Poster Benjamin Grosvenor
Benjamin Grosvenor
operaomnia.co.uk
Performance Today®

Playing the unplayable

When Maurice Ravel wrote Gaspard de la Nuit, he tried to make it the most difficult piano music ever written... perhaps even unplayable. On today's show, Benjamin Grosvenor plays the unplayable in a concert presented by Capital Region Classical in Schenectady, NY.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Mel Bonis: Suite in the Ancient Style: Choral
Tatjana Ruhland, flute; Florian Wiek, piano; Gesa Jenne-Donneweg, violin; Ingrid Philippi, viola
Album: Mel Bonis: Chamber Music with Flute
SWR 93204

Andrea Clearfield: Rhapsodie for Flute, Harp, and String Trio
Mimi Stillman, flute; Bridget Kibbey, harp; Amy Oshiro-Morales, violin; Kerri Ryan, viola; Gabriel Cabezas, cello
Dolce Suono Ensemble, Trinity Center for Urban Life, Philadelphia, PA

Johann Sebastian Bach: Violin Concerto in E major BWV 1042
Hilary Hahn, violin; Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; Gemma New, conductor
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Royce Hall, Westwood, CA

Mel Bonis: Suite Orientale
Sylvan Trio
First Congregational Church of Webster Groves, First Congregational Church, Webster Groves, MO

Hour 2

Peter Tchaikovsky: Russian Dance
Trio Voronezh: Sergei Teleshev, bajan; Vladimir Volochin, domra; Valerie Petruchin, double-bass balalaika
Album: Trio Voronezh
EMI 56892

Maurice Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
Capital Region Classical, Union College - Memorial Chapel, Schenectady, NY

Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3: Movement 4-5
The Orchestra Now; Leon Botstein, conductor
Bard College, Bard's Fisher Center for The Performing Arts, Annandale On-Hudson, NY

Astor Piazzolla: Libertango
Ebene Quartet
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

PT Weekend: Nina Bernat

PT Weekend: Nina Bernat

We're excited to introduce our next 2025 Young Artist in Residence: double-bassist Nina Bernat. In today's show, Nina joins Fred Child for music and conversation at our studio in Saint Paul. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week’s Piano Puzzler.

1:59:00
Clarice Assad: Constellation

Clarice Assad: Constellation

In 2023, Clarice Assad composed a piece to honor the universe that is her own family. The first two movements depict her daughters, Antonia and Stella; the final movement celebrates her partner, whom Assad says "radiates the warmth and strength of the sun." We'll hear Clarice Assad's "Constellation" on today's show.

1:59:00
Errollyn Wallen: Mighty River

Errollyn Wallen: Mighty River

In 2007, Composer Errollyn Wallen wrote a piece to mark the anniversary of the Abolition of the British Slave Trade. She says, ‘It is human instinct to be free, just as it is for the river to rush headlong to the sea.’ We'll dive into Errollyn Wallen’s Mighty River on today's show.

1:59:00
Unlocking Julia Perry's legacy

Unlocking Julia Perry's legacy

Julia Perry was a remarkable 20th-century American composer. However, after her passing in 1979, her music was tied up in her estate, preventing anyone from granting permission for its use... until now. Tune in today to learn about the exciting new arrangement to share Julia Perry's music with the world.

1:59:00
Ravel and Gershwin

Ravel and Gershwin

In 1928, Maurice Ravel spent some time hanging out with George Gershwin in Harlem jazz clubs. The sounds Ravel heard in Harlem made their way into some of his subsequent compositions. On today’s show, pianist Inon Barnatan joins the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra to play Ravel's jazz-influenced Piano Concerto in G Major.

1:59:00
Share a farewell message with Fred Child
Young Artist in Residence: Nina Bernat

Young Artist in Residence: Nina Bernat

We’re proud to introduce double-bassist Nina Bernat, the next member of our 2025 cohort of PT Young Artists in Residence. Nina recently joined Fred Child in our St. Paul studio. You can listen to Nina’s music and the entire interview here.

42:00
Nina Bernat

Nina Bernat

We're excited to introduce our next 2025 Young Artist in Residence: double-bassist Nina Bernat. In today's show, Nina joins Fred Child for music and conversation at our studio in Saint Paul.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Gao Hong's 'Reminiscences of My Hometown'

PT Weekend: Gao Hong's 'Reminiscences of My Hometown'

COVID travel restrictions kept Gao Hong from visiting her family in China, so she reminisced about her childhood to comfort herself and channeled that nostalgia into a new piece for pipa and bassoon. Join us today to hear Gao Hong play her concerto, "Reminiscences of My Hometown," from a recent concert in St. Paul, Minnesota.

1:59:00
Florence Price: Symphony No. 3

Florence Price: Symphony No. 3

In 1940, Eleanor Roosevelt was introduced to Symphony No. 3 by African American composer Florence Price; the First Lady loved it and praised it enthusiastically in her daily newspaper column. On today’s show, we’ll take you to a recent concert in St. Louis for a performance of Price’s Symphony No. 3.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

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.

How do I leave a comment?

Send us a comment here.

About Performance Today®
YourClassical Radio
0:00
0:00