How to sum up Claude Debussy in just a few words? A man who revolutionized 20th century music. Who broke all the rules for composing. Who said, in fact, that there was only one rule, and that was pleasure. A man who explored musical moods and colors and textures in a way no one ever had before. Today is Claude Debussy's 150th birthday. We'll celebrate with some of his greatest works, including a performance of La Mer from San Francisco.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Claude Debussy: Prelude from Suite Bergamasque
The National Orchestra of Lyon, Jun Markl, conductor
Claude Debussy: Syrinx
Tom Ottar Andreassen, flute
Oslo Concert Hall, Oslo, Norway
The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Kate Tayler-Hunt from Florence, Alabama
Claude Debussy: La Mer (the Sea)
The San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco
Hour 2
Claude Debussy: The Wind on the Plain and the Girl with the Flaxen Hair, from Preludes, Book I
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano
Claude Debussy: Violin Sonata in G Minor
Jennifer Pike, violin, Igor Levit, piano
The BBC Proms, London, England
Claude Debussy: Golliwog's Cakewalk, from Children's Corner
The Calefax Reed Quintet
Falany Performing Arts Center, Waleska, Georgia
Perfchat with Pierre-Laurent Aimard: Perfchat
Claude Debussy: Selections from Twelve Etudes, L. 136
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul
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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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