Performance Today®

Inspired by a set of drawings by 19th century French caricaturist and cartoonist J.J. Grandville, Canadian-American composer Karim Al-Zand wrote a fantastical piece called "Visions from Another World."

Pianist Steven Osborne practices, of course. But he also believes in sometimes getting away from music, in order to broaden his life and avoid impoverishing his musical voice. On Wednesday's Performance today, we'll hear Osborne give a live performance of several etudes by Rachmaninoff.

Rudolf Buchbinder grew up in a house with a piano -- despite the fact that no one in his family played music. But that piano became a source of inspiration for Buchbinder, who has grown up to have a tremendous career as a pianist. On Tuesday's Performance Today, we'll hear him play music by Beethoven.

Conductor Daniel Barenboim created the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra to create a forum where young musicians from all over the Middle East could come together to make music. On Monday's Performance Today, we'll hear Barenboim lead the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in concert at the BBC Proms in London.

Every week on our Piano Puzzler, composer Bruce Adolphe re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a classical composer. Play along on this weekend's Performance Today to see if you can guess the tune and the composer whose style Bruce is mimicking.

On Friday's Performance Today, we're exploring music inspired by bird song. First, we'll head to this summer's BBC Proms in London to hear Maurice Ravel's imitation of a sad blackbird. Then, we'll hear the sounds of doves, hens, nightingales and cuckoos from a concert in Los Angeles.

The first ever Van Cliburn Junior Piano Competition took place this summer. On Thursday's Performance Today, we'll hear 16-year-old Russian pianist Arsenii Mun give a medal-winning performance during the final round of the competition.

Every week on our Piano Puzzler, composer Bruce Adolphe re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a classical composer. Play along on Wednesday's Performance Today to see if you can guess the tune and the composer whose style Bruce is mimicking.

Violinist Joseph Joachim believed that there were only four great violin concertos written by German composers -- and one of them was written just for him, by his friend Johannes Brahms. On Tuesday's Performance Today, we'll hear violinist James Ehnes play that Brahms Concerto in concert with the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra.