Poster Traverso (baroque flute)
Traverso (baroque flute) by Boaz Berney, after an original by Thomas Lot, Paris ca. 1740
Wikipedia creative commons license
Performance Today®

Bach Collegium Japan

The Bach Collegium Japan (BCJ) have become widely known and sought-after for playing Baroque music with period instruments. On Wednesday's Performance Today, hear members of the BCJ perform a flute sonata by J. S. Bach, featuring Kiyomi Suga on baroque wood flute.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Felix Mendelssohn: 'Witches' Song' and 'On Wings of Song'
Daniel Hope, violin; Sebastian Knauer, piano
Daniel Hope, violin; Sebastian Knauer, piano
DG 477 6634

Mikhail Glinka: Overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla
Greenville Symphony Orchestra; Edvard Tchivzhel, conductor
Peace Center for the Performing Arts, Greenville, SC

Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Caroline Cassil from Sutherlin, OR

Felix Mendelssohn: Twelve Fugues for String Quartet No. 10
The Shanghai String Quartet
Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York, NY

Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80, No. 6
Miami String Quartet: Benny Kim, violin; Cathy Meng Robinson, violin; Scott Lee, viola; Keith Robinson, cello
Viginia Arts Festival, Robin Hixon Theater, Norfolk, VA

Hour 2

Claude Debussy: Arabesque No. 1
Simon Trpceski, piano
Debussy: Images; Arabesques; Children's Corner; Clair de lune; L'Isle joyeuse
EMI 272

Johann Sebastian Bach: Flute Sonata in E minor, BWV 1034
Bach Collegium Japan: Kiyomi Suga, baroque wood flute; Masaaki Suzuki, harpsichord; Emmanuel Balssa, cello
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

George Gershwin: Blues, from 'An American in Paris'
Italian Saxophone Quartet
Beaches Fine Arts Series, St. Paul's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, FL

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30: Movements 2 & 3
Simon Trpceski, piano; Beethoven Academy Orchestra; Vasily Petrenko, conductor
Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, Philharmonic Concert Hall, Warsaw, Poland

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

PT Young Artist David Lai plays the Piano Puzzler

PT Young Artist David Lai plays the Piano Puzzler

PT Young Artist David Lai is a devoted fan of our weekly game, the Piano Puzzler. He submits his guesses every week and has even written Piano Puzzler-style pieces of his own. On today’s program, pianist David Lai joins Bruce Adolphe (in person!) at our St. Paul studio to see if he can guess this week's Piano Puzzler.

1:59:00
Inon Barnatan and Summerfest La Jolla

Inon Barnatan and Summerfest La Jolla

Pianist Inon Barnatan keeps busy as a musician, playing on the most prestigious stages around the world. He's also the Music Director of Summerfest La Jolla in California. On today's show, we'll hear a stunning performance at a stunning location—Inon Barnatan and violinist Augustin Hadelich play a piece by Camille Saint-Saens at Summerfest La Jolla.

1:59:00
Composer Viet Cuong

Composer Viet Cuong

In 2022, composer Viet Cuong found himself at his father's bedside in the ICU. He played some of his compositions—music he knew his father loved—and hoped that the sound, or "sine waves," would reach his father's consciousness. Cuong realized that his love for his father and his passion for music were inseparable. Join us for a concert at the University of Georgia to hear “Vital Sines” by Viet Cuong.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Meet Victor Ni

PT Weekend: Meet Victor Ni

We're pleased to introduce you to clarinetist Victor Ni, our next 2025 PT Young Artists in Residence. On today's program, Victor joins Fred Child for music and conversation in our Saint Paul studio. Plus, Bruce Adolphe joins us for this week’s Piano Puzzler.

1:59:00
Augustin Hadelich and the St Louis Symphony

Augustin Hadelich and the St Louis Symphony

Once troubled by pre-concert jitters so intense that he needed a push to get on stage, violinist Augustin Hadelich has discovered a new sense of calm. Breathing exercises have transformed his performance experience, making the stage feel like home. On today's program, Agustin Hadelich and the St. Louis Symphony play music by Samuel Barber.

1:59:00
Julio Medaglia

Julio Medaglia

Composer Julio Medaglia was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1938. He studied conducting in Germany for ten years before returning to Brazil to conduct and compose. For 30 years, he hosted a daily radio show in São Paulo that sounded similar to PT, combining concert highlights and contemporary music. On today's show, we'll hear the Imani Winds play Julio Medaglia's 'Belle Epoque en Sud-America,’ including a really fun movement named "Crazy Baby Clarinette!"

1:59:00
Young Artist in Residence: Victor Ni

Young Artist in Residence: Victor Ni

Clarinetist Victor Ni is the next of our 2025 cohort of PT Young Artists in Residence. Victor recently joined Fred Child in our St. Paul studio. You can hear Victor’s music and the entire interview here.

42:34
Victor Ni

Victor Ni

We're pleased to introduce you to clarinetist Victor Ni, our next 2025 PT Young Artists in Residence. On today's program, Victor joins Fred Child for music and conversation in our Saint Paul studio.

1:59:00
Bringing fractals to life

Bringing fractals to life

Composer Jessie Montgomery found inspiration in nature's infinitely repeating patterns: fractals. Her fascination with these natural wonders led her to write a captivating new piece that brings fractals to life through sound. On today's show, we'll hear "Rounds" by Jessie Montgomery, a musical exploration of nature's boundless beauty.

1:59:00
The Poiesis Quartet

The Poiesis Quartet

The Poiesis Quartet was founded in the fall of 2022 at Oberlin Conservatory. Its name comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “to make"—specifically, to create something that has never been made before. One of the quartet's violinists is our former Young Artist in Residence, Sarah Ma. On today's program, we'll take you to a concert in San Antonio to hear what Ma and their quartet have been up to lately.

1:59:00
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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.

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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