Performance Today®

It's 15 minutes of musical fireworks, so over-the-top it's almost self-parody. At the same time, it takes on the most serious of subjects: what happens when we die? But does it with a hint of a sly wink, which makes it perfect for Halloween weekend. It's Totentanz, the "Dance of Death" by Franz Liszt. Louis Lortie plays the ultra-athletic piano part, Kurt Masur leads the San Francisco Symphony, in concert. And this week's 21st century segment highlights music by a composer who is quickly approaching rock-star status in the choral world, Eric Whitacre.

It began as a piano improvisation "aided by a cigar," in the words of composer Edward Elgar. He came up with a curious little theme. And to amuse his wife Alice, he began improvising around the theme in ways that might represent a few of their friends. It grew into a theme and 14 variations, just over 30 minutes of touching and entertaining music for full orchestra. The Enigma Variations by Elgar. Adrian Leaper conducts the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, in concert in Madrid.

Understatement of the week: composer Hector Berlioz had a vividly romantic and dramatic view of the world. When the 23 year-old Berlioz saw a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet, he fell truly-madly-deeply in love with the actress who played Ophelia. He sent her passionate letters, which she ignored as the ravings of a crazed fan. So Berlioz wrote a bizarre symphony that told the story of their torrid (and completely imaginary) relationship. When she heard the piece two years later and realized it was about her...she got in touch. They were married the next year. Highlights from the Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz, Alan Gilbert conducting the New York Philharmonic in concert at Lincoln Center, in New York City.

Twenty-eight year-old American violinist William Harvey is halfway through a year-long appointment teaching violin and viola at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul. He spoke with PT host Fred Child before he left, and again recently on the phone from Afghanistan. Harvey says he not only feels "very safe" in Kabul, he's having an incredible time sharing the Western tradition with young Afghan musicians, and learning Afghan music from them.

After one Los Angeles concert, a critic called the performance "irresistibly freewheeling" and said the soloist "hot-rodded through the fast passages as if he was out to set speed records." The performance was a perfect storm of youthful energy: a concerto written by a 20-year-old hot-shot, performed by a soloist and conductor, both still this side of 30. It was a performance of Sergei Prokofiev's First Piano Concerto, written in 1911 while he was still a conservatory student. Simon Trpceski was the soloist, with Gustavo Dudamel leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic. We'll hear that turbo-charged performance from Los Angeles in today's show.

Cellist Alisa Weilerstein is one of the rising stars in classical music right now. She's only 28, but has been getting rave reviews for quite a while now. In fact, one reviewer called her recent performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto "life-changing." We'll hear that performance of the Elgar, with Daniel Barenboim and the Berlin Philharmonic, from a concert in Oxford, England. We'll also hear a performance by Alisa Weilerstein's parents, violinist Donald and pianist Vivian.

Today's show is all about home, the places that ground us and give us a sense of belonging. Bedrich Smetana wrote a set of pieces called "My Homeland." We'll hear the most famous, "The Moldau," a depiction of the Moldau River as it winds through the Bohemian countryside. And Latvian composer Peteris Vasks wrote this about his "Plainscapes:""The beauty of the Latvian landscape has given me moments of exceptional happiness. The plains are a dominant feature where one can see the horizon and look at the stars." Plus, we'll have the results of the 2010 Chopin International Piano Competition that just wrapped up in Warsaw.

Vienna's Musikverein is one of those spectacular old European concert halls. The walls and ceilings shimmer with real gold. And the acoustics are every bit as magnificent as the decor. Up until recently, pianist Lang Lang had never played there. He finally got his chance, playing a solo recital that included Beethoven's "Appassionata" Sonata. It's in today's show. Plus, we'll hear a performance from the Musikverein from a special New Year's Day concert. Daniel Barenboim and the Vienna Philharmonic rattled those golden walls and ceilings with Johann Strauss, Jr.'s "Thunder and Lightning Polka."

Cellist Alisa Weilerstein is one of the rising stars in classical music right now. She's only 28, but has been getting rave reviews for quite a while now. In fact, one reviewer called her recent performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto "life-changing." We'll hear that performance of the Elgar, with Daniel Barenboim and the Berlin Philharmonic, from a concert in Oxford, England. We'll also hear a performance by Alisa Weilerstein's parents, violinist Donald and pianist Vivian.