Poster Still-life painting by Pieter Claesz (1627)
Still-life painting by Pieter Claesz (1627)
via Wikimedia Commons, Rijksmuseum
Performance Today®

Thankful

On this Thanksgiving holiday, we're thankful for being able to share music with you. Whether you're gathering with a few loved ones or settling in for a quiet weekend, we have a cozy Thanksgiving soundtrack to share with you. Join us for nourishing music and reflections on gratitude.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Johann Sebastian Bach: Suite in E minor, BWV 996: Movements 2-3
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Album: Bach: Works for Lute Vol 1
Azica 71250

Jason Vieaux: Home
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Chamber Music Northwest, Mechanics Hall, Worcester, MA

Duke Ellington: In a Sentimental Mood
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Chamber Music Northwest, Mechanics Hall, Worcester, MA

Luigi Boccherini: Quintet No. 4 for Guitar and Strings in D Major, "Fandango": Movement 3
Jason Vieaux, guitar | Francisco Fullana, Daria Tedeschi Adams, violins | Masumi Per Rostad, viola | Brook Speltz, cello and castanets
Music in the Vineyards festival, Inglenook. Rutherford, CA

Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Piano Sonata in F minor: Movement 2 Adagio maestoso
Anton Nel, piano
Seattle Chamber Music Society, The Center for Chamber Music, Seattle, WA

Antonio Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Movements 3-4
Nikki Chooi, violin | The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra | JoAnn Falletta, conductor
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

Hour 2

Johannes Brahms: Two Intermezzos, Op. 118, Nos. 1 & 4
Lang Lang, piano
Album: Haydn, Rachmaninov, Brahms, Tchaikovsky
Telarc 80524

Charles Villiers Stanford: The Blue Bird
Chicago a cappella
Chicago a cappella, Nichols Concert Hall, Evanston, IL

Johannes Brahms: String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36: Movement 1 Allegro no troppo
Grace Park, Scott Yoo, violins | Jessica Chang, Ben Ullery, violas | Robert deMaine, Jonah Kim, cellos
Festival Mozaic, Oyster Ridge Ancient Peaks Winery, Santa Margarita, CA

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring
Tara Helen O'Connor, flute | Spoleto Festival USA ensemble
Bank of America Chamber Music Series, Spoleto Festival USA, Dock Street Theater, Charleston, SC

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

PT Weekend: The outsider

PT Weekend: The outsider

Invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s, the saxophone has long been seen as an outsider in classical music. But Timothy McAllister is on a mission to change that. On today’s show, Timothy McAllister performs a saxophone classic: Alexander Glazunov’s Saxophone Concerto.

1:59:00
Henriëtte Bosmans

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Sibelius' final symphony

Sibelius' final symphony

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Photos: Scenes from MPR Day at the 2025 Minnesota State Fair
Lost and found Mendelssohn

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1:59:00
Franz Schubert's 'Miracle Year'

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1:59:00
Music@Menlo looks to the future

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PT Weekend: Osvaldo Golijov

PT Weekend: Osvaldo Golijov

In 2000, composer Osvaldo Golijov experienced a wave of violence in Israel. Soon after, at a planetarium in New York, he saw an image of Earth from afar, our beautiful blue planet floating in apparent serenity. Tune in today for music inspired by contrasting perspectives and realities: Tenebrae, by Osvaldo Golijov.

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Strings for Peace

Strings for Peace

Sharon Isbin is a master of Western classical music. Amjad Ali Khan is a master of Indian classical music. Together, they're building musical and cultural bridges. Join us at a concert in Aspen for a highlight from Sharon Isbin's and Amjad Ali Khan's Strings for Peace project.

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Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras

Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras

Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras describes J.S. Bach's solo cello suites as a "burst of life." To Queyras, these suites transcend any particular time or place; they feel like a metaphysical connection between earth and heaven. Tune in today to hear Jean-Guihen Queyras play J.S. Bach's Cello Suite No. 2 at a recent concert in Girona, Spain.

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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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