Poster Musicians posing near a piano
Birthday party honoring Maurice Ravel, New York City, March 8, 1928. From left: Oscar Fried, conductor; Eva Gauthier, singer; Ravel at piano; Manoah Leide-Tedesco, composer-conductor; and composer George Gershwin.
Wide World Photos 1928, via Wikimedia Commons
Performance Today®

Ravel hangs out with Gershwin

In 1928, Maurice Ravel spent some time hanging out with George Gershwin in Harlem jazz clubs. The sounds Ravel heard in Harlem made their way into some of his subsequent compositions. On today’s show, pianist Inon Barnatan joins the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra to play Ravel's jazz-influenced Piano Concerto in G Major.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Isaac Albeniz: Torre Bermeja
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Album: Sevilla: The Music of Isaac Albeniz
Azica 17224

Franz Schubert: The Shepherd on the Rock (Der Hirt auf dem Felsen), D. 965
Anthony McGill, clarinet | Susanna Phillips, soprano | Myra Huang, piano
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Joaquin Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
Jason Vieaux, guitar | Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra | Michael Butterman, conductor
Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, Williamsburg Community Chapel, Williamsburg, VA

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber: Passacaglia from the Rosary Sonatas
Alexi Kenney, violin
Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Music Series, Dock Street Theatre, Charleston, SC

Hour 2

Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre: Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major: I. Allemande
Lina Tur Bonet, violin | Patxi Montero, viola da gamba | Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord
Album: Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre: Sonates pour le violon et basse continuo
Pan Classics

Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre: Cephale et Procris
Concerto Copenhagen | Lars Ulrik Mortensen, conductor
EBU, Koncertkirken, Copenhagen, Denmark

Reza Vali: Funebre for solo violin and orchestra
Vesa-Matti Leppanen, violin | New Zealand Symphony Orchestra | Fawzi Haimor, conductor
EBU, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington, New Zealand

Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major
Inon Barnatan, piano | Aspen Festival Orchestra | Kevin John Edusei, conductor
Aspen Music Festival and School, Klein 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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