The great pianist Clara Schumann truly loved music by her husband, Robert Schumann. In 1853, she took one of Robert's songs and composed a set of seven variations. On this episode of Performance Today, hear the surprise birthday gift that Clara Schumann wrote for her husband's 43rd birthday.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Edvard Grieg: Two Melodies: The First Meeting
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra; Terje Tonnesen, conductor
Grieg: Complete Music For String Orchestra
Bis 147
Clara Schumann: Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20
Jessica Xylina Osborne, piano
92nd Street Y, Buttenwieser Hall, New York City, NY
Edvard Grieg: Andante con moto for violin, cello and piano in C minor, EG 116
Arnaud Sussman, violin; Clive Greensmith, cello; Andrew Armstrong, piano
Seattle Chamber Music Society, Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA
Maurice Ravel: Kaddish from Deux ellodies Hebraiques
Michael Rusinek, clarinet; Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Manfred Honeck, conductor
WQED-FM, Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, PA
Johannes Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), Op. 45 Wie lieblich sind deine
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Matthew Mehaffey, conductor
WQED-FM, Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, PA
John Williams: Three Pieces from Schindler's List for Violin and Orchestra
Itzhak Perlman; Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Manfred Honeck, conductor
WQED-FM, Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, PA
Hour 2
Sergei Prokofiev: Pushkin Waltz No. 2, Op. 120
Seattle Symphony Orchestra; Gerard Schwarz, conductor
Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet Suites 1 and 2 / Seattle Symphony
Delos 3050
Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25
IRIS Orchestra; Michael Stern, conductor
IRIS Orchestra, Germantown Performing Arts Center, Germantown, TN
Dan Locklair: Symphony No. 2 "America"
Western Piedmont Symphony; John Gordon Ross, Music Director and Conductor
Western Piedmont Symphony, P.E. Monroe Auditorium at Lenoir Rhyne University, Hickory, NC
Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8, "Poeme"
Hermitage Trio
Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, West Room, Palm Beach, FL
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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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