Summer has finally arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. We're celebrating with music of the summer season in both hours of Performance Today. Everyone from violinist Joshua Bell to pianist Lang Lang will be turning up the heat with great performances. Plus, we'll hear two versions of the same work, George Gershwin's beautiful "Summertime."
Today is the first day of the Aspen Music Festival. Every summer, some of the greatest classical musicians in the world gather in Aspen, Colorado. To celebrate the opening of the festival, we'll hear a performance from last year's festival. Gil Shaham performs Beethoven's Violin Concerto with the Aspen Chamber Symphony.
The Beaux Arts Trio's days may be drawing to a close, but fortunately much-loved pianist Menahem Pressler has no plans to retire. One of the greatest chamber musicians of our time, a concert at Lincoln Center featuring him was billed as "The Pressler Connection." We'll hear a performance of Schubert's "Trout" Quintet from that concert.
Franz Schubert never got around to finishing his eighth symphony. He wrote the first two movements, and never completed the last two. Today, we'll hear what those final two movements might have sounded like, as envisioned by composer Anton Safronov. What would Schubert have thought of it? Find out in the second hour of Performance Today.
When chamber music lovers visit the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, they don't know what's being played at the afternoon chamber music concerts until they see the program written on a chalkboard outside the Memminger Auditorium. And what a delight it must have been to see a masterpiece like Beethoven's Septet for Winds and Strings listed there a couple of weeks ago. We'll have that performance on today's show.
Liszt could take the music of just about any composer and create a transcription for piano that sounded like the composer, yet was uniquely Liszt. Pianist Yundi Li offers Liszt's version of Verdi from Baden-Baden, Germany. Then another pianist, Jorge Luis Prats, plays a Liszt transcription of Bach at the Miami International Piano Festival. And Angele Dubeau and La Pieta play a Brahms-Liszt combination in Athens, Georgia.
It's winter in the southern hemisphere now. Here in the north, we'll have to rely on violinist Joshua Bell to provide our icicles. He'll perform "Winter" from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" in Indiana. We'll also hear music inspired by the beauty of all the seasons, from Tchaikovsky's April in Russia to Astor Piazzolla's "Four Seasons of Buenos Aires."
Violinist Daniel Hope delivers another audio diary entry from the Beaux Arts Trio's final year together. They'll answer the question of how they got their name, and read a fan letter from the Faux Arts Trio. Then they'll play some Schubert in San Francisco, at the last concert of their last U.S. tour.
We'll have performances from two top student orchestras on today's show. The National Orchestral Institute gathers many of the country's best young musicians in Maryland for a month. That's where we'll go to hear Jorge Mester conduct a Mozart Sinfonia. And, from New York City, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski leads the Juilliard Orchestra in Brahms.
Liszt could take the music of just about any composer and create a transcription for piano that sounded like the composer, yet was uniquely Liszt. Pianist Yundi Li offers Liszt's version of Verdi from Baden-Baden, Germany. Then another pianist, Jorge Luis Prats, plays a Liszt transcription of Bach at the Miami International Piano Festival. And Angele Dubeau and La Pieta play a Brahms-Liszt combination in Athens, Georgia.
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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.
