When he was in his late 50s, Finnish composer Jean Sibelius' creative well was running dry. If only Sibelius himself could have dried out, he might have written more. An alcohol-fueled depression seemed to be at the root of the problem. In today's show a fellow Finn, conductor Osmo Vanska, leads the Minnesota Orchestra in Sibelius' final major work, his Symphony Number 6.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Robert Schumann: Romanze from Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink, conductor
Bedrich Smetana: Aus der Heimat (From My Native Land)
Ida Levin, violin, Anton Nel, piano
Seattle Chamber Music Society, Seattle
Peter Tchaikovsky and Guy Braunstein: Fantasy on Lensky's Aria
Emmanuel Pahud, flute, the German Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, Thomas Sondergaard, conductor
Die Glocke, Bremen, Germany
The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Elizabeth Bird from Bozeman, Montana
Johannes Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, Op. 56a
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Bernard Haitink, conductor
Lucerne Festival, Lucerne, Switzerland
Hour 2
Edvard Grieg: Homeward Journey and In the Hall of the Mountain King, from Peer Gynt
The Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vanska, conductor
Georg Philipp Telemann: Sonata for Flute and Oboe
Jennifer Grim, flute, Melvin Kaplan, oboe
Beaches Fine Arts Series, Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 104
The Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vanska, conductor
Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis
Franz Schubert: Adagio and Rondo Concertante in F, D. 487
Arnaud Sussmann, violin, Misha Amory, viola, Edward Arron, cello, Jeewon Park, piano
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, Bridgehampton, New York
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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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