When Second-Best is Best

Germaine Tailleferre was determined to be a musician, and her father tried to stop her. She rebelled so completely that she even changed her name and went on to a 70-year career as a composer. We'll hear the String Quartet by French composer Germaine Tailleferre on today's show.

Composer Conni Ellisor understands that the desire to belong sometimes needs a reminder. Her personal refrain—"I have a right to be here"—serves as the basis of an orchestral piece she debuted in 2024. On today's show, we’ll hear JoAnn Falletta lead Houston’s ROCO in a performance of A Woman Without Apology by Conni Ellisor.

In Greek mythology, a wild bull named Cerus is turned into a constellation by the goddess Persephone. It's a story of chaos tamed into beauty. Similarly, the Cerus Quartet aims to reimagine the wily saxophone as a symbol of beauty and expressive depth. On today's show, we'll hear the Cerus Quartet perform Joan Perez-Villegas's 'Solo el misterio' at a recent concert in Interlochen, Michigan.

Gustav Mahler spent years revising his Symphony No. 1. At first, he provided detailed titles and program notes to help his audience understand the work; however, he eventually withdrew them, leaving the interpretations open to the listener. On today's show, conductor Marin Alsop and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra perform the opening movement from Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1.

Pianist and composer Stephen Hough took a twenty-year break from composing until a nudge from John Corigliano brought him back to the page. Now, Hough says he’s abandoned the pressure to be perfect, writing "nonstop" for the pure joy of creating. We’ll hear him perform his 2019 Partita on today’s show, recorded live at Spivey Hall in Morrow, Georgia.

During a time when Soviet officials sidelined her work for being "irresponsible" and religious, Sofia Gubaidulina found a kindred spirit in an unlikely place: a piece of chalk. In her story, the chalk dreams of drawing castles instead of classroom geometry—a metaphor for Gubaidulina’s own resilience as a composer. On today’s show, Andris Poga conducts the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Gubaidulina’s Marchen-Poem (Fairytale Poem).

On today's show, we explore the fascinating career of German composer Emilie Mayer. Join us at a concert in Houston for a ROCO performance of Mayer's Symphony No. 4, a piece she composed in 1850 that was only recently reconstructed by German composer and arranger Andreas Tarkmann.

Composer Jennifer Higdon wrote 'blue cathedral' in 2000. It was inspired by an imaginary vision of a glass cathedral in the sky. We'll take you to the Grand Teton Music Festival for a musical journey to Higdon’s ‘blue cathedral’ on today's show.

The nominating period for the 2026 Classical Woman of the Year has now closed. Stay tuned to find out who will be selected by the Performance Today team in late March!

French composer Jean Cras was from Brittany, that large, rocky peninsula directly west of Normandy. Brittany's history is deeply connected to the Celtic world, and Cras’s music often reflects a Celtic sensibility, the sounds of the sea, and the rhythms of the old world. Today, we'll hear the Black Oak Ensemble perform Jean Cras’s playful and inventive String Trio at a concert hosted by the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, Florida.