It's an incredibly romantic and real story: a husband wrote a piece for his wife to honor their newborn boy. He secretly hired musicians to play it outside her bedroom door on the morning of her birthday (which also happened to be Christmas). Join us to hear that piece, the Siegfried Idyll by Richard Wagner, on this edition of Performance Today.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Richard Wagner: Romanza (Albumblatt)
Elissa Lee Koljonen, violin | Robert Koenig, piano
Album: Heartbreak, Romantic Encores for Violin
Dorian 90268
Gilad Cohen: Trio for Spry Clarinet, Weeping Cello, and Ruminating Harp: Movement 1
Berginald Rash, clarinet | Sinead O'Halloran, cello | Dianne Marshall, harp
Musici Ireland, Wells House, County Wexford, Ireland
Camille Saint-Saens: String Quartet No. 1 in E minor, Op. 112: Movement 3: Molto adagio
Mia Cooper, violin | Joanna Quigley, violin | Beth McNinch, viola | Adrian Mantu, cello
Musici Ireland, Wells House, County Wexford, Ireland
Piano Puzzler
Contestant: Duston Suits calling from Loami, IL
Richard Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
Romanian Radio National Orchestra | Nicolae Moldoveanu, conductor
ROROR, Mihail Jora Concert Hall, Bucharest, Romania
Hour 2
Michael Fine: Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet: I. Andante lyrico
Anton Rist, clarinet | Scott Yoo, violin | Erik Arvinder, violin | Maurycy Banaszek, viola | Jonah Kim, cello
Album: Five for Five: Chamber Music
Evidence Classics
Muzio Clementi: Sonata in F-sharp Minor, Op. 25 No. 5
Jon Nakamatsu, piano
Southeastern Piano Festival, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Columbia, SC
Jean Francaix: Octet: Movement 2
Anton Rist, clarinet | Conrad Cornelison, bassoon | Kaitlyn Resler, horn | Abigel Kralik, Aurelia Duca, violins | Jessica Oudin, viola | Dariusz Skoraczewski, cello | Robert Franenberg, double bass
Festival Mozaic, Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo, CA
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Septet for Piano Trio and String Quartet
Geoffrey Herd, Jinjoo Cho, Eric Wong, violins | Ettore Causa, viola | Max Geissler and Clive Greensmith, cellos | Henry Kramer, piano
Geneva Music Festival, Smith Opera House, Geneva, NY
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About Performance Today®
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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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