Danish composer Rued Langgaard was a prolific composer and a fantastic organist, but he couldn't land a full-time job until he was 47. And on the rare occasion his works were performed during his lifetime, the criticism was harsh. On Saturday's Performance Today, how a bad attitude might be to blame for a composer's obscurity.
Composer and organist Rued Langgaard felt at odds with his Danish contemporaries... and he didn't keep it a secret. He was a prolific composer, but his work wasn't truly recognized until after his death. Hear more about Rued Langgaard's life and music on Friday's Performance Today.
What makes for the perfect encore? If the audience is already on its feet, do you want fast music? Or do you want to quiet the house down a bit with something introspective? On Thursday's Performance Today, violinist Hilary Hahn talks about her quest to find the perfect encore. Guest hosted by Nick Canellakis.
Everything is a videogame where you can, literally, be the universe--whether you're playing as a strip of bacon, a planet, a bug, or even a thought. But in that huge world of character possibilities there's also a huge world of musical possibilities. Ben Lukas Boysen and Sebastian Plano, the composers who wrote the music for Everything, join Music is Music host Ria Misra for a conversation about games, music, and what they mean.
During a trip down the Nile, composer Camille Saint-Saens became captivated by an old authentic Nubian song. Captivation led to inspiration, and he transformed the tune into a piano concerto. On Wednesday's Performance Today, we'll hear pianist Stephen Hough and the Nashville Symphony play the "Egyptian" Concerto by Camille Saint-Saens.
Christina and Michelle Naughton are identical twins. They began taking piano lessons when they were 4 years old. It's safe to say that they took it pretty seriously... they now tour the world as a piano duo. On Tuesday's Performance Today, the Naughton sisters shine in a concert performance of 'Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor' by Francis Poulenc.
When Emma Resmini was a young girl, she didn't come out and tell her parents that she wanted to play the flute. Instead, she hinted at it by turning anything remotely stick-shaped into a flute... and her parents got the message. On Monday's Performance Today, Emma Resmini performs 'Undine' by Carl Reinecke, at the New York Flute Club.
Joshua Bell is a world-class violinist, and he's also a father. On Saturday's Performance Today, Joshua and his 10-year-old son Josef join us to celebrate Father's Day. We'll read together from a new children's book inspired by a key moment in the life of Joshua Bell.
We're celebrating Father's Day with a little story-time. 'The Dance of the Violin' is a new children's book, a real story taken from violinist Joshua Bell's childhood. On Friday's Performance Today, you'll literally hear the story... 'The Dance of the Violin', read by Joshua, Josef, and Shirley Bell, with Fred Child narrarating.
