Poster Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes - American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist
Photo: Carl Van Vechten (Library of Congress)
Performance Today®

Musical poetry

American writer and poet Langston Hughes had a musical way with words. Music inspired his poetry...and his poetry has now inspired music. Join us today to hear a piece inspired by the words of Langston Hughes: A Thousand Whirling Dreams by composer, jazz pianist, and teacher Dana Wilson.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Johannes Brahms: Sonata No. 1 for Clarinet & Piano: Movement 3
Jon Manasse, clarinet | Jon Nakamatsu, piano
Album: Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas
Harmonia Mundi 907430

Joel Thompson: In Response to the Madness, for string quartet
Members of the Minnesota Orchestra: Rui Du, violin | Cecilia Belcher, violin | Sam Bergman, viola | Minji Choi, cello
Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN

Frederic Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35
Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano
Quebec Summer Festivals, Concerts aux Iles de Bic, Quebec, Canada

Johannes Brahms: Tragic Overture, Op. 81
Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine | Theodore Kuchar, conductor
University of Georgia Performing Arts Center, Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, UGA Performing Arts Center, Athens, GA

Hour 2

Fanny Mendelssohn: Andante Soave
Beatrice Rauchs, piano
Album: Fanny Mendelssohn: Piano Music
BIS 885

Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E-Flat Major
Geoffrey Herd, violin | Eliot Heaton, violin | Hillary Herndon, viola | Max Geissler, cello
Geneva Music Festival, Froelich Hall Gearan Center for the Performing Arts, Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Geneva NY

Margaret Bonds: from Three Dream Portraits: Movements 1-2
Bonnie Pomfret, soprano | Laura Gordy, piano
Album: De Toda la Eternidad
ACA

Dana Wilson: A Thousand Whirling Dreams
STRATA
The Ulster Chamber Music Series, Church of the Holy Cross, Kingston, NY

Scott Joplin, arr. Rick Benjamin: Treemonisha: Act 3: A Real Slow Drag
Janinah Burnett, soprano | Anita Johnson, soprano | Paragon Ragtime Orchestra and Singers | Rick Benjamin, conductor
Album: Scott Joplin: Treemonisha
Anthology of Recorded Music, Inc.

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

Marin Alsop on an American icon

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Jessie Montgomery

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Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto

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Clarice Assad: Total Eclipse

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Considering Matthew Shepard

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PT Weekend: Optimism in dark times

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In 1944, during the height of World War II, Sergei Prokofiev composed a piece intended “…to sing the praises of the free and happy man.” It’s an optimistic work created during a time of darkness. On today's show, we'll hear the opening movement of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 performed by the National Orchestral Institute (NOI) Philharmonic and conductor Joseph Young at a concert in College Park, Maryland.

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1:59:00
Malek Jandali

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Prokofiev's optimism in a dark time

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In 1944, during the height of World War II, Sergei Prokofiev composed a piece intended “…to sing the praises of the free and happy man.” It’s an optimistic work created during a time of darkness. On today's show, we'll hear the opening movement of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 performed by the National Orchestral Institute (NOI) Philharmonic and conductor Joseph Young at a concert in College Park, Maryland.

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The intersection of classical and jazz

The intersection of classical and jazz

Nikolai Kapustin’s compositions are filled with joyful syncopations. Some listeners have referred to him as a jazz pianist; however, Kapustin stressed that he was a classically trained composer who simply loved jazz. Today’s show will feature Kapustin’s music at the intersection of classical and jazz.

1:59:00
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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.

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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