Ballet can be a wonderful medium for drama and story-telling. It can also be a pure, unbridled celebration of the human body, about grace and speed and athleticism. We've got both sides covered in today's show. Sergei Prokofiev set Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" to music, focusing on the conflict and tragedy of the story. And Alberto Ginastera's ballet "Estancia" is a high-energy tribute to the cowboys of his native Argentina. We'll hear highlights from both ballets, from concerts in Germany and Brazil.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Sergei Prokofiev: The End of the Fairy Tale, from Cinderella, Op. 110
The Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi, conductor
Luigi Boccherini: Introduction and Fandango
The Zamfirescu Guitar Trio
Mihail Jora Concert Hall, Bucharest, Romania
Nikolai Medtner: Excerpts from Fairy Tales
Daniil Trifonov, piano
Fraser Performance Studio, Boston
Jaakko Mantyjarvi: Die Stimme des Kindes
Chanticleer, Dale Warland, director
St. Vincent de Paul Church, Petaluma, California
Sergei Prokofiev: Excerpts from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64, Suites No. 1 (Op. 64bis) and 2 (Op. 64ter)
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Kurt Masur, conductor
Gewandhaus, Leipzig, Germany
Hour 2
Alberto Ginastera: Claro de luna sobre el Parana (Moonlight on the Parana), from Panambi
The London Symphony Orchestra, Gisele Ben-Dor, conductor
Joseph Haydn: String Quartet No. 45 in A, Op. 55, No. 1, Hob. III:60
Lily Francis and Itamar Zorman, violins, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola, Paul Wiancko, cello
Musicians from Marlboro, Boston
Traditional (arranged by Yolanda Kondonassis): Masters in the Hall and O Sleep, My Pretty Baby
Yolanda Kondonassis, harp
Carlos Salzedo: Chanson dans la Nuit (Song in the Night)
Yolanda Kondonassis, harp
Spivey Hall, Morrow, Georgia
Traditional Swedish: Halleforsnasnarn
Ensemble Galilei
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Alberto Ginastera: Four Dances from Estancia, Op. 8a
The Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop, conductor
Concert Hall, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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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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