In a 1980 interview with NPR, composer Aaron Copland chuckled when he talked about misconceptions people have about his ballet, "Appalachian Spring.""I was not thinking about the Appalachian Mountains when I wrote it. People are very disappointed to hear me say that." In today's show, the story of how the "Ballet for Martha" became "Appalachian Spring," and a performance by the Knights in Stillwater, Minnesota. Plus, Bruce Adolphe stops by for a new Piano Puzzler.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Aaron Copland: Saturday Night Waltz, from Rodeo
The London Symphony Orchestra, Aaron Copland, conductor
Mikhail Glinka: Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila
The Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Ari Rasilainen, conductor
Radio Concert Hall, Oslo, Norway
The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestants are Dick and Serena LaVine from New York City
Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring
The Knights, Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Stillwater Music Festival, Stillwater, Minnesota
Hour 2
Johann Sebastian Bach: First movement from Concerto for Oboe, Violin, Strings and Continuo in C Minor, BWV 1060
Allan Vogel, oboe, Hilary Hahn, violin, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
Various Composers (Arranged by William Kanengiser): Music from the Time of Cervantes
The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A, K. 488
Rudolf Buchbinder, piano, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles
Dmitri Shostakovich: Galopp from the Nose
The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles
Various Composers: Three Encores
Denis Matsuev, piano
Chopin and his Europe International Music Festival, Warsaw, Poland
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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.
Hosted by Valerie Kahler, 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.
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