Poster Richard Strauss conducting (c. 1900)
Richard Strauss conducting (c. 1900)
By Singleton, Esther, d. 1930, via Wikimedia Commons
Performance Today®

Strauss dishes it back

Some critics called composer Richard Strauss a musical coward, an egomaniac whose music had no depth or substance. Strauss dished it right back by making fun of critics in his music. Join us for the story and a brilliant performance on this edition of Performance Today.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Laura Kaminsky: Duo for Flute and Piano: 2nd movement: Andante. Slow, Serene
Tara Helen O'Connor, flute | Margaret Kampmeier, piano
Album: The Way Things Go
Bridge 9467

Gyorgy Ligeti: Six Bagatelles
Tara Helen O’Connor, flute | Stephen Taylor, oboe | Sebastian Manz, clarinet | Peter Kolkay, bassoon | Radovan Vlatkovic, horn
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center & Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Lawren Brianna Ware: Recollection and Anticipation for clarinet, viola, and harp
Marci Gurnow, clarinet | Jessica Oudin, viola | Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp
The Merian Ensemble, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Pre-Concert Series, Symphony Hall, Atlanta, GA

Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: Mvts 2-4
Madeline Adkins, violin | Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra | Donald Runnicles, conductor
Grand Teton Music Festival, Walk Festival Hall, Jackson Hole, WY

Hour 2

Bela Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra: Mvt. 4
Los Angeles Philharmonic | Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Album: Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra
Deutsche Grammophon 4794375

Valerie Coleman: Red Clay and Mississippi Delta
Julia Bogorad-Kogan, flute | Christine Kim, oboe | Sang Yoon Kim, clarinet | Matthew McDonald, bassoon | Patrick Pridemore, horn
SPCO, Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul, MN

Fanny Mendelssohn: Easter Sonata: Movements 2-4
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
University of Georgia Performing Arts Center, Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Athens, GA

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3: Mvt. 1
Yuja Wang, piano | Los Angeles Philharmonic | Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Album: Rachmaninoff: The Piano Concertos | Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
DG 4864759

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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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