In 1892, when Czech composer Antonin Dvorak was in New York, he heard 25 year-old Harry Thacker Burleigh sing African-American spirituals. Those songs were part of Dvorak's inspiration for his most famous piece, his Symphony No. 9. On Thursday's Performance Today, join the audience for Dvorak's ninth, then hear a new piece inspired by Dvorak AND Burleigh, 'Sorrow Song and Jubilee' by Libby Larsen.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Nino Rota: The Godfather: Suite
James Galway, flute; Galway Pops Orchestra; Vincent Fanuele, conductor
Galway At The Movies
RCA 61326

Modest Mussorgsky (arr. Rimsky-Korsakov): Night on Bald Mountain
Los Angeles Philharmonic; Lionel Bringuier, conductor
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA

Jozef Krogulski: Piano Octet in D minor, Op.6: Movement 4A "la Bohemienne - Finale"
Nelson Goerner, piano; Lena Neudauer, violin; Erzhan Kulibaev, violin; Katarzyna Budnik-Galazka, viola; Marcin Zdunik, cello; Slawomir Rozloch, double bass
10th Chopin and his Europe International Music Festival, Witold Lugoslawki Polish Radio Concert Studio, Warsaw, Poland

Nino Rota: Divertimento concertante
Edicson Ruiz, double bass; Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra; Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Philharmonie, Luxembourg

Hour 2

Antonin Dvorak: Polonaise from Rusalka
Minnesota Orchestra; Eiji Oue, conductor
Exotic Dances from the OPERA
Reference Recordings RR-71CD

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in C major, Op. 33, No. 3, Hob. III:39, "The Bird"
Amphion String Quartet
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall, New York, NY

Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, from the 'New World': Movements 3 & 4
Minnesota Orchestra; Osmo Vanska, conductor
Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN

Libby Larsen: Sorrow Song and Jubilee (World Premiere)
Apollo Chamber Players: Matthew Detrick, violin; Anabel Ramirez, violin; Whitney Bulllock, viola; Matt Dudzik, cello
Duncan Recital Hall, Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, Houston, TX