American composer John Cage cut a deep swath through the musical landscape in the last century. To modernists, he was a pioneer, a revolutionary thinker. To traditionalists, he was a madman who wrote baffling music. John Cage was born 100 years ago today. We'll celebrate his centennial with a sample of some of his music, and hear how this philosopher of sound influenced those who came after him.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Richard Strauss: Scherzo from Symphony No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 69
The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Karl Anton Rickenbacher, conductor
John Cage: Piano Sonata No. 5
Pedja Muzijevic, prepared piano
Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, South Carolina
John Cage: Summer, from the Seasons, Ballet in One Act for Orchestra
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor
Ordway Center, St. Paul
John Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
The San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco
The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Nancy Heel from Montezuma, Georgia
Richard Strauss: Don Juan
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Donald Runnicles, conductor
The BBC Proms, London, England
Hour 2
Johann Sebastian Bach: Gavotte from English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808, and Invention No. 13 in A Minor, BWV 784
Renaud Capucon, violin, Gautier Capucon, cello
Ludwig van Beethoven: Egmont Overture, Op. 84
The Revolutionary and Romantic Orchestra, John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
Carnegie Hall, New York City
John Cage: In a Landscape
Brooklyn Rider
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul
Joseph Joachim: Excerpts from Hebrew Melodies, Op. 9
Paul Neubauer, viola, Wu Han, piano
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York City
Robert Schumann: Traumeswirren (Dreams' Confusion), from Fantasiestucke, Op. 12
Martha Argerich, piano
Chopin and his Europe International Music Festival, Warsaw, Poland
Max Bruch: Romance in F for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 85
Renaud Capucon, viola, the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, Daniel Harding, conductor
Verbier Festival and Academy, Verbier, Switzerland
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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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