Pianist Imogen Cooper calls Beethoven's "Tempest" Sonata "a deeply disturbing work." From the enigmatic opening bars where Beethoven draws us into a mysterious world, to the ambiguous ending, he takes us through a whole range of conflicting emotions. Cooper confesses that playing this piece sometimes leaves her feeling shaken. Today she joins host Fred Child in the PT studios for conversation and a performance of Beethoven's "Tempest" Sonata.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Franz Schubert: Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915
Imogen Cooper, piano
Maurice Ravel: Alborada del Gracioso
The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Antony Hermus, conductor
Vredenburg Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Darius Milhaud: Clair, from Sonatina, Op. 76
Marina Piccinini, flute, the Brasil Guitar Duo
Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, Colorado
Perfchat with Imogen Cooper: Perfchat
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17, Op. 31, No. 2 (Tempest)
Imogen Cooper, piano
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul
Johann Sebastian Bach: Siciliano from Flute Sonata in E-flat, BWV 1031 (arranged for violin and harp)
Lara St. John, violin, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, harp
Lyon & Healy Hall, Chicago
Hour 2
Jan Dismas Zelenka: Second movement from Trio Sonata No. 1 in F, ZWV 181
Heinz Holliger and Maurice Bourgue, oboes, Klaus Thunemann, bassoon, Christiane Jaccottet, harpsichord
Mark O'Connor: Musicopia
Mark O'Connor, violin
Kulas Hall, Cleveland
Traditional (Arranged by James Erb): Shenandoah
The St. Olaf Choir, Anton Armstrong, director
Boe Memorial Chapel, Northfield, Minnesota
Heinz Holliger: Glowing Black, after Debussy's the Evenings Illuminated by the Glowing Coal
The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michel Tabachnik, conductor
Lucerne Summer Festival, Lucerne, Switzerland
Claude Debussy: La Mer (the Sea)
The London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev, conductor
Aix-en-Provence Festival, Aix-en-Provence, France
Michael Nyman: Songs for Tony
The Amstel Saxophone Quartet
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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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