Poster Pierre Jalbert, composer
Pierre Jalbert, composer
Courtesy of artist
Performance Today®

Pierre Jalbert: Spirit of the North

American composer Pierre Jalbert is from a French-Canadian family. He hadn’t thought about addressing his heritage in music until he found inspiration in French-Canadian folk songs. On today's show, we'll hear the world premiere performance of Jalbert’s L'esprit du Nord (Spirit of the North), performed and commissioned by the Apollo Chamber Players.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Claude Debussy: Reverie
Frederique Cambreling, harp
Album: French Music for Solo Harp
Adda 581146

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Nikolai Lugansky, piano | Aspen Festival Orchestra | James Gaffigan, conductor
Aspen Music Festival and School, Benedict Music Tent, Aspen, CO

Piano Puzzler
Contestant: Brandon Baxter calling from Hastings, NE

Set of Brazilian Choros
Ernesto Nazareth: Apanhei-te Cavaquinho
Jacob do Bandolim: Doce de Coco
Waldir Azevedo: Brasileirinho
Mimi Stillman, flute | Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, pandeiro | Charles Abramovic, piano
Dolce Suono Ensemble, Trinity Center for Urban Life, Philadelphia, PA

Hour 2

Eduardo di Capua: O sole mio
Apollo Chamber Players
Album: European Folkscapes
Navona Records 5941

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Vesa-Matti Leppanen, violin
Andrew Thomson, violin
Tom Higman, viola
Alexandra Partridge, cello
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra | Gemma New, conductor
Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington, New Zealand

Pierre Jalbert: L'esprit du Nord (Spirit of the North)
Apollo Chamber Players
Apollo Chamber Players, Midtown Arts and Theater Center (MATCH),  Houston, TX

Arturo Marquez: Danzon No. 2
Aspen Chamber Symphony | Johannes Zahn, conductor
Aspen Music Festival and School, Benedict Music Tent, Aspen, CO

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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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