Poster The Swing
The Swing, by Jean-Honore Fragonard
Jean-Honore Fragonard, painter
Performance Today®

Variations on a Rococo Theme

Rococo art and music are often criticized as being a little fussy and overly decorative. All frosting and no cake. But Peter Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme not only has plenty of cake, there are also vegetables and a side of beef lurking under there too. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein serves up this hearty fare, from a concert with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in New York.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Igor Stravinsky: Suite No. 1 for Small Orchestra
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Eduardo Mata, conductor

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: March in D, K. 445
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Christian Zacharias, conductor
Ordway Center, St. Paul

Felix Mendelssohn: Song without Words in E, Op. 19b, No. 1 (Sweet Remembrance)
Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano
92nd Street Y, New York City

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden, conductor
Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas

Hour 2

Joseph Haydn: Finale from Symphony in C, Hob. I.48 (Maria Theresia)
The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

Chris Thile: Mandolin Concerto
Chris Thile, mandolin, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
Royce Hall, Los Angeles

Peter Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Alisa Weilerstein, cello, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City

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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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