Poster Composer Jean Sibelius
Composer Jean Sibelius
Photo: Santeri Levas, via Flickr Commons
Performance Today®

Finland's pride

On December 8th, 1915, Jean Sibelius turned 50 and premiered his fifth symphony. The citizens of Finland took the day off to celebrate. On this edition of Performance Today, we'll hear conductor Osmo Vanska and the Minnesota Orchestra play Sibelius's Symphony No. 5, a work that the Finnish government commissioned Sibelius to write in honor of his own birthday.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Edward Elgar: Variations On an Original Theme, Op. 36 Enigma Movement 17 Nimrod
Minnesota Orchestra; Sir Neville Marriner, conductor
Minnsota Orchestra at One Hundred
Minnesota Orchestra 1002038

Shelley Washington: Middleground
PUBLIQuartet: Curtis Stewart and Jannina Norpoth, violins; Nick Revel, viola; Amanda Gookin, cello
Freedom and Faith
Bright Shiny Things NA

Camille Saint-Saens: Caprice On Danish and Russian Airs, Op. 79
Elizabeth Mann, flute; Jonathan Fischer, oboe; Daniel Gilbert, clarinet; William Wolfram, piano
Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Packard Hall, Colorado Springs, CO

Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 82: Movements 2-3
Minnesota Orchestra; Osmo Vanska, conductor
Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN

Hour 2

Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in D minor, Op 3 No. 11, RV 565 Movement 3 and 4
Daniel Hope, violin; Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Daniel Hope plays Vivaldi
DG 4777463

Maurice Ravel: Sonata posthume for violin and piano
Daniel Hope, violin; Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano
Savannah Music Festival, Trinity United Methodist Church, Savannah, GA

Ricardo Lorenz: Dance Unlikely Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (Baile Improbable)
Andres Cardenes, violin; ROCO; Andres Cardenes, conductor
ROCO, St. John the Divine Church, Houston, TX

Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita in A minor for Solo Flute BWV 1013
Emma Resmini, flute
Performance Today Young Artist in Residence, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, MN

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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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