Carlos Simon learned to play piano by ear, playing hymns in the church that his father started. Over those years, he learned that music had the ability to reach people on an emotional and spiritual level. On Wednesday's episode of Performance Today, hear an homage to a family's deep spiritual roots: "Amen" by Carlos Simon.
In 1933, Florence Price became the first female African American composer to have her work performed by a major symphony orchestra. When she died, boxes of music remained in her house, which was then abandoned for almost 50 years. Recently, a trove of works by Price has been rediscovered. On Tuesday's Performance Today, hear about the remarkable discovery and revival of Florence Price's music.
There's a photo of a young boy in an abandoned train station in Albania. The boy turns an old water bottle into a toy and he's lost in his world of play, despite the refugee crisis going on around him. On today's show, hear music inspired by that photo, "A Boy with a Makeshift Toy" by Armenian-American composer Mary Kouyoumdjian.
In pop music, it's Beyonce and Jay-Z. Here in the classical world, the big power couple is Wu Han and David Finckel. They're musical visionaries, mentors, and chamber musicians with incredible chemistry. On today's episode, they'll play a piece that Bruce Adolphe wrote for them, simply titled "Couple."
Hungarian composer Bela Bartok was one of the founders of the field of ethnomusicology. He traveled the dusty back roads of Hungary and Romania, recording tens of thousands of folk songs, and that work inspired many of his own compositions. On today's episode, join us for Bartok's Hungarian Folk Tunes, from a concert at the Music@Menlo festival.
Carol Wincenc is a living legend of the flute. This season marks her 50th year as a performer. She's been celebrating with a set of new pieces written in her honor. On today's show, we'll honor Carol Wincenc's golden anniversary, and hear the world premiere of Full Circle Fifty by Jake Heggie.
In pop music, it's Beyonce and Jay-Z. Here in the classical world, the big power couple is Wu Han and David Finckel. They're musical visionaries, mentors, and chamber musicians with incredible chemistry. On today's episode, they'll play a piece that Bruce Adolphe wrote for them, simply titled "Couple."
Composer Edvard Grieg found tremendous inspiration in Norwegian history and folklore. His Lyric Pieces for piano are expressions of his country's places, stories, and people. On this episode of Performance Today, Joyce Yang brings those colorful works to life, from a concert in Seattle.
Violinist Angele Dubeau and her all-female ensemble La Pieta are based in Montreal. On Today's show, Dubeau explains that there are many ways to interpret the title of their new album: Pulsations. Join us for music and conversation with Angele Dubeau, on this episode of Performance Today. Elena See guest-hosts.
