Poster Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius
Wikipedia.org
Performance Today®

Admiring a Musical Butterfly

Finnish composer Jean Sibelius once wrote, "Compositions are like butterflies. Touch them even once, and the dust of color is gone. They can still fly, but are nowhere near as beautiful." That is, let your ears and your gut be your guide, not your analytical mind. We'll admire a musical butterfly this hour: the Symphony No. 7, by Sibelius. Also on the way, a world-premiere performance of chamber music inspired by ephemeral sculptures of Andrew Goldsworthy. On Friday's Performance Today, from APM.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Jean Sibelius: III. Scherzo from Symphony No. 1 in E minor
Lahti Symphony Orchestra; Osmo Vanska, conductor
Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies
BIS 1286

Johannes Brahms: Scherzo in C minor, fr. "F-A-E" (Frei aber einsam) Sonata
Leila Josefowicz, violin; Tamara Stefanovich, piano
The Schubert Club, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, St. Paul, Minnesota

Jonathan Pontier: Artefaxxxx (2005)
Calefax Reed Quintet: Oliver Boekhoorn, oboe; Ivar Berix, clarinet; Raaf Hekkema, saxophone; Jelte Althuis, bass clarinet; Alban Wesly, bassoon
Falany Performing Arts Center of Reinhardt University, Waleska, Georgia, USA

Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 105
Minnesota Orchestra; Osmo Vanska, conductor
Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Jean Sibelius: Valse Triste, from Kuolema, Op. 44 (encore)
Minnesota Orchestra; Osmo Vanska, conductor

Hour 2

Robert Schumann: Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44; III. Scherzo (Molto vivace)
Beaux Arts Trio (Menahem Pressler, pno; Isidore Cohen, violin; Bernard Greenhouse, violoncello); with Samuel Rhodes, Viola; Dolf Bettelheim, violin
Schumann, Beaux Arts Trio
Philips 420791

Ellis Schuman: Mouvement Classique
Courtney Hershey Bress, harp
Strings Music Festival Pavillion; Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Robert Schumann: Carnaval, scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes, Op. 9
Kirill Gerstein, piano
Aspen Music Festival; Harris Concert Hall, Aspen, Colorado

Steven Stucky: Rain Shadow (quartet for piano and strings) world premiere 1. Rain Shadow 3. Icicle Star 4. Yellow and Red
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano; Ida Kavafian, violin; Steven Tenenbom, viola; Peter Wiley, cello
Music from Angel Fire; Angel Fire Community Center, Angel Fire, New Mexico

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

‘Performance Today’ has selected performer and composer Jessie Montgomery as the 2025 Classical Woman of the Year. This annual award recognizes women who have made significant contributions to the classical music art form and have inspired our listeners. Find out more!

A viola for the ages

A viola for the ages

French violist Antoine Tamestit plays a stunning instrument, believed to be the very first viola made by Antonio Stradivari in 1672. On today's show, Tamestit takes the stage with clarinetist Pierre Genisson for a performance of Max Bruch's Double Concerto for Clarinet and Viola at a recent concert in Verbier, Switzerland.

1:59:00
Darkness in broad daylight

Darkness in broad daylight

In Slavic folklore, the "witching hour" doesn't wait for darkness. Antonín Dvořák’s symphonic poem, The Noon Witch, brings the terrifying myth of Lady Midday to life. The story follows a mother who jokingly threatens her misbehaving child with a forest witch, only for the creature to appear in broad daylight and claim them both. Tune in today to hear Dvořák’s The Noon Witch. Andrés Orozco-Estrada conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in a performance from Switzerland.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Brian Raphael Nabors

PT Weekend: Brian Raphael Nabors

Join us today to hear Brian Raphael Nabors' orchestral work Upon Daybreak. Inspired by Maya Angelou's poem "A Brave and Startling Truth," Nabors explores the sound of a world free of hatred. ROCO performs this "ode of triumph" in concert on the campus of Rice University in Houston.

1:59:00
Wynton Marsalis and the blues

Wynton Marsalis and the blues

Wynton Marsalis believes the blues is more than a style—it is a way to process life's hardships and reach what he calls "a timeless higher ground." In 2015, Marsalis premiered a work that captures this journey, moving from the depths of sorrow to the vibrant, high-energy rhythms of Afro-Latin dance. In this episode, Cristian Macelaru leads the Minnesota Orchestra in a performance of Marsalis's Blues Symphony.

1:59:00
Debussy: Jeux

Debussy: Jeux

When Claude Debussy composed music for the ballet "Jeux," he envisioned a game of tennis between two women and a young man. In tennis, "love" means nothing; in Debussy's music, love is everything. In this episode, we'll hear romance and seduction on the courts from a recent concert in Budapest.

1:59:00
Stephen Prutsman

Stephen Prutsman

When you land on the homepage of pianist and composer Stephen Prutsman, you're greeted with a quote from Hans Christian Andersen: "Where words fail, music speaks." Tune in today to hear Prutsman and his music speak through his piece 'Dog' at a concert in Charleston, South Carolina.

1:59:00
Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels: Omar

Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels: Omar

Today, we'll hear the powerful overture to the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, Omar, by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels. The opera tells the true story of Omar Ibn Said, a West African Islamic scholar who was enslaved in 1807. Giddens and Abels built the overture on the melody of Koromanti, one of the earliest documented songs composed by an enslaved person in the Americas. A big thanks goes out to Interlochen Presents and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for sharing this performance with us!

1:59:00
Brian Raphael Nabors

Brian Raphael Nabors

Join us today to hear Brian Raphael Nabors' orchestral work Upon Daybreak. Inspired by Maya Angelou's poem "A Brave and Startling Truth," Nabors explores the sound of a world free of hatred. ROCO performs this "ode of triumph" in concert on the campus of Rice University in Houston.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Jessie Montgomery and the science of light

PT Weekend: Jessie Montgomery and the science of light

From the neon flicker of a glowstick to the summer sparkle of a lightning bug, composer Jessie Montgomery draws inspiration from the science of light. Tune in today to hear the Sphinx Virtuosi perform Montgomery's 'Chemiluminescence' at a recent concert presented by Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

About Performance Today®

To find a station near you on our Stations Listings page, click here.

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.

Hosted by Valerie Kahler, 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.

How do I leave a comment?

Send us a comment here.

About Performance Today®
YourClassical Radio
0:00
0:00