Poster Alhambra Garden
Garden, Alhambra, Granada, Spain
Alfonso Tochis
Performance Today®

Nights in the Gardens of Spain

If only we could hand out those scratch-n-sniff cards to PT listeners today. It might come close to approximating what Manuel de Falla had in mind when he wrote his "Nights in the Gardens of Spain." He meant his music to evoke not just the sights and sounds of the gardens surrounding the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain. He wanted to conjure up the delicate fragrances of the place that's been called "Paradise on Earth." If you can, find a quiet garden spot, lean back, close your eyes, and inhale de Falla's gorgeous music.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Max Bruch: Piece No. 1, from Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano, Op. 83
Kari Kriikku, clarinet, Matti Hirvikangas, viola, Arto Satukangas, piano

Adolf Schulz-Evler: Concert Arabesque on the Beautiful Blue Danube
Charlie Albright, piano
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

Antonio Carlos Jobim: Amparo and Stone Flower
The Assad Brothers Guitar Duo
Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara, California

Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26
Joshua Bell, violin, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Semyon Bychkov, conductor
The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Hour 2

Manuel de Falla: Excerpts from Seven Popular Spanish Songs
Kim Kashkashian, viola, Robert Levin, piano

George Frideric Handel: Entrance of Queen of Sheba, from Solomon
The Windham Festival Chamber Orchestra, Robert Manno, conductor
Windham Chamber Music Festival, Windham, New York

Ferdinand Rebay: Six Variations on a Sarabande by George Frideric Handel
SoloDuo
St. John the Baptist Church, Ottawa, Ontario

Alessandro Scarlatti: Fugue from Sonata in C
Tempesta di Mare
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Fantasia in D Minor, K. 397
Vladimir Feltsman, piano
Bass Hall, Fort Worth, Texas

Manuel de Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Nelson Freire, piano, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Ivan Fischer, conductor
The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

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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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