Poster Composer Robert Schumann
Composer Robert Schumann
Michael Nicholson
Performance Today®

Growing flowers in the dark

1844 was a rough year for Schumann; he was entrenched in anxiety, fatigue, and depression. Functioning and getting through a day was a challenge - let alone trying to write music. And yet, from within his struggles, he was able to write some a symphony full of light, life, and hope. On Monday's Performance Today, hear Schumann's Symphony No. 2 from a concert at the Aspen Chamber Music Festival and School.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Johann Strauss Jr: The Diplomat's Polka
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra; Alfred Walter, conductor
J. Strauss II: Edition: Vol. 36
Marco Polo 223236

Johann Strauss Jr: Waltz, Op. 437, "Emperor"
Geoff Nuttall and Owen Dalby, violins; Hezekiah Leung, viola; Jonathan Lo, cello; Anthony Manzo, double bass
The Bank of America Chamber Music Series, Spoleto Festival USA, Dock Street Theater, Charleston, SC

John Woolrich: Ulysses Awakes
Maiya Papach, viola; Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; Christian Zacharias, conductor
St Paul Chamber Orchestra, Wooddale Church, Eden Prairie, MN

Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61: Movements 2-4
Aspen Chamber Symphony; David Robertson, conductor
Aspen Chamber Music Festival and School, Benedict Music Tent, Aspen, CO

Hour 2

Aram Khachaturian: Lullaby from Gayaneh
Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
Khachaturian: Symphony No. 2 and Gayaneh
Chandos 8945

Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto a Molti Strumenti in D Major, RV 564a
Venice Baroque Orchestra; Andrea Marcon, conductor
University of Georgia, Hodgson Concert Hall, Athens, GA

Ludwig van Beethoven: Six Bagatelles for Piano, Op. 126
Gilles Vonsattel, piano
University of Georgia, Ramsey Concert Hall, Athens, GA

Aram Khachaturian: Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano
Tommaso Lonquich, clarinet; Ani Kavafian, violin; Michael Brown, piano
Late Night Rose, Rose Studio at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York, NY

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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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