So you took that great trip to Europe or to Hawaii or to the ski slopes. And now you're left with a faded T-shirt or a shake-up snow globe that doesn't even begin to capture the sights and the sounds of your dream vacation. Photos can help you remember what everything looked like. But what about the sounds you heard, the foreign languages, the street noises, the music? We'll hear from two composers who solved that problem. Today's show is all about musical souvenirs: Tchaikovsky's "Capriccio Italien," written during a trip to Rome, and Gershwin's "An American in Paris," inspired by his trip to the City of Light.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Felix Mendelssohn: Scherzo from Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 (Scottish)
The Vienna Philharmonic, Christoph von Dohnanyi, conductor
Michael Gandolfi: The Jumping Bridge, from the Garden of Cosmic Speculation
The Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, George Manahan, conductor
Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, Colorado
Peter Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien, Op. 45
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden, conductor
Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas
Peter Tchaikovsky: Melody, from Souvenir of a Beloved Place
Midori, violin, Robert McDonald, piano
George Gershwin: An American in Paris
The Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, George Manahan, conductor
Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, Colorado
Hour 2
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Serenade, Op. 37
Steven Isserlis, cello, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
Jacques Hotteterre: Excerpts from Premiere Suite pour Deux Dessus, Op. 4
Elektra Papasimaki and Amalia Kountouri, recorders
GRERT Radio, Athens, Greece
Francois le Cocq: Folies d'Espagne
Alexandros Kalkos, baroque guitar, Vassilis Tiggiridis, baroque lute
GRERT Radio, Athens, Greece
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Excerpts from Scheherazade, Op. 35
The North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stefan Wagner, violin, Constantinos Carydis, conductor
Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany
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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.
Hosted by Valerie Kahler, 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.
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