In 1895, Sir Henry Wood created a music festival that was inexpensive, informal, and accessible for everyone: the Proms in London. From the first night of the 2009 Proms, a concert last Friday, the BBC Symphony Orchestra lights Stravinsky's Fireworks, and plays Edward Elgar's overture "In the South."
Richard Tognetti is a terrific violinist, and a graceful, athletic surfer. We'll hear Tognetti lead the Australian Chamber Orchestra in concert, playing Haydn's Symphony No. 44 near some prime surfing...in Santa Barbara, California.
"No risk, no fun!" says recorder virtuoso Matthias Maute. Maute focuses on music from the late 1600s and early 1700s, when composers expected a certain degree of improvisation from musicians. Tuesday, Maute plays a Vivaldi concerto at the Library of Congress, sometimes reading the written notes, sometimes making it up as he goes.
On the 40th anniversary of the first earthlings on the moon, music that has come to be the soundtrack of space travel: "Also Sprach Zarathustra," by Richard Strauss. We have a concert performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic...and the voices of Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, from 40 years ago, and from today.
By Leonard Slatkin's count, there are over 80 different orchestrations of Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition." He tapped into 15 of them to create a unique version of the work. He leads the Nashville Symphony in a performance of it at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.
Every Friday, PT features 21st century music. This week, the world premiere of the "Mercury Concerto" by Carter Pann. 20 minutes of virtuosic music for flute and orchestra, inspired by the real-life love story of the flutist who played the premiere. (And...Carter Pann says there is a subtle hint of classic 70s rock in the opening movement.)
The great American baritone Thomas Hampson kicked off the 2009 edition of his "Song of America" tour last week. From their concert in Winona, Minnesota, Thomas Hampson and pianist Craig Rutenberg perform "General William Booth Enters Into Heaven," an entertainingly melodramatic song about the man who founded the Salvation Army.
Fred is hosting today from Aspen Public Radio, in Colorado. Conductor David Zinman and pianist Yefim Bronfman talk about the "total lunatic episode" in Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3, and we'll hear their wild performance with the Aspen Chamber Symphony. And this week's Piano Puzzler caller is Alan Fletcher, President of the Aspen Music Festival and School.
A tragic love story and a happy love story intertwined at the Festival del Sole in Napa Valley, California. Conductor Stephane Deneve had a fairy-tale wedding in a lovely Napa Valley winery...and the next night, Deneve conducted a performance of Gabriel Faure's Suite from Pelleas and Melisande, music inspired by a love story where everything that CAN go wrong DOES go wrong. We'll hear the Faure performance, Stephane Deneve leading the Russian National Orchestra.
By Leonard Slatkin's count, there are over 80 different orchestrations of Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition." He tapped into 15 of them to create a unique version of the work. He leads the Nashville Symphony in a performance of it at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.
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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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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jeanne Barron is the technical producer of Performance Today.
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