Poster Benjamin Grosvenor
Benjamin Grosvenor
Courtesy of the Artist
Performance Today®

Highlights from the Proms

Benjamin Grosvenor was born in 1992 in a town just outside London. Everyone assumed that he would follow family tradition and play the piano. No one expected that he would perform in front of thousands at the BBC Proms in London. On Performance Today, we'll hear Grosvenor's second star turn at the Proms with a concerto by Camille Saint-Saens. And Brian Newhouse will preview the famous Last Night of the Proms concert he's hosting this weekend.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Nicolai Kapustin: Concert Etude No. 6 (Pastoral)
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
The Frederic Chopin Society, St. Paul

Franz Liszt: En Reve (Dreaming), S. 207
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: The Procession of the Nobles, from Mlada
The Dallas Wind Symphony, Jerry Junkin, conductor
Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas

Marc-Andre Hamelin: Etude No. 2 in E Minor (Coma Berenices)
Marc-Andre Hamelin

Ronn Yedidia: Nocturne
Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet, Ronn Yedidia, piano

Camille Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit, conductor
The BBC Proms, London, England

Camille Saint-Saens: The Swan, from the Carnival of the Animals
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
The BBC Proms, London, England

Hour 2

Benjamin Britten: The Bitter Withy and Hunt the Squirrel, from Suite on English Folk Tunes
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Paul Goodwin, conductor
Ordway Center for the Arts, St. Paul

Michael Gandolfi: The Jumping Bridge, from the Garden of Cosmic Speculation
The Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, George Manahan, conductor
Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, Colorado

Christopher Cerrone: That Night With the Green Sky
Mellissa Hughes, soprano, Thomas Bagwell, piano
Gurari Studios, New York City

Aaron Copland: Billy the Kid
The San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco

Benjamin Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
The San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco

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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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