Dante's "Inferno" tells the story of Dante's journey to hell, guided by the poet Virgil. He visits the nine circles of hell, and sees all the suffering souls there. At the second circle, a woman named Francesca da Rimini tells Dante her story of her love for Paolo, her marriage to Paolo's evil brother, and the adulterous affair that ensued. Tchaikovsky's tone poem, "Francesca da Rimini," paints vivid pictures of swirling windstorms, remembered love, and eternal, unfulfilled longing. David Robertson leads the BBC Symphony in a performance, from a recent Proms concert.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Franz Schubert: "The Linden Tree"
Pianist Frederic Chiu
Ernest Bloch: "Prayer"
Cellist Daniel Muller-Schott
Philharmonie Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Peter Tchaikovsky: Concert Fantasy in G, Op. 56
Pianist Stephen Hough with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor David Robertson
The BBC Proms, London, England
Alexander Tcherepnin: Two Bagatelles for Piano, Op. 5
Pianist Frederic Chiu
Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Studio, New York City
Claude Debussy: "Sacred and Profane Dances" for Harp and Strings
Harpist June Han with members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Studio, New York City
Hour 2
Paul Schoenfield: Two Motets
The BBC Singers with conductor Avner Itai
John Playford: "Spanish Jeepsie"
The Imago Mundi Early Music Ensemble
George Enescu Concert Hall, Bucharest, Romania
Gwilym Simcock: "Contours"
Pianist Gwilym Simcock with the Aronowitz Ensemble
The BBC Proms, London, England
Peter Tchaikovsky: "Francesca da Rimini," Op. 32
The BBC Symphony Orchestra with conductor David Robertson
The BBC Proms, London, England
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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.
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