Poster Water Lilies
Water Lilies, 1906 painting by Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Performance Today®

A Pupil of Claude Monet

Claude Debussy once said that he hated the term impressionism. And yet, he also wrote to a friend, "You do me a great honor by calling me a pupil of Claude Monet." Conductor David Robertson shares his thoughts on the parallels between Debussy's music and Monet's painting, and leads the New York Philharmonic in a ravishing performance of Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun."

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Claude Debussy: Cortege et Air de Danse, from the Prodigal Son
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Thomas Beecham, conductor

Claude Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
The New York Philharmonic, David Robertson, conductor
Avery Fisher Hall, New York City

Claude Debussy: Dieu! Qu'il fait bon la Regarder, from Three Songs
Musica Intima
Church of the Purification, Repentigny, Quebec

Colors of Debussy Perfchat, Part II: Perfchat

Claude Debussy: Selections from Preludes, Book II
Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano
Fraser Studio, Boston

Claude Debussy: Premiere Rhapsodie
Richard Stoltzman, clarinet, Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano
Fraser Studio, Boston

Claude Debussy: La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin (the Girl with the Flaxen Hair)
Richard Stoltzman, clarinet, Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano
Fraser Studio, Boston

Claude Debussy: Beau Soir (Beautiful Evening)
Jon Kimura Parker, piano, Cho-Liang Lin, violin
Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth, Texas

Hour 2

Claude Debussy: Sarabande
The French National Orchestra, Eliahu Inbal, conductor

Claude Debussy: Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp
Tom Ottar Andreassen, flute, Jon Wien Sonstebo, viola, Sidsel Walstad, harp
Oslo Concert Hall, Oslo, Norway

Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz: Tarantella for Harp and Baroque Guitar
Arianna Savall, harp, Rolf Lislevand, Baroque guitar
Schwetzingen Festival, Schwetzingen, Germany

Santiago de Murcia: Zarambeques O Muecas, from Codex No.4
Arianna Savall, harp, Rolf Lislevand, Baroque guitar
Schwetzingen Festival, Schwetzingen, Germany

Claude Debussy: Jeux (Games)
The French National Orchestra, Daniele Gatti, conductor
Theatre des Champs-Elysees, Paris, France

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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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