Poster Imogen Cooper
Imogen Cooper
Sussie Ahlburg
Performance Today®

The Tempest

Pianist Imogen Cooper calls Beethoven's "Tempest" Sonata "a deeply disturbing work." From the enigmatic opening bars where Beethoven draws us into a mysterious world, to the ambiguous ending, he takes us through a whole range of conflicting emotions. Cooper confesses that playing this piece sometimes leaves her feeling shaken. Today she joins host Fred Child in the PT studios for conversation and a performance of Beethoven's "Tempest" Sonata.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Franz Schubert: Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915
Imogen Cooper, piano

Maurice Ravel: Alborada del Gracioso
The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Antony Hermus, conductor
Vredenburg Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht, the Netherlands

Darius Milhaud: Clair, from Sonatina, Op. 76
Marina Piccinini, flute, the Brasil Guitar Duo
Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, Colorado

Perfchat with Imogen Cooper: Perfchat

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17, Op. 31, No. 2 (Tempest)
Imogen Cooper, piano
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul

Johann Sebastian Bach: Siciliano from Flute Sonata in E-flat, BWV 1031 (arranged for violin and harp)
Lara St. John, violin, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, harp
Lyon & Healy Hall, Chicago

Hour 2

Jan Dismas Zelenka: Second movement from Trio Sonata No. 1 in F, ZWV 181
Heinz Holliger and Maurice Bourgue, oboes, Klaus Thunemann, bassoon, Christiane Jaccottet, harpsichord

Mark O'Connor: Musicopia
Mark O'Connor, violin
Kulas Hall, Cleveland

Traditional (Arranged by James Erb): Shenandoah
The St. Olaf Choir, Anton Armstrong, director
Boe Memorial Chapel, Northfield, Minnesota

Heinz Holliger: Glowing Black, after Debussy's the Evenings Illuminated by the Glowing Coal
The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michel Tabachnik, conductor
Lucerne Summer Festival, Lucerne, Switzerland

Claude Debussy: La Mer (the Sea)
The London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev, conductor
Aix-en-Provence Festival, Aix-en-Provence, France

Michael Nyman: Songs for Tony
The Amstel Saxophone Quartet

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