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Performance Today®

Tchaikovsky's Sixth from Lucerne

Venezuela's Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra does a great job playing big, high-energy pieces. But at the recent Lucerne Easter Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland, they were able to show off their sensitive side as well. They gave a rousing performance of Tchaikovsky's sixth symphony, under the baton of conductor Claudio Abbado. Known for its mix of energy and pathos, Tchaikovsky's final symphony got its nickname "Pathetique" from the composer's brother Modest, at breakfast one Sunday morning.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Albert Roussel: Rondo from Suite for Piano, Op. 14
Pianist Enid Katahn

Charles Trenet: April in Paris
Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul

Thomas Bateson and Robert Jones: The Nightingale so Soon as April Bringeth, Rossignol, and I Come, Sweet Birds
Piffaro
Town Hall, Seattle

Albert Roussel: Symphony No. 3 in G Minor, Op. 42
The Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Lionel Bringuier
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles

Frank Bridge: Four Short Pieces
Flutist Stephanie Jutt and pianist Jeffrey Sykes
The Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Stoughton, Wisconsin

Hour 2

Arturo Marques: Conga del Fuego
The Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra with conductor Gustavo Dudamel

Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 (Pathetique)
The Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra with conductor Claudio Abbado
Lucerne Easter Festival, Lucerne, Switzerland

Adnan Saygun: Pentatonic Sketch on an Aksak Rhythm
Pianist Joel Fan
Temple Beth-El, San Antonio, Texas

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