Poster nutcracker
Nutcracker standing near a Christmas tree
Teri Virbickis via Shutterstock
Performance Today®

Nutcracker B-sides

Everybody can recognize the tune of the Sugar Plum Fairy from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, but even the lesser-known sections of the ballet are great. On this episode of Performance Today, we'll explore the Nutcracker "B-sides", with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Peter Tchaikovsky: Waltz from Sleeping Beauty
Boston Symphony Orchestra; Seiji Ozawa, conductor
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Complete Ballet)/ Sleeping Beauty Suite
DG 445775

Gabriel Faure: Ave Maria
Joshua Bell, violin
Musical Gifts from Joshua Bell and Friends
Sony 374318

Piano Puzzler: This week's contestants are Nancy Parton and Ron Morebello from San Diego, CA

Peter Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (excerpts)
Berlin Philharmonic; Simon Rattle, conductor
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
EMI 46385

Hour 2

Kenneth Jennings: Noel: Christmas Eve
St. Olaf Choir
My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord
St. Olaf 2396

Claude Debussy: Preludes from Book 2, L. 123
Anton Nel, piano
Aspen Music Festival and School, Harris Concert Hall, Aspen, CO

Frederick Delius: Sleigh Ride
Virginia Symphony Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Sounds of the Seasons
Hampton Roads Classics 007

Michael Gilbertson: Graffiti: Concerto for Chamber Orchestra
San Francisco Chamber Orchestra; Benjamin Simon, conductor
San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Herbst Theater, San Francisco, CA

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About Performance Today®

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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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