In 1933, Alan Hovhaness read Dante's Divine Comedy, including the line: "O human race, born to fly upward..." Those words sparked a lifetime of musical ideas, inspired by the idea of space travel. On Wednesday's Performance Today, hear "Star Dawn" by Alan Hovhaness, performed by the United States Marine Band.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Overture to Der Schauspieldirektor
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne; Yehudi Menuhin, conductor
Mozart Overtures
Virgin 63284
Marcel Tournier: Suite for Flute, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Harp, Op. 34
Tara Helen O'Connor, flute; Bridget Kibbey, harp; Kristin Lee, violin; Paul Neubauer, viola; Dmitri Atapine, cello
Music@Menlo, Menlo School, Atherton, CA
The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Alan Fletcher from Aspen, CO
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 20 in D, K. 133
Boston Symphony Orchestra; James Levine, conductor
Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Hour 2
Alan Hovhaness: Alleluia and Fugue for String Orchestra: Fugue
Philharmonia Orchestra; David Amos, conductor
Hovhaness: And God Created Great Whales
Crystal 810
Alan Hovhaness: Lake of Van Sonata
Sahan Arzruni, piano
Alan Hovhaness Centennial Celebration; First Congregational Church of Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Alan Hovhaness: Star Dawn, Maestoso sostenuto from Symphony No. 53, Op. 377
United States Marine Band; Major Jason K. Fettig, conductor
Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria, VA
Ernst von Dohnanyi: Piano Quintet No. 2 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 26
Daniel Phillips and Benny Kim, violins; Steven Tenenbom, viola; Eric Kim, cello; Jon Nakamatsu, piano
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, St. Francis Auditorium, New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM
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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.
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