Szymon Laks was a prisoner at Auschwitz, and leader of the prison orchestra. He says music did not offer comfort or peace, that music became a kind of torture, but he played on because his very life depended on it. On Wednesday's Performance Today, the story and the music of Szymon Laks.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Alexander Scriabin: Two Etudes: C-sharp minor, F-sharp minor
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
Alexander Scriabin - The Complete Etudes
Bridge 9287
Frederico Moreno Torroba: Suite castellana for Guitar
Pepe Romero, guitar
92nd Street Y, Kaufmann Concert Hall, New York City, NY
Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Jean Bostrum from Zimmerman, MN
Ferruccio Busoni: Concerto for Piano, Orchestra and Male Choir, Op. 39: Movements 4-5
Garrick Ohlsson, piano; Warsaw Philharmonic Male Choir; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra; Wojciech Rajski, conductor
17th Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition, Concert Hall, Philharmonic, Warsaw, Poland
Hour 2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (arr. Robert Stallman): Quintet for Flute and Strings in C Major, K. 358: Movement 3
Robert Stallman, flute; Martinu Quartet
W. A. Mozart & R. Stallman: New QUINTETS for Flute and Strings
BOCA 102
Szymon Laks: String Quartet No. 3
Dover String Quartet
Minnesota Beethoven Festival, Page Theatre, Saint Mary's University, Winona, MN
Marco Pereira (arr. Marco Pereira): Bate-Coxa
Brasil Guitar Duo
Americas Society, New York, NY
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 31 in D, K 297
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana; Nicholas Milton, conductor
Stelio Molo Auditorium, RSI, Lugano, Switzerland
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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.
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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