In 1933, Florence Price became the first female African American composer to have her work performed by a major symphony orchestra. When she died in 1953, she left boxes of music in her house, which was then abandoned for almost 50 years. Recently, a trove of works by Price has been rediscovered. On this weekend's Performance Today we'll hear the 2015 world premiere of a quartet that she wrote in 1929.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Bedrich Smetana: Ten Czech Dances: The Bear
The Czech Nonet
Smetana: Ten Czech Dances; Trojan
Campion 1315
Bela Bartok: Hungarian Sketches for orchestra, BB 103, Sz 97
Aspen Chamber Symphony; Ludovic Morlot, conductor
Aspen Music Festival, Benedict Music Tent, Aspen, CO
The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Bodie Pfost from Eugene, OR
White Rabbit
Quartet San Francisco: Jeremy Cohen, violin; Matthew Szemela, violin; Keith Lawrence, viola; Kelley Maulbetsch, cello
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, American Public Media, St. Paul, MN
John Mackey: Kingfishers Catch Fire
Dallas Winds; Jerry Junkin, conductor
Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, TX
Hour 2
Frederic Chopin: Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 45, "Sostenuto"
Rafal Blechacz, piano
Chopin: The Complete Preludes
DG 10870
Florence Price: String Quartet in G: 1. Allegro; 2. Andante moderato - Allegretto - Andante moderato
Northwest Arkansas String Quartet: Er-Gene Kahng, violin; Ryan Cockerham, violin; Tazonio Anderson, viola; Patrick Bellah, cello
Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, University of Arkansas, AR
Frederic Chopin: Two Polonaises, Op. 40: No. 1 in A Major (Military Polonaise)
Rafal Blechacz, piano
Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, Chenery Auditorium, Kalamazoo, MI
Frederic Chopin: Waltzes, Op. 64, No. 3 in A-flat Major
Rafal Blechacz, piano
Union College Concert Series, Union College Memorial Chapel, Schenectady, NY
Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor: 1. Allegro moderato
Eduardo Rios, violin; Sphinx Symphony Orchestra; Andrew Grams, conductor
Sphinx Organization, Orchestra Hall, Detroit, MI
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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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