French composer Maurice Ravel had never been to Asia, but he had ideas of what exotic sights and sounds and aromas he would find there. These ideas came from books and newspaper reports. What inspired him musically, though, was a poem about a beautiful Arab queen, Sheherazade, written by a friend of his. On Monday's Performance Today, we'll go to a concert in Provence, France to hear the poem take flight in music. Valery Gergiev conducts the London Symphony Orchestra and as the voice of the resourceful storyteller Sheherzade: American soprano Renee Fleming.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Igor Stravinsky: Suite No. 1
London Sinfonietta; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
Traditional (Irish): Dulaman
Chanticleer; Joseph Jennings, music director
Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Athens, GA
Traditional (Norwegian): Solbonn
Trio Mediaeval; Birger Mistereggen, percussion; Linn Andrea Fuglseth, voice
Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul, MN
Felix Mendelssohn (Orchestrated by Christian Voss): Opening Sketch Of "Scottish" Symphony
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
Felix Mendelssohn: "Scottish" Symphony No. 3 in A Minor
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach (arr. Alexander Siloti): Prelude in b minor, BWV 855a
Eduard Kunz, piano
Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth, TX
Hour 2
Francois Couperin: Concerto Royal No. 4 in E Minor - VI. Rigaudon, VII. Forlane Rondeau
Allan Vogel, d'amore; Janice Tipton, flute; Patricia Mabee, Harpsichord; Mark Chatfield, viola da gamba
Camille Saint-Saens: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28
Kerson Q Xun Leong, violin; Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra; Arvid Engegard, conductor
Concert Hall, Oslo, Norway
Jean-Marie Leclair: Sonata for Two Violins in C Major, Op. 3, No. 3
Frank Huang, violin; Min-Young Kim, violin
Abromson Center, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME
Jean-Philippe Rameau: Musette en rondeau
Christopher O'Riley, piano
Maurice Ravel: Sheherazade
Renee Fleming, soprano; London Symphony Orchestra; Valery Gergiev, conductor
Grand Theatre de Provence, Aix-en-Provence, France
Alexandre Desplat: A New Beginning
London Symphony Orchestra; Alexandre Desplat, conductor
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About Performance Today®
To find a station near you on our Stations Listings page, click here.
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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