In Greek mythology, Prometheus took fire from the gods and gave it to mortals. We got warmth and light, knowledge and culture. But Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock for all eternity, where a giant eagle pecked out his liver each day. In today's show, we'll hear excerpts from Beethoven's ballet, "The Creatures of Prometheus," from a concert in New York City.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Dmitri Shostakovich: Third movement from Symphony No. 15, Op. 141
The Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, Roman Kofman, conductor
George Frideric Handel: Air and Variations from Suite No. 5, HWV 430 (The Harmonious Blacksmith)
The Sotto Voce Tuba Quartet
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
Jean-Marie Leclair: Sonata in C for Two Violins, Op. 3, No. 3
Frank Huang and Min-Young Kim, violins
Portland Chamber Music Festival, Portland, Maine
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Lilacs, Op. 21, No. 5
Eduard Kunz, piano
International Chopin Piano Festival, Duszniki Zdroj, Poland
Dmitri Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a
wild Up, Christopher Rountree, conductor
Jensen Rec Center Studio, Los Angeles
Hour 2
Antonin Dvorak: Third movement from String Sextet in A, Op. 48
The Boston Symphony Chamber Players
Arthur Honegger: Pastorale d'ete (Summer Pastorale)
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Christian Zacharias, conductor
Ordway Center, St. Paul
Benjamin Britten: Parade, from Les Illuminations, Op. 18
Kate Royal, soprano, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Ludwig van Beethoven: Excerpts from the Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Alexander Janiczek, violin and leader
92nd Street Y, New York City
Gustav Mahler: Third movement from Symphony No. 6 (Tragic)
The Boston Symphony Orchestra, James Levine, conductor
Symphony Hall, Boston
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About Performance Today®
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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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