The great Johann Sebastian Bach had died 30 years earlier. But at that point, nobody really knew his work. It hadn't been published, and the only people who had it were devotees who passed around hand-written copies. One of those devotees was the Baron von Swieten, in Vienna. The Baron had a young friend named Mozart, and every Sunday, Mozart would go see the Baron, and play Bach. Mozart was enthralled. He copied out the music, studied what Bach had written for the keyboard, and re-arranged it for string quartet. On Wednesday's Performance Today, we'll hear the Orion Quartet play fugues by Bach, lovingly re-imagined by Mozart.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Astor Piazzolla: Oblivion
Adam Summerhayes, violin; Chris Grist, cello; London Concertante
Franz Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio No. 39 in G major, Hob. XV/25 "gypsy" - 1. Andante, 2. Poco Adagio, Cantabile, 3. Rondo: a 'lOngarese: Presto
Anderes Cardenes, Violin; Anne Martindale Williams, Cello; Gilles Vonsattel, piano
Strings Music Pavillion; Steamboat Strings, CO
The Piano Puzzler
This week's contestant is Lorelei Costa from Kitty Hawk, NC
Claude Debussy: Suite Bergamasque - 1. prelude, 2. Menuet, 3. Clair de lune, 4. Passepied
Nobuyuki Tsujii, piano
University of Georgia, Hodgson; Concert Hall, Athens, Georgia, USA
Hour 2
Antonin Dvorak: Piano Quintet A maj. Op. 81 - Mvt III. Scherzo Furiant: Molto Vivace
Orion String Quartet with Peter Serkin, piano
Frederic Chopin: Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, Op. 54
Yundi Li, piano
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Baden-Baden, Germany
Johann Sebastian Bach arr. for string quartet by W.A. Mozart: 5 Fugues from Well-Tempered Clavier, K.405 - No. 2 in c minor, BWV 871, No. 9 in E Major, BWV 878, No. 8 in d-sharp minor, BWV 877, No. 4 in D Major, BWV 874
The Orion String Quartet
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Palo Alto, CA
Leonard Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story"
Curtis Symphony Orchestra; Christoph Eschenbach, conductor
The Jack Wolgin Orchestral Concerts, Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA
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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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