In the spring of 1873, composer Giuseppe Verdi went to Naples to oversee a production of his opera, Aida. The star soprano got sick, and Verdi was forced to postpone rehearsals. He had some free time, so he tried something he hadn't done before...he wrote a string quartet. His friends really liked it, but Verdi was more skeptical. It was his only string quartet but has stood the test of time. On Tuesday's Performance Today, the Afiara String Quartet plays the String Quartet by Giusseppe Verdi, from a concert in Montreal.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Bedrich Smetana: Memories of Bohemia in the form of a Polka
Peter Schmalfuss, piano
Bedrich Smetana - Works for Piano
Thorofon 2005
Ludwig van Beethoven: Egmont Overture, Op. 84
IRIS Orchestra; Michael Stern, conductor
Germantown Performing Arts Center, Germantown, TN
Jacques Ibert: Three Short Pieces
Mimi Stillman, flute; Samuel Nemec, oboe; JJ Koh, clarinet; Catherine Chen, bassoon; Phillip Browne, horn
Lake George Music Festival, St James Episcopal Church, Lake George, NY
Bedrich Smetana: Piano Trio, Op. 15
Eroica Trio: Erika Nickrenz, piano; Sara Parkins, violin; Sara Sant'Ambrogio, cello
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
Hour 2
Gabriel Faure: Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13: 4. Allegro quasi presto
Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Kathryn Stott, piano
Paris La Belle Epoque - Faure, Massenet, Ma, Stott
Sony 87287
Darius Milhaud: Suite Francaise
University of Texas Wind Ensemble; Jerry Junkin, conductor
Bates Recital Hall, Butler School of Music, University of Texas, Austin, TX
Giuseppe Verdi: String Quartet in E minor: Movements 2 & 3
Afiara String Quartet: Valerie Li, violin; Yuri Cho, violin; David Samuel, viola; Adrian Fung, cello
Montreal Chamber Music Festival, St. James United Church, Montreal, Canada
Gabriel Faure: Dolly Suite, Op. 56
Anna Petrova, piano; Josu de Solaun, piano
Virginia Arts Festival, Trinity Episcopal Church, Portsmouth, VA
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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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