Poster Till Fellner
Till Fellner, pianist
Ben Ealovega
Performance Today®

Fellner plays Beethoven

The young Austrian pianist Till Fellner suffered a debilitating case of tinnitus (a hearing disorder) in 2005. It almost ended his career. But with medical help, he came back, playing even more beautifully than before. Two hundred years earlier, another young German-speaking pianist was devastated when he began losing his hearing. There was no medical cure for him, and Ludwig van Beethoven lived out the rest of his life in silence. In today's show, Fellner plays a Beethoven sonata, from a concert last month in London.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

George Frideric Handel: Passacaille from Radamisto
The Academy for Ancient Music, Berlin

Andre Previn: Jaunty, from Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano
The Poulenc Trio
Flagler Museum, Palm Beach, Florida

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E, Op. 109
Till Fellner, piano
Wigmore Hall, London, England

Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins, Strings, and Continuo
Georg Kallweit and Midori Seiler, violins, the Academy for Ancient Music, Berlin
Notre Dame Basilica, Montreal, Quebec

Hour 2

Paul Bowles: Excerpts from Four Miniatures for Piano
Irene Herrmann, piano

Joseph Haydn: Trio in G for Mandolin, Viola, and Cello
Chris Thile, mandolin, Paul Neubauer, viola, Fred Sherry, cello
Chamber Music Northwest, Portland, Oregon

Paul Bowles: Blue Mountain Ballads
Thomas Hampson, baritone, Craig Rutenberg, piano
Minnesota Beethoven Festival, Winona, Minnesota

Robert Manno: Excerpt from Three Scenes from the Mountains
Tara Helen O'Connor, flute, Alan R. Kay, clarinet, the Windham Festival Chamber Orchestra, Robert Manno, conductor
Doctorow Center for the Arts, Hunter, New York

Joaquin Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
Jose Maria Gallardo del Rey, guitar, the Spanish National Orchestra, Josep Pons, conductor
Teatro Monumental, Madrid, Spain

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