Beethoven's Missa Solemnis (Solemn Mass) isn't so much a declaration of piety as it is a battle with the Almighty. It's massive. It's unsettling, even thorny in places. Just like the composer himself. Sir Colin Davis led a performance several weeks ago at the BBC Proms in London. We'll hear highlights in today's show. Plus, Sergei Prokofiev's homage to Haydn, his Classical Symphony.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Frank Bridge: The Dew Fairy and Heart's Ease
Stephen Hough, piano
Johann Sebastian Bach: Sarabande from Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
The BBC Proms, London, England
Ludwig van Beethoven: Excerpts from Mass in D, Op. 123 (Missa Solemnis)
The London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir, soloists, Colin Davis, conductor
The BBC Proms, London, England
William Walton: Touch Her Soft Lips and Part, from Henry V
A Far Cry
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Henry Purcell: Scotch Tune
Solamente Naturali
Boston Early Music Festival, Boston
Frank Bridge: Sir Roger de Coverley
The New Century Chamber Orchestra, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, director
Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, San Rafael, California
Hour 2
Louis Moreau Gottschalk: Gypsy Song
Philip Martin, piano
Jean-Fery Rebel: The Characters of the Dance
Tempesta di Mare
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia
Joseph Haydn: Keyboard Trio No. 25 in G, Hob.XV:25 (Gypsy Rondo)
Wu Han, piano, Gil Shaham, violin, David Finckel, cello
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York City
Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D, Op. 25 (Classical)
The London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev, conductor
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.
Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.
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