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Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F

George Gershwin had it all: talent, looks, charisma, spiffy art deco apartment on Riverside Drive with the grand piano, the parties, the Isamo Noguchi bust of himself. And, of course, a melodic gift that escaped the theatre and lived in memory. On Wednesday's Performance Today, we'll hear one of George Gershwin's influential forays into the concert hall, played by an equally charismatic pianist from Quebec. Alain Lefevre plays George Gershwin's Concerto in F.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Astor Piazzolla: Ave Maria
Maya Beiser, cello, Anthony de Mare, piano

Johann Sebastian Bach (Arranged by Max Reger): Two Bourrees in A Minor, BWV 807, from Reger's Suite for Orchestra in G Minor
The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Alastair Willis, conductor
Church of St. John the Divine, Houston

Astor Piazzolla: Oblivion
The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta, conductor
The Church of St. John The Divine, Houston

The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Keith Weber from Houston, Texas

Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A, Op. 78
Anthony Marwood, violin, Aleksandar Madzar, piano
Wigmore Hall, London, England

William Boyce: Symphony in A, Op. 2, No. 2 (Birthday)
Tempesta di Mare
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia

Hour 2

George Gershwin: Prelude No. 1, from Three Preludes
The Eroica Trio

Antonio Vivaldi: Sinfonia, from Dorilla in Tempe, RV 709
The Academy for Ancient Music, Berlin, Georg Kallweit, violin and leader
The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Bolette Roed: Improvisation
Bolette Roed, recorder
Music in Paradise Festival, Paradyz, Poland

George Gershwin: Concerto in F
Alain Lefevre, piano, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Nathan Brock, conductor
Wilfrid-Pelletier Hall, Montreal, Quebec

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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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