Poster Rice terrace in Yunnan province, China
Rice terraces at sunrise, Yunnan province, China
via Wikimedia Commons
Performance Today®

Sounds of Yunnan

Yunnan Province is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in China, and it has a rich and varied musical history. On this episode of Performance Today, hear music inspired by field recordings of folk music from Yunnan Province, from a recent concert in Shanghai, China.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Felix Mendelssohn: Octet for Strings in E-flat Major, Op. 20 (1825): III. Scherzo
Sibbi Bernhardsson, violin; David Finckel, cello; Simin Ganatra, violin; Geoff Nuttall, violin; Lesley Robertson, viola; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; Scott St. John, violin; Brandon Vamos, cello
Music@Menlo - Being Mendelssohn: Mendelssohn: Selections from A Midsummer Night's Dream - Beethoven: String Quartet - Mendelssohn: Octet
Music@Menlo LIVE NA

Francis Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor
Christina Naughton, piano; Michelle Naughton, piano; Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra; James Feddeck, conductor
Grand Teton Music Festival, Walk Festival Hall, Jackson Hole, WY

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in C Op. 59 Razumovsky No. 3: Mvts 2-4
Pacifica Quartet
UChicago Presents, Performance Hall - Logan Center, Chicago, IL

Albert von Tilzer, arr. Robert Elkjer: Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Brass Summit; Carl Eitzen, conductor
Omaha Chamber Music Society, Omaha Conservatory of Music, Omaha, NE

Hour 2

Judith Lang Zaimont: Valse Romantique
Immanuel Davis, flute
Pure Colors: Music by Judith Lang Zaimont
Albany Records TROY785

Xilin Wang: The Torch Festival, from Yunnan Tone Poems
Kunming Nie Er Symphony Orcehstra; Huang Yi, conductor
Music in the Air (MISA), Shanghai, Concert Hall, Symphony Hall, Shanghai, China

Judith Lang Zaimont: Reflective Rag
Suzanne Bona, flute; Greg Kostraba, piano
MUSIC FOR FLUTE, CELLO & PIANO BY WOMEN COMPOSERS
Kickshaw Records 1002

Jocelyn Morlock: Solace
ROCO; David Danzmayr, conductor
ROCO, St. John the Divine Church, Houston, TX

Aaron Copland: Suite from Billy the Kid
Minnesota Orchestra; Osmo Vanska, conductor
Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, 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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