The phone rang early on a Sunday morning. The conductor of the New York Philharmonic was sick, and the assistant conductor was asked to step in. Never mind that the assistant had a bad hangover, and there was no time to rehearse the orchestra. It was 65 years ago today that the young Leonard Bernstein's career was launched.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Leonard Bernstein: "Times Square: 1944" from "On the Town"
The New York Philharmonic with conductor Leonard Bernstein
Santiago de Murcia: "Bagpipes"
Apollo's Fire with harpsichordist and conductor Jeannette Sorrell
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3 in D Minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 30
Pianist Lazar Berman with the New York Philharmonic and conductor Leonard Bernstein
Avery Fisher Hall, New York City
Hour 2
Josef Haydn: Finale from Symphony No. 101 ("The Clock")
The Berlin Philharmonic with conductor Herbert von Karajan
Robert Johnson: "The Witches' Dance" and "The Fairies' Dance"
Lutenist Nigel North
Sundin Hall, St. Paul, Minnesota
Claude Debussy: "The Fairies are Exquisite Dancers"
Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin
Spivey Hall, Morrow, Georgia
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 25 in G Minor, K. 183
The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Trevor Pinnock
Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Josef Haydn: String Quartet in B Minor, Op. 33, No. 1
The Ysaye Quartet
Spivey Hall, Morrow, Georgia
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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.
Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.
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