Two Great Concertos, Two Great Pianists

After thirty years of performing in the United States, Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto announced a hiatus from all American engagements due to ethical objections to the country's current political leadership. Citing a commitment to peace and equal rights, Kuusisto no longer feels comfortable paying federal taxes that fund government actions he does not support. For now, he remains connected to audiences abroad. In today's episode, we'll take you to a concert in Switzerland to hear Kuusisto and the Basel Sinfonietta perform "The Lark Ascending" by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Join us today to hear Brian Raphael Nabors' orchestral work Upon Daybreak. Inspired by Maya Angelou's poem "A Brave and Startling Truth," Nabors explores the sound of a world free of hatred. ROCO performs this "ode of triumph" in concert on the campus of Rice University in Houston.

Although Louise Farrenc was the only woman to hold a permanent position at the Paris Conservatory in the 19th century, her Symphony No. 2 demonstrates that her compositional talent rivaled that of the most renowned male composers of her time. Join us today as Nil Venditti leads the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra in a recent performance of Farrenc’s Symphony No. 2.

In 2020, Joel Thompson composed a piano work inspired by the words of James Baldwin. The piece reimagines the national anthem to reflect on the gap between American ideals and reality. On today's show, pianist Michelle Cann performs Joel Thompson's My Dungeon Shook at a concert presented by Spivey Hall in Morrow, Georgia.

Violinist James Ehnes says the first movement of Jean Sibelius's Violin Concerto feels like a conversation. It's as if someone is about to divulge something important—they may not know HOW to say it, or even if they WANT to tell you, but they're going to tell you anyway. To Ehnes, it feels like a hesitant yet necessary conversation, as if the music is finally revealing a long-held secret. In today's episode, Thomas Søndergård leads the Minnesota Orchestra, with soloist James Ehnes, in Jean Sibelius's Violin Concerto.

Cellist Alban Gerhardt grew up inspired by the warmth of his mother’s soprano voice, yet he finds his own vocal expression in the strings of his cello. Join us today to hear Gerhardt perform Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s Cello Concerto with the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Delyana Lazarova.

Today, we're highlighting a piece inspired by a composer's experience of moving alone to a new city at age 18, exploring the human ability to adapt. Tune in to hear Danielle Eva Schwob's evocative work Breathing Underwater, performed by members of the Merian Ensemble in Atlanta, Georgia.

Jeannette Sorrell founded the early music group Apollo's Fire back in 1992... and that fire is still burning hot. We'll hear Apollo's Fire at a concert in Cleveland on this episode of Performance Today.

Today, we'll enter the world of dreams with highlights from Sergei Prokofiev's ballet, Cinderella. Conductor Elim Chan leads the Basel Symphony Orchestra in a suite she arranged herself, capturing the poetic romance at the heart of this timeless story.

Cellist Alban Gerhardt grew up inspired by the warmth of his mother’s soprano voice, yet he finds his own vocal expression in the strings of his cello. Join us today to hear Gerhardt perform Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s Cello Concerto with the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Delyana Lazarova.