetts
March 1 – Cello Sonata in C major, op. 119 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
April 3 – Kurt Weill (1900-1950) died in New York, New York
May 22 – Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was first performed in London, England
1951
Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) completed The Phantom Regiment
April 14 – English Dances, op. 27 by Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006) was first performed in London, England
August 21 – Constant Lambert (1905-1951) died in London, England
October 23 – Symphony No. 3 in B minor by Borys Lyatoshynsky (1895-1968) was first performed in Kyiv, Ukraine
1952
January 26 – Taras Bulba, ballet in four acts, op. 92 by Reinhold Glière (1875-1956) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
May 3 – Romance in D♭ major for harmonica and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in New York, New York
July 13 – Alla Pavlova (1952-) was born in Vinnytsia, Ukraine
October 11 – Symphony No. 7 in C♯ minor, op. 131 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
1953
Heino Eller (1887-1970) completed Five Pieces for String Orchestra
January 14 – Symphony No. 7, “Sinfonia Antartica”, by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in Manchester, England
March 5 – Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) died in Moscow, Russia
April 11 – Concerto Grosso No. 2 for string orchestra by Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) was first performed in London, England
August 22 – Soleriana by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was first performed in Berlin, Germany
November 13 – String Quartet No. 5 in B♭ major, op. 92 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
December 17 – Symphony No. 10 in E minor, op. 93 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
1954
Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) completed The First Day of Spring
February 12 – The Stone Flower, ballet, op. 118 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
March 5 – Jack Stamp (1954-) was born in College Park, Maryland
April 3 – Elisabetta Brusa (1954-) was born in Milan, Italy
November 6 – Festive Overture in A major, op. 96 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
November 8 – Concertino in A minor for two pianos, op. 94 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
November 8 – Tarantella for Two Pianos by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
1955
January 15 – From Jewish Folk Poetry, op. 79 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) received its first public performance in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
May 4 – George Enescu (1881-1955) died in Paris, France
October 31 – Symphony No. 2, “Mysterious Mountain”, op. 132 by Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000) was first performed in Houston, Texas
1956
April 30 – Sextet in B♭ for piano and winds, op. 6 by Gordon Jacob (1895-1984) was first performed in London, England
June 23 – Reinhold Glière (1875-1956) died in Moscow, Russia
August 30 – Aita Donostia (1886-1956) died in Lecároz, Navarre, Spain
September 5 – Piano Concerto No. 4 in B♭ major for the left hand, op. 53 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Berlin, Germany
October 17 – Symphony No. 4 in C major, op. 54 by Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904-1987) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
December 1 – Candide, operetta with music by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), was first performed in New York, New York
December 27 – Spartacus, ballet by Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
1957
Lars-Erik Larsson (1908-1986) completed Concertino for Clarinet and String Orchestra, op. 45, no. 3
Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006) completed Commonwealth Christmas Overture, op. 64
January 26 – Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) received its first concert performance in New York, New York
May 10 – Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, op. 102, (Piano Concerto No. 2) by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
June 18 – Sonata for Flute and Piano, FP 164 by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) was first performed in Strasbourg, France
September 20 – Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) died in Järvenpää, Finland
September 26 – West Side Story, musical with music by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), was first performed in New York, New York
October 30 – Symphony No. 11 in G minor, “The Year 1905”, op. 103 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
November 4 – Joseph Canteloube (1879-1957) died in Grigny, France
November 4 – Elena Kats-Chernin (1957-) was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
November 29 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) died in Los Angeles, California
1958
Vittorio Giannini (1903-1966) completed Symphony No. 3 for symphonic band
Alec Wilder (1907-1980) completed Woodwind Quintet No. 3
March 5 – Fantasía para un gentilhombre, concerto for guitar and orchestra, by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was first performed in San Francisco, California
August 21 – Stevan Hristić (1885-1958) died in Belgrade, Serbia
August 26 – Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) died in London, England
December 4 – Symphonie de danses by Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur (1908-2002) was first performed in Paris, France
1959
Trevor Duncan (1924-2005) completed The Girl from Corsica
Veljo Tormis (1930-2017) completed Overture No. 2
February 12 – George Antheil (1900-1959) died in New York, New York
July 15 – Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) died in Portland, Oregon
August 26 – Symphony No. 4 by William Alwyn (1905-1985) was first performed in London, England
August 28 – Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) died in Liestal, Switzerland
November 16 – The Sound of Music, musical with music by Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) and lyrics by Oscar Hammarstein II (1895-1960) premiered in New York, New York
November 17 – Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil