Today we'll feature two great symphonies, Schumann's Symphony No. 2 and Mozart's Symphony No. 40. Both were written during times of anguish in the composers' lives, but somehow each managed to find healing in the creative process. It's music to soothe the soul and challenge the spirit, today on Performance Today.
Igor Stravinsky was quite the cosmopolitan. He lived all over the world, finally settling in the U.S. for the last three decades of his life. Today we'll hear his Italian Suite for violin and piano from a concert in Bucharest, Romania. Plus, Gershwin's Cuban Overture from Munich and an Argentinian tango from California.
Today, we'll hear the king of instruments in the hands of a master. Organist Paul Jacobs joins the Pacific Symphony for a performance of Camille Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony from the Orange County Performing Arts Center in California. The occasion marked the debut of that new instrument -- all 4,322 pipes of it.
Gershwin had it. Pianist Jon Kimura Parker has it. It's that masterful sense of timing, of where and when to place every note for just the right amount of swing. It's rhythm, and you'll have it too after listening to today's show. Pianist Jon Kimura Parker joins the Colorado Symphony for George Gershwin's Variations on "I Got Rhythm."
If there's an earthquake down under, will we feel it here in the U.S.? Definitely. Never one for small ambitions, Antonin Dvorak said he wanted his music to "shake the world." Today on PT we'll hear the West Australia Symphony Orchestra performing Dvorak's Seventh Symphony from a concert in Perth, Australia.
Gershwin had it. Pianist Jon Kimura Parker has it. It's that masterful sense of timing, of where and when to place every note for just the right amount of swing. It's rhythm, and you'll have it too after listening to today's show. Pianist Jon Kimura Parker joins the Colorado Symphony for George Gershwin's Variations on "I Got Rhythm."
Impressionism was all the rage in France a hundred years ago, but it didn't really catch on in America. Today on the show we'll be exploring impressionism - from both sides of the Atlantic. You may not be familiar with American impressionist composer Charles Griffes. We'll hear two of his works plus music by those more famous impressionists, Manuel de Falla and Maurice Ravel.
Life dealt the Orion String Quartet a bunch of lemons earlier this year when one of their members was stranded in Chicago and unable to get to their concert in San Antonio. So the remaining three members of the quartet had to scramble to put together a performance without him. We'll hear that trio performance today.
Two giant turbines loom large on the stage. Black iron hooks and chains dangle from the ceiling. No, it's not a medieval torture chamber. It's a concert venue, although an admittedly unusual one. It's the Heimbach Power plant in Germany, site of the Spannungen Chamber Music Festival. We'll hear a Dvorak piano quintet from Heimbach today on PT.
What's your favorite Mozart work? Mozart himself addressed that question, and he picked his Quintet in E-flat for Piano and Winds as his best. We'll hear it performed today by pianist Jon Kimura Parker and members of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, from a concert given in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
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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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