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Performance Today®

Music and recovery

On Friday's Performance Today, we're featuring musicians who are recovering from illness and injuries this year: a pianist whose hand was hurt in a seagull attack. A cellist rehabilitating his shoulder after a motorbike accident. And an astonishing 91-year-old pianist, getting back on stage after major surgery.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Joaquin Rodrigo: Fantasia for a Gentleman: 4. Canario
Manuel Barrueco, guitar; Philharmonia Orchestra; Placido Domingo, conductor
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez, Fantasia para un gentilhombre
EMI 56175

Frederic Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. posth.
Menahem Pressler, piano
Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet No. 36 in B-flat major, Op. 50, No. 1
Modigliani Quartet
San Antonio Chamber Music Society, Temple Beth-El, San Antonio, TX

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-flat major, "Quasi una fantasia," Op. 27, No. 1
Paul Lewis, piano
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Hour 2

Dmitri Shostakovich: Prelude & Fugue No. 21 in B flat major
Jenny Lin, piano
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes & Fugues
Hanssler 98530

Robert Beaser: Selections from "Mountain Songs" for Flute and Guitar: 1. Barbara Allen; 2. House Carpenter; 5. Cindy
Marya Martin, flute; Jason Vieaux, guitar
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, Bridgehampton, NY

Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93: Movements 3 & 4
New York Philharmonic; Alan Gilbert, conductor
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York, NY

Anna Clyne: The Violin: Rest These Hands
Cornelius Dufallo, violin; Anna Clyne, narrator
The Greene Space, WQXR, New York, NY

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

PT Weekend: Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto

PT Weekend: Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto

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1:59:00
Marin Alsop on an American icon

Marin Alsop on an American icon

When conductor Marin Alsop was a kid, she begged her parents to decorate her bedroom. She says, "I talked them into buying me two posters: one of the Beatles and one of Leonard Bernstein." Join us today to hear some of Marin Alsop's memories of Bernstein and more as we celebrate Independence Day with all-American music.

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Jessie Montgomery

Jessie Montgomery

Earlier this year, we announced that Jessie Montgomery is our 2025 PT Classical Woman of the Year. Montgomery is a celebrated composer, violinist, and educator known for compositions that blend classical, folk, jazz, and contemporary influences. Among her numerous accomplishments, she founded the Young Composers Initiative, where she mentors high school composers, assisting them in preparing their music for performance by members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Tune in today to learn more about Jessie Montgomery and why her work is so influential.

1:59:00
Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto

Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto

Jazz guitarist Charlie Christian was at his peak in the late 1930s and early 40s. To this day, guitarists are inspired by his recordings, and composer Igor Stravinsky said Charlie Christian helped inspire one of his pieces. We'll hear that piece, Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto, on today's show.

1:59:00
Clarice Assad: Total Eclipse

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Last year, a total solar eclipse was visible in parts of our country. The shared experience of an eclipse—an extraordinary moment of wonder and awe—inspired composer and pianist Clarice Assad to create a new piece for piano and orchestra. Join us today for a musical exploration of light and darkness: "Total Eclipse" by Clarice Assad.

1:59:00
Considering Matthew Shepard

Considering Matthew Shepard

In 2016, Craig Hella Johnson wrote an oratorio about Matthew Shepard, a young gay man from Wyoming who was murdered in a hate crime in 1998. The oratorio urges all of us to find our shared humanity—the threads that connect us—to see if love can be found even in the darkest moments. Tune in today for "Considering Matthew Shepard" by Craig Hella Johnson.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Optimism in dark times

PT Weekend: Optimism in dark times

In 1944, during the height of World War II, Sergei Prokofiev composed a piece intended “…to sing the praises of the free and happy man.” It’s an optimistic work created during a time of darkness. On today's show, we'll hear the opening movement of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 performed by the National Orchestral Institute (NOI) Philharmonic and conductor Joseph Young at a concert in College Park, Maryland.

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Yuja Wang and the Vienna Philharmonic in Paris

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It was arguably the biggest classical music event of 2025: a gala concert in Paris celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Opera Garnier venue. We'll take you there to hear the Vienna Philharmonic and pianist Yuja Wang perform the opening movement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.

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Malek Jandali

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1:59:00
Prokofiev's optimism in a dark time

Prokofiev's optimism in a dark time

In 1944, during the height of World War II, Sergei Prokofiev composed a piece intended “…to sing the praises of the free and happy man.” It’s an optimistic work created during a time of darkness. On today's show, we'll hear the opening movement of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 performed by the National Orchestral Institute (NOI) Philharmonic and conductor Joseph Young at a concert in College Park, Maryland.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

About Performance Today®

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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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