The 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is heading down the homestretch. We began two weeks ago with 30 pianists. Now we are down to six finalists. The judges will pick a winner Sunday night. For the first time since 1997, there is an American among the finalists: Sean Chen. On Thursday's Performance Today, we'll hear a highlight from the first round of the competition performed by the 24 year-old pianist from Los Angeles.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Dimitri Shostakovich: Preludes and Fugues Op. 87 (arr. Eduard Wesly) - Fugue from No. 4 in E Minor
Calefax Reed Ensemble
Johannes Brahms: Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 21, No. 1.
Sean Chen, piano
Bass Hall, Fort Worth, Texas - Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 2013
Leos Janacek: On the Overgrown Path, Book I, JW VIII/17 (1901-1908) - No. 7 Good Night, No. 10. The Barn Owl has not Flown Away
Calefax Reed Quintet; Geert Bierling, harmonium
De Doelen, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Philippe Gaubert: Les Chants de la Mer
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY
Hour 2
Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty - Waltz
New York Philharmonic' Kurt Masur, conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach: Violin Concerto in g minor, BWV 1056b
Arco Ensemble; Elmar Oliveira, violin/conductor
Eugene Shelley Enlow Recital Hall, Kean University, Union, NJ
Dmitri Shostakovich: 24 Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87 - Prelude & Fugue No. 5 in D Major, Prelude & Fugue No. 7 in A Major
Alexander Melnikov, piano
Johann Sebastian Bach: WTC, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 20
Till Fellner, piano
Gustav Mahler: Blumine (Bouquet of Flowers), symphonic movement
New York Philharmonic ; Alan Gilbert, conductor
Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York, NY
Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto for Two Violins in d minor, BWV 1043
Arco Ensemble; Elmar Oliveira, violin/conductor; Eva Gruesser, violin
Eugene Shelley Enlow Recital Hall, Kean University, Union, NJ
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About Performance Today®
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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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