Poster Ginkgo leaves
Ginkgo biloba leaves
Photo: James Field
Performance Today®

The Faint Ginkgo

Chinese composer Xiaogang Ye wrote a piece of music inspired by the ginkgo biloba, a tree species that has existed for more than 200 million years. On today's show, we'll take you to a recent concert in Melbourne, Australia to hear that piece: The Faint Ginkgo, by Xiaogang Ye.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Ludwig van Beethoven: The Ruins of Athens Movement 1: Overture
The Hanover Band; Roy Goodman, conductor
Beethoven: Overtures
Nimbus 5130

Xiaogang Ye: The Faint Ginkgo
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; Benjamin Northey, conductor
Hamer Arts Center, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Luigi Boccherini: Musica Notturna Delle Strade De Madrid (Night Music of the Streets of Madrid), Op. 30, No. 6 (G. 324)
The Miro Quartet; Clive Greensmith, cello
Chamber Music Society Palm Beach, Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 97, Archduke: Mvts 3-4
Vienna Piano Trio; David McCarroll, violin; Clemens Hagen, violoncello; Stefan Mendl, piano
University of Georgia Performing Arts Center, Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Athens, GA

Hour 2

Niccolo Paganini: 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, No. 11 in C Major
Julia Fischer, violin
Julia Fischer: Paganini 24 Caprices
London/Decca 14658

Reynaldo Hahn: A Chloris
D. Ray McClellan, clarinet; David Fung, piano
University of Georgia Hugh Hodgson School of Music, Ramsey Concert Hall UGA Performing Arts Center, Athens, GA

Johannes Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor, Op. 102
Julia Fischer, violin; Daniel Muller-Schott, cello; NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra; Alan Gilbert, conductor
Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany

Dongqing Fang, arr. Yuejin Li: Concerto for Strings "Caterpillar Fungus"
Shanghai Chinese Orchestra; Shenshen Yao, conductor
International Arts Festival of China, Grand Theatre, Shanghai, China

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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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