Legendary soprano Jessye Norman passed away earlier this week. She was a forceful opera singer, and she could also give some of the most touching performances of spirituals we've ever heard. Norman was a guest on PT several times. We'll share highlights from those conversations, and celebrate her life and legacy, on this episode of Performance Today.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Franz Schubert: Ganymed
Jessye Norman, soprano; Phillip Moll, piano
Schubert Lieder
Philips 412623
Harold Arlen: Stormy Weather
Jessye Norman, soprano; Mike Lovatt, trumpet; Mark Markham, piano; Ira Coleman, double bass; Steve Johns, drums; Martin Williams, saxophone
Jessye Norman: Roots: My Life, My Song
Sony Classical NA
Duke Ellington (arr. Bob Russell): Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Jessye Norman, soprano; Mike Lovatt, trumpet; Mark Markham, piano; Ira Coleman, double bass; Steve Johns, drums; Martin Williams, saxophone
Jessye Norman: Roots: My Life, My Song
Sony Classical 88697 64263 2
Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs, III. Beim Schlafengehen
Jessye Norman, soprano; Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig; Kurt Masur, conductor
Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs
Philips 411052
Richard Strauss: A Hero's Life (Ein Heldenleben) (excerpts)
Berlin Philharmonic; Simon Rattle, conductor
Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, etc.
EMI 39339
Traditional: Lord, I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray
Jessye Norman, soprano; Mark Markham, piano
Jessye Norman: Roots: My Life, My Song
Sony 764263
Hour 2
William Grant Still: Summerland
Videmus: Jean DeMart, flute; Ann Hobson Pilot, harp; Lydia Forbes, violin; George Taylor, viola; Mark Churchill, cello
Works by William Grant Still
New World Records 80399
Ernest Bloch: Avodah
Danbi Um, violin; Orion Weiss, piano
Music@Menlo, Stent Family Hall, Menlo School, Atherton, CA
James Syler: Love Among the Ruins (2016)
Staff Sergeant Sarah Hart, viola; United States Marine Band; Capt. Ryan J. Nowlin, conductor
United States Marine Band, Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall, Alexandria, VA
William Grant Still: Wood Notes
ROCO; Scott St. John, concertmaster/conductor
ROCO, St. John the Divine Church, Houston, TX
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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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