Performance Today®

Michael Praetorius: "Dances from Terpsichore," from "Christmas Vespers" Apollo's Fire with conductor Jeannette Sorrell

There are lots of great encoded mysteries in the world. Some of them, like Egyptian hieroglyphics, have been solved. Unfortunately, there's no Rosetta Stone to help decipher Edward Elgar's "Enigma Variations," but there are some interesting theories about them. Tune in today for a performance of the "Enigma Variations" by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

Like a box of fine chocolates, today's show features a rich assortment of the sweet and the tart, the smooth and the chewy. Sink your teeth into today's show, and you'll hear holiday music from all over the world. We'll feature music from different cultures - some serious, some fun, all delightful. Merry Christmas from all of us at Performance Today!

Christmas Eve of 1914 wasn't supposed to be a silent night. World War I was going on, and men were supposed to be killing one another. But, just for that night, both sides gave up fighting and made peace. Join us today as the men of Cantus tell the story of that night, in word and song.

Today's show features two great choral masterpieces for Christmas. We'll feature Cantata I of Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" from Stockholm, Sweden, and selections from Handel's "Messiah," featuring Apollo's Fire from Cleveland. In addition, we'll talk with Rob Kapilow, author of a series of commentaries called "What Makes it Great?" He'll explain what makes Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" so great.

Today we'll celebrate the start of winter after yesterday's solstice. It's also the first full day of Hannukah, and Christmas is just a few days away. We'll have lots of great programming in honor of this most festive season of the year, featuring great performances from all over the world.

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Nine sections of "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" Pianist Dmitri Alexeev with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Yuri Temirkanov

When Francis Poulenc was composing one particular piece, he said he was imagining angels sticking out their tongues and solemn monks playing soccer. The result is the gloriously irreverent "Gloria," for choir and orchestra. Today we'll hear Mariss Jansons and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra perform it in Amsterdam. Plus, the Rose Ensemble returns for some early American Christmas music.

The Rose Ensemble, one of the country's great early music groups, stopped by our studios recently to share some of their holiday music with us. Today, we'll feature them in a set of Baroque Christmas pieces from Mexico. It's a unique sound that's a blend of both the old and new worlds.