Last Thursday, the legendary Beaux Arts Trio played its final American concert at the venue where it debuted 53 years ago: The Tanglewood Festival in Massachusetts. We'll take you there for the final piece on the program, a piano trio by Schubert, followed by an encore by Dvorak.
A Chinese folk tale became music in the hands of composers Chen Gang and He Zhanhao. And violinist Gil Shaham decided that he wanted to share this beautiful piece with the world. He's joined by Lan Shui and the Singapore Symphony for the "Butterfly Lovers" Violin Concerto.
In honor of the 90th anniversary of the birth of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, we'll have performances of his work from London's BBC Proms. Cellist Han-Na Chang is the soloist with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for three meditations from Bernstein's "Mass." And clarinetist Michael Collins performs Bernstein's "Prelude, Fugue and Riffs" with Charles Hazelwood and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
This weekend on PT, pianist Jon Kimura Parker joins us for a conversation and music of Alexina Louie and Peter Schickele. Then we are off to Portland, OR for a performance by a string quartet from San Francisco, CA. Quartet San Francisco plays an arrangement of Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo a la Turk".
Richard Strauss took works of literature and translated them into instrumental pieces for orchestra that he called "tone poems." We'll have a pair of them from concerts in Europe. Christoph von Dohnanyi leads the North German Radio Symphony in "Don Juan" in Hamburg, Germany. Then Mark Elder conducts the Halle Orchestra in "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks" at London"s BBC Proms.
Pianist Jon Kimura Parker sits down with host Fred Child to talk about Mozart cadenzas. Parker throws in all sorts of musical references in his cadenzas, which is what makes them so special. And a little controversial. We'll hear him perform Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Lang Lang isn't the only young Chinese pianist causing an international stir. Yundi Li is also a flamboyant, exciting player. We'll go to Los Angeles to catch him playing a fantastic showcase for his talents -- Franz Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1--with Leonard Slatkin and the L.A. Philharmonic.
We'll go to London's Royal Albert Hall to hear a BBC Proms performance of Antonin Dvorak's sumptuous Sixth Symphony. Yakov Kreizberg leads the Netherlands Philharmonic. Also from the Proms: Sibelius'"Night Ride and Sunrise" from Edward Gardner and the BBC Symphony, and the King's Singers with music of Orlando di Lasso.
If you thought cowboys couldn't dance, you'd be wrong. Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera wrote a ballet called "Estancia" about the cowboys of South America, including a foot-stomping final dance. We'll hear a suite from that ballet. Conductor David Zinman led the Aspen Chamber Symphony in a performance of the Estancia Suite last month at the Aspen Music Festival.
Point/counterpoint: Violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg says you don't have to change the notes to improvise -- interpretation is a form of improv. Pianist Robert Levin disagrees. We'll consider the question by comparing VERY different versions of the Bach Goldberg Variations. AND... some composers have written pieces intended to sound like improv, but... you have to play the notes they wrote. Schubert "Impromptus," and Poulenc "Improvisations."
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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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