Emmanuel Pahud plays a flute made from 14-karat gold. Does it sound better than a silver flute? According to a scientific study, even professional flutists couldn't distinguish between the sounds of flutes made from silver, gold, and platinum. But Pahud swears by his special golden flute, and hearing the beauty and expression of his playing, who are we to argue? We'll hear Pahud in a pair of concert performances: with harpsichordist Trevor Pinnock, playing a Bach Flute Sonata in Athens, Georgia. And with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, playing Mozart's Flute Concerto No. 1.
A pair of great cello concertos in concert today. Conductor Christopher Hogwood and cellist Gautier Capucon team up with the North German Radio Philharmonic for Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 1, in concert in Germany. And in hour 1, a rarely played gem: the 1955 Cello Concerto by William Walton. Daniel Muller-Schott solos, Mark Wigglesworth conducts the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Sunday is Mother's Day. In honor of moms everywhere, we've got some musical bedtime stories. Heroes and villains, magical creatures and places. It's Maurice Ravel's "Mother Goose Suite," with tales of Beauty and the Beast, Tom Thumb, Sleeping Beauty, Prince Charming, and more. Charles Dutoit leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic, in concert at a most appropriate location: Walt Disney Hall.
Sunday is Mother's Day. In honor of moms everywhere, we've got some musical bedtime stories. Heroes and villains, magical creatures and places. It's Maurice Ravel's "Mother Goose Suite," with tales of Beauty and the Beast, Tom Thumb, Sleeping Beauty, Prince Charming, and more. Charles Dutoit leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic, in concert at a most appropriate location: Walt Disney Hall.
The tango is a slow and sultry dance. A couple locked in a close embrace, snaking their way around the dance floor. But the tango isn't for the faint of heart. It can be rough, even a bit coarse. Quartet San Francisco delivers a proper tango in today's show: smooth on the outside, crunchy on the inside. "Tango Toscana" was written by quartet founder Jeremy Cohen. Plus, pianist Francesco Tristano Schlime gives us a tango from an unexpected source: Igor Stravinsky. And the Cleveland Orchestra performs music from Stravinsky's ballet, "Pulcinella."
It all started in 1862 when a small but determined Mexican army defeated a French force twice its size. It's since gone on to become an international celebration of Mexican history and culture. It's Cinco de Mayo, and we're celebrating today. Performances of Mexican music, Mexican conductors, and a Mexican orchestra are on the show today. Plus, Bruce Adolphe drops by for a new Piano Puzzler.
Johannes Brahms was madly in love with Clara Schumann. But Clara was in love with her husband, composer Robert Schumann. Brahms wrote to her, "I can do nothing but think of you. What have you done to me? Can't you remove the spell you have cast over me?" Brahms also poured out his anguish in a piano quartet. He subtitled it "Werther," after a fictional character who takes his own life over an unrequited love for his best friend's wife. The "Werther" quartet is in hour one, from a concert in Boston.
Nikolaus Harnoncourt played cello in the Vienna Symphony in the 1950s and 60s. But he was so unhappy with the way conductors told him to play Mozart symphonies, he quit the orchestra and became a conductor himself. Instead of being gentle and elegant, he felt Mozart's work should be fiery and passionate, witty and emotional. Harnoncourt joins host Fred Child to talk about his approach, and we'll go to Amsterdam to hear Harnoncourt lead the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a fiery and emotional performance of Mozart's Symphony No. 35, the Haffner Symphony.
Some pianists approach Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto as something to be conquered by force. They make it sound every bit as difficult as it is. But Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes overcomes all those technical difficulties and gets to the heart of the piece like few others can. We'll hear a performance by Andsnes and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Bergen, Norway.
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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.
Since 2000, Fred Child has been the host of Performance Today, the most-listened-to classical music radio show in America. He also is the commentator and announcer for Live From Lincoln Center, the only live performing arts series on television. He also hosts musical events on stages around the country, working with major orchestras and festivals, and connecting with audiences coast to coast.
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Kathryn Slusher is the senior producer of Performance Today, where she leads programming and production for the show. In her spare time, she enjoys the vibrant Twin Cities music and theater scene, and loves to read, hike and spend time with her family.
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As a Producer for Performance Today, Meghann chooses music to broadcast on the show, writes web articles and scripts, facilitates, conducts and edits interviews, creates video content and manages PT’s social media pages. She created Performance Today’s Black History Spotlight Series and the My Name is Series to highlight Black classical musicians. Meghann is also the producer for the PT Young Artist in Residence Series. In her free time, she is a mom, a part-time actress and fashion lover.
Meghann also created and hosted “Wondrous Strange”, a national radio program about uncommon musical instruments, she is the official underwriting voice for ‘The New York Times’ The Daily, and she can occasionally be heard guest-hosting Performance Today.
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As an Associate Producer for Performance Today, Kathleen Bradbury writes scripts and assists with external communications. In her spare time, she likes to read fiction, lift heavy weights at the gym, and frolic about in nature. But above all else, Kathleen loves to sing Broadway showtunes--much to the delight of her wife, her infant son, and her rescue dog.
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Jon Gohman is an associate producer for Performance Today. He is responsible for various behind-the-scenes functions, including liaising with artists and creating materials for national distribution. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, playing the guitar, and thinking about Langrange points.
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Craig Thorson is the Technical Director for Performance Today. In addition to mastering the live music recordings that are programmed for each daily program, he records guest performances and interviews. Craig enjoys skiing, tennis, and bicycling, and boating.
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Jeanne Barron is the technical producer of Performance Today.
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