Gustav Mahler's massive Fifth Symphony rages on for over an hour. But in the middle of that storm, there's a 10-minute oasis of calm. The Adagietto from Mahler's Fifth has been used for everything from funerals for heads of state to Olympic skating routines. Most people hear it as an outpouring of grief, but some say there's much more to it than that. In today's show, the story behind Mahler's Adagietto and a performance by the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Nino Rota: Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet
Bettine Clemen, flute, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Francois Dompierre: Les Beautes du Diable (the Devil's Beauties)
The Windham Festival Chamber Orchestra, Robert Manno, conductor
Windham Chamber Music Festival, Windham, New York
Ennio Morricone: Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso
Ekachai Jearakul, guitar
JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition, Buffalo, New York
The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Ruth Eldredge from Provo, Utah
Nino Rota: La Strada Suite
The Berlin Philharmonic, Riccardo Chailly, conductor
Waldbuhne, Berlin, Germany
Hour 2
Johann Sebastian Bach: Adagio from Triple Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1044
Richard Tognetti, violin and leader, Alison Mitchell, flute, Angela Hewitt, piano, the Australian Chamber Orchestra
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Third movement from Symphony No. 31 in D, K. 297 (Paris)
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Scott Yoo, conductor
Ordway Center, St. Paul
Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Septet in D Minor, Op. 74
Musicians from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Alice Tully Hall, New York City
Gustav Mahler: Adagietto from Symphony No. 5
The Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti, violin and leader
Leighton Concert Hall, South Bend, Indiana
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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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