Czech composer Bedrich Smetana and his wife had four beautiful daughters. They were a happy family until, over the course of two years, three daughters and Smetana's wife all died from illness. On this episode of Performance Today, hear dramatic music inspired by personal heartbreak: Bedrich Smetana's Piano Trio, Op. 15.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Heitor Villa-Lobos: String Quartet No. 6: 2. Allegretto
Cuarteto Latinoamericano
Villa-Lobos: String Quartets, Vol. 1
DORIAN 90205
Antonio Vivaldi: Double Concerto for Violin and Oboe in B-flat Major, RV364
L Sohn, violin; JA Smith, oboe; G Nuttal & B Beilman, violins; D Phillips, viola; C Costanza, cello; An Manzo, dbl bass; P Muzijevic, harpsichord
Spoleto Festival USA, Dock Street Theater, Charleston, SC
Claude Debussy: Children's Corner
Stephen Hough, piano
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 6 for Flute and Bassoon
Tara O'Conner, flute; Peter Kolkay, bassoon
String Theory at the Hunter, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN
Carl Maria von Weber: Oberon Overture J. 306
Texas Festival Orchestra; Christian Arming, conductor
Round Top Music Festival, Festival Concert Hall, Round Top, TX
Hour 2
Bedrich Smetana: Memories of Bohemia in the form of a Polka
Peter Schmalfuss, piano
Bedrich Smetana - Works for Piano
Thorofon 2005
Ludwig van Beethoven: Egmont Overture, Op. 84
IRIS Orchestra; Michael Stern, conductor
Germantown Performing Arts Center, Germantown, TN
Jacques Ibert: Three Short Pieces
Mimi Stillman, flute; Samuel Nemec, oboe; JJ Koh, clarinet; Catherine Chen, bassoon; Phillip Browne, horn
Lake George Music Festival, St James Episcopal Church, Lake George, NY
Bedrich Smetana: Piano Trio, Op. 15
Eroica Trio: Erika Nickrenz, piano; Sara Parkins, violin; Sara Sant'Ambrogio, cello
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
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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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