Musical Poetry

The viola often plays a supporting role, but Spanish composer Joaquín Turina flipped the script in his "Escena andaluza" (Andalusian Scene), where the viola takes the spotlight. Written while Turina was homesick in Paris, the viola-centric sextet evokes a warm summer night in southern Spain, complete with flamenco-inspired textures. In this episode of PT, we'll hear violist Kirsten Docter and pianist Timothy Lovelace join the Thalea String Quartet for a live performance of Turina's "Escena andaluza" at the Lakes Area Music Festival in Brainerd, Minnesota.

At the root of a legendary Havana musical family tree is the late Juan Jorge Junco, a clarinetist, soloist, and educator who helped shape Cuba’s sound. In honor of his grandfather’s enduring legacy, composer and pianist Aldo López-Gavilán created a new work for the wind repertoire. Today, we'll hear soloist Ricardo Morales and the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Michael Butterman, at the world premiere of Aldo López-Gavilán’s Clarinet Concerto.

In 2023, composer Gabriel Kahane collaborated with clarinetist Anthony McGill to create a clarinet concerto titled "if love will not swing wide the gates" (after a quote from James Baldwin). The work draws on Kahane's songwriting background while showcasing McGill's lyrical playing. On today's program, we'll hear a live performance from the 2026 BBC Proms at London's Royal Albert Hall, featuring soloist Anthony McGill, conductor Ryan Bancroft, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos blended European classical traditions with Brazilian folk music in his celebrated collection, Bachianas Brasileiras. We'll hear the famous Aria from No. 5, which pairs a soaring, lamenting melody with rich accompaniment. Flutist Alice K. Dade and guitarist Colin McAllister perform the piece live at Packard Performance Hall as part of the Colorado College Summer Music Festival.

In 1940, Paul Hindemith composed a piece of music based on themes Carl Maria von Weber wrote more than a century earlier. He kept Weber's basic ideas intact but added some inventive 20th-century twists. Hear that piece on today's show: Paul Hindemith's ‘Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber,’ from a concert in Taipei, Taiwan.

To celebrate their milestone 50th-anniversary season, the Atlanta Chamber Players commissioned a new sextet from composer Andrea Casarrubios, who designed the work as a reflection on what it means to dedicate decades to an artistic life. In today's episode, we'll hear members of the Atlanta Chamber Players give the world premiere of Casarrubios's Sextet (for clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello, and piano) at a recent concert in Atlanta.

Indian-American composer Reena Esmail works between the worlds of Indian and Western classical music. In 2017, Esmail drew inspiration from the words of Rumi, a 13th-century Sufi poet: "Religions are many, but God is one. The lamps may be different, but the light is the same." On today's episode, we'll take you to a concert at the University of Georgia to hear the Imani Winds play Reena Esmail's 'The Light is the Same.'

Like any good story, music can express many emotions: moments of tenderness, passion, fear, and frustration. All those emotions shared without a single word...that's the power of music. Today we'll hear Arnold Schoenberg's Transfigured Night from a concert presented by the Kingston Chamber Music Festival in Philadelphia.

Danish composer Carl Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto features one of classical music's most famous instrumental rivalries. While the concerto is a dazzling showcase for the woodwinds, a snarky, belligerent snare drum repeatedly intrudes into the music, needling and interrupting the soloist like a sibling looking for a fight. On today's show, Paavo Järvi conducts the North German Radio Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, with clarinetist Martin Fröst, in a performance of Carl Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto.

In 1940, Paul Hindemith composed a piece of music based on themes Carl Maria von Weber wrote more than a century earlier. He kept Weber's basic ideas intact but added some inventive 20th-century twists. Hear that piece on today's show: Paul Hindemith's ‘Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber,’ from a concert in Taipei, Taiwan.