In a 1980 interview with NPR, composer Aaron Copland chuckled when he talked about misconceptions people have about his ballet, "Appalachian Spring.""I was not thinking about the Appalachian Mountains when I wrote it. People are very disappointed to hear me say that." In today's show, the story of how the "Ballet for Martha" became "Appalachian Spring," and a performance by the Knights in Stillwater, Minnesota. Plus, Bruce Adolphe stops by for a new Piano Puzzler.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Aaron Copland: Saturday Night Waltz, from Rodeo
The London Symphony Orchestra, Aaron Copland, conductor
Mikhail Glinka: Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila
The Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Ari Rasilainen, conductor
Radio Concert Hall, Oslo, Norway
The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestants are Dick and Serena LaVine from New York City
Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring
The Knights, Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Stillwater Music Festival, Stillwater, Minnesota
Hour 2
Josef Suk: Ballade in D Minor, Op. 3, No. 1
The Suk Quartet
Astor Piazzolla: Oblivion
Nicolas Altstaedt, cello, Jose Gallardo, piano
Lucerne Summer Festival, Lucerne, Switzerland
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Phantasy Quintet for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello
Musicians from the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, Bridgehampton, New York
Josef Suk: Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra in G Minor, Op. 24
Michael Ludwig, violin, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, New York
Fazil Say: Alla Turca Jazz, Fantasia on the Rondo from Mozart's Sonata in A, K. 331
Fazil Say, piano
Schwetzingen Festival, Schwetzingen, Germany
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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.
Hosted by Valerie Kahler, 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.
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