The average worker in this country changes careers 3 to 5 times over the course of lifetime. Musicians tend to be far below that average. With the intense amount of time and energy invested in getting a job, few are inclined to walk away from it. But it's not unheard of. In today's show, the story of cellist Susanna Malkki, who gave up a big orchestra job and became conductor Susanna Malkki. She leads a performance of Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" from a concert in London.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Bedrich Smetana: The Dance of the Villagers, from the Bartered Bride
The London Symphony Orchestra, Geoffrey Simon, conductor
Rodion Shchedrin: Humoreske
Denis Matsuev, piano
Verbier Festival and Academy, Verbier, Switzerland
Francois Couperin: Allemande
Trio Settecento
Sheldon Museum of Art, Lincoln, Nebraska
Georg Philipp Telemann: Largo, from Fantasy No. 1 in B flat, TWV 40:14
Komale Akakpo, hammered dulcimer
Witold Lutoslawski Concert Studio, Warsaw, Poland
Giuseppe Giamberti: Ballo di Mantova
Clematis, Leonardo Garcia-Alarcon, director and harpsichord
Roisin Summer Music Festival, Roisin, Belgium
Bedrich Smetana: String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor (From My Life) (arranged for orchestra)
The BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jiri Belohlavek, conductor
The BBC Proms, London, England
Hour 2
Joseph Haydn: Rondo from Piano Sonata No. 35 in A-flat, Hob. XVI:43
Emanuel Ax, piano
Agustin Barrios: Third movement from La Catedral (the Cathedral)
Sharon Isbin, guitar
Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, Colorado
Sergei Prokofiev: Suite No.1 from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64bis
The Philharmonia Orchestra, Susanna Malkki, conductor
The BBC Proms, London, England
Joseph Haydn: Keyboard Sonata in F Minor, Hob. XVII:6
Emanuel Ax, piano
Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth, Texas
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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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