When Sergei Prokofiev's First Piano Concerto premiered in 1918 in New York, one critic called it "a duel, a battle to the death between the pianist and the piano." He said the piano could be heard "shrieking, groaning, howling, and fighting back." Funny how what's outrageous to listeners in one century is embraced by another. The concerto now gets a warm reception from audiences. We'll hear Bulgarian pianist Plamena Mangova performing it in Madrid, Spain.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Sergei Prokofiev: Second movement from Symphony No. 1 in D, Op. 25 (Classical)
The London Symphony Orchestra, Walter Weller, conductor
Louis Armstrong: Yes, I'm in the Barrel
Windscape
John C. Borden Auditorium, New York City
George Gershwin: Three Preludes
Lara St. John, violin, Martin Kennedy, piano
Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Athens, Georgia
Dmitri Shostakovich: Tahiti Trot, Op. 16 (Tea for Two)
The Houston Symphony Orchestra, Brett Mitchell, conductor
Jones Hall, Houston
Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat, Op. 10
Plamena Mangova, piano, the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, Walter Weller, conductor
Teatro Monumental, Madrid, Spain
Gottfried Finger: Sonata No. 4 in D Minor for Viola da Gamba and Continuo
Hille Perl, viola de gamba, Lee Santana, lute
Konzerthaus, Berlin, Germany
Brad Richter and Viktor Uzur: Ironwood
The Richter Uzur Duo
Browning Center for the Performing Arts, Ogden, Utah
Hour 2
George Gershwin: But Not for Me
Joshua Bell, violin, the London Symphony Orchestra, John Williams, conductor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Serenade No. 13 in G, K. 525 (Eine Kleine Nachtmusik)
The Irish Chamber Orchestra, Katherine Hunka, conductor and violin
Royal Dublin Society Concert Hall, Dublin, Ireland
Anonymous: Four Tunes from the 13th Century
Grand Desir
Geertekerk, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Henri Vieuxtemps: Souvenir of America
Joshua Bell, violin
Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany
Fritz Kreisler: Liebesleid
Joshua Bell, violin, Matthew Bengtson, piano
NPR Studio 4A, Washington, D.C.
Ludwig van Beethoven: Romance No. 2 in F for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 50
Joshua Bell, violin, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Ordway Center, St. Paul
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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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