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

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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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