American composer John Adams wrote a piece for clarinetist Michael Collins: "Gnarly Buttons." That unusual title is a half joking reference to how difficult it is to play the clarinet, which has all those difficult keys on it, those... gnarly buttons. On today's show, hear Michael Collins and members of the Minnesota Orchestra play this fun, yet emotional piece of music.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
John Adams: China Gates
Nicolas Hodges, piano
John Adams: Road Movies
Nonesuch 79699
Mel Bonis: Suite Orientale
Sylvan Trio
First Congregational Church of Webster Groves, Webster Groves, MO
Frederic Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp Minor, Op.39
Anna Han, piano
Southeastern Piano Festival, University of South Carolina School of Music Recital Hall, Columbia, SC
John Adams: Gnarly Buttons for Clarinet and Small Orchestra
Michael Collins, clarinet; Members of the Minnesota Orchestra; Osmo Vanska, conductor
Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN
Hour 2
Claude Debussy: Images pour Orchestre - Le Matin d'un jour de fete
Los Angeles Philharmonic; Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
Debussy: Images; Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune; La Mer
Sony 62599
Katherine Hoover: My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free, from Dances and Variations
Christina Smith, flute; Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Pre-Concert Chamber Music Series, Symphony Hall, Atlanta GA
Camille Saint-Saens: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28
Ray Chen, Violin; Los Angeles Philharmonic; Elim Chan, conductor
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA
Antonin Dvorak: Quartet in F Major, Op 96 "American"
Jasper String Quartet
WSKG Public Media & Honest Brook Music Festival, Delhi, 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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