Poster couperin
Couperin
Wikipedia
Performance Today®

Nice work if you can get it

Whenever King Louis XIV traveled, his entire court traveled with him including musicians. Composer Francois Couperin earned a decent living, got to stay at Versailles and every Sunday, at the king's request, he performed the same four orchestral suites he had written because they were the king's favorite. We'll listen to those tunes which made life very comfortable for Couperin and his king.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Olivier Messiaen: Vocalise, from Concert a quatre
Catherine Cantin, flute, Heinz Holliger, oboe, Yvonne Loriod, piano, Mstislav Rostropovich, cello, Orchestre de l'Opera Bastille, Myung-Whun Chung, conductor

Peteris Vasks: Dolcissimo, from Gramata Cellam"
Sol Gabetta, cello and vocalist
Aspen Music Festival, Benedict Music Tent, Aspen, Colorado

Zivojin Glishik: Prelude and Pajduska
Simon Trpceski, piano
Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand

Olivier Messiaen: The Forgotten Offerings
Grand Teton Festival Orchestra, Donald Runnicles, conductor
Grand Teton Music Festival, Walk Festival Hall, Teton Village, Wyoming

Francois Couperin: Huitieme Concert dans le gout theatral
Masques Ensemble
Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, Montreal, Canada

Hour 2

Maurice Ravel: Sad birds
Marius Van Paassen, piano

Igor Stravinsky: Concerto in D Major
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, California

Maurice Ravel: A Boat on the Ocean, from Miroirs
Frederic Chiu, piano
College of Charleston, Memminger Auditorium, Charleston, South Carolina

Ludwig van Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69
Wendy Warner, cello; Irina Nuzova, piano
Bill and Marion Feighner Recording Studio, Columbus State University, Schwob School of Music, Columbus, South Carolina

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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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