Poster Szymon Laks
Szymon Laks
photograph from Andre Laks's family archive
Performance Today®

Szymon Laks

Szymon Laks was a prisoner at Auschwitz, and leader of the prison orchestra. He says music did not offer comfort or peace, that music became a kind of torture, but he played on because his very life depended on it. The story and the music of Szymon Laks, on this edition of Performance Today.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Nicolo Paganini: Caprice No. 17 for violin solo, Op. 1 in E flat major from 24 Caprices
Michael Barenboim, violin
Sciarrino, Tartini, Berio & Paganini - Michael Barenboim
Accentus 30431

Ottorino Respighi: Piano Quintet In F Minor
Bora Kim, Yoon Be Kim, violins; Jaiwai Yan, viola; Allan Hon, cello; Eloise Kim, piano
Lake George Music Festival, Sacred Heart Church, Lake George, NY

Maurizio Cazzati: Capriccio sopra dodici note Op. 22, No. 15
The I-90 Collective; Carrie Krause, conductor
Baroque Music Montana, Beehler House, Bozeman, MT

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 1 in B-flat major, K. 207
Michael Barenboim, violin; Los Angeles Philharmonic; Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA

Hour 2

Maurice Ravel: Danse Generale from 'Daphnis et Chloe'
New York Philharmonic; Pierre Boulez, conductor
Ballet Vol. 1: Greatest Hits
Sony 45658

Johann Sebastian Bach: Prelude and Fugue No. 19 in A Major, from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book II, BWV 888
Stephen Prutsman, piano
Rockport Music, Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport, MA

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 7 Movement 2 Nachtmusik: Allegro moderato
New York Philharmonic; Alan Gilbert, conductor
David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York, NY

Szymon Laks: String Quartet No. 3
Dover String Quartet
Minnesota Beethoven Festival, Page Theatre, Saint Mary's University, Winona, MN

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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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