Poster Mstislav Rostropovich
Cellist Mstislav Rostropovich
Svensk Konsertdirektion AB
Performance Today®

Great Performances

Today's show features some of the greatest performances of the 20th century, including Vladimir Horowitz's return to the stage after a dozen years of self-imposed exile. Plus, Leonard Bernstein conducting an international orchestra at the Berlin Wall just after it fell. And Mstislav Rostropovich's (pictured) return to Russia, leading an American orchestra in an all-American tune, "Stars and Stripes Forever."

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Hector Berlioz: The Rakoczy March, from the Damnation of Faust
The New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, conductor

Frederic Chopin: Etude No. 8 in F, Op. 10
Vladimir Horowitz, piano
Carnegie Hall, New York City

Moritz Moszkowski: Etude No. 11 in A-flat, Op. 72
Vladimir Horowitz, piano
Carnegie Hall, New York City

John Stafford Smith: The Star-Spangled Banner
The New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, conductor
Carnegie Hall, New York City

Ludwig van Beethoven: Fourth movement from Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125
The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, soloists, Leonard Bernstein, conductor
Schauspielhaus, Berlin, Germany

Johann Strauss, Jr.: The Pleasure Train Polka
The National Symphony Orchestra, Mstislav Rostropovich, conductor
Moscow Conservatory, Moscow, Russia

John Philip Sousa: Stars and Stripes Forever
The National Symphony Orchestra, Mstislav Rostropovich, conductor
Moscow Conservatory, Moscow, Russia

Hour 2

Antonin Dvorak: Humoresques No. 1 in E-flat Minor and No. 2 in B, Op. 101, B. 187
Radoslav Kvapil, piano

William Bolcom: Graceful Ghost Rag
Kathleen Winkler, violin, Jonathan Feldman, piano
Music Academy of the West, Santa Barbara, California

The PT Mail Bag: Listener Emails and Comments

Tomas Luis de Victoria: Congratulamini Mihi (Rejoice with Me) and Sancta Maria
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers, director
Sherborne Abbey, Dorset, England

Antonin Dvorak: The Golden Spinning Wheel, Op. 109
The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Vassily Sinaisky, conductor
Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, England

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

Lost and found

Lost and found

When Samuel Coleridge-Taylor premiered his Piano Quintet in 1893, he thought that would be the end and that it wouldn't be played again. And for more than a century, he was right. However, the handwritten manuscript was found in 2001. This quintet is now published and played around the world.  Join us today to hear Coleridge-Taylor’s Piano Quintet played by an all-star ensemble at the ChamberFest Cleveland music festival.

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Jimmy Lopez Bellido: Rise!

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PT Weekend: Joshua Roman

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Joshua Roman: Immunity

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Leonidas Kavakos and the 'Willemotte' Stradivarius

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Valerie Coleman: Tzigane

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About Performance Today®

To find a station near you on our Stations Listings page, click here.

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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