Poster Maria Schneider
Maria Schneider, American jazz composer
Jimmy and Dena Katz
Performance Today®

Maria Schneider

Maria Schneider is a jazz composer based in New York City. She doesn't usually write music in the classical genre. But the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra recently commissioned her to write a piece for soprano and chamber orchestra. This weekend, we'll hear the world premiere of Schneider's "Carlos Drummond de Andrade Stories," from a concert by Dawn Upshaw and the SPCO.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Jean Sibelius: Valse Triste (Sad Waltz), Op. 44, No. 1
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Lorin Maazel, conductor

Dmitri Shostakovich: Waltz No. 2 from Jazz Suite No. 2 and Waltz from the Gadfly, Op. 97
Jan Vogler, cello, the Knights, Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Le Poisson Rouge, New York City

Dmitri Shostakovich: Two Pieces by Domenico Scarlatti, Op. 17
The Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Dmitri Kitaenko, conductor
Philharmonie, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Dmitri Shostakovich: Finale from Symphony No.5, Op. 47
The Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop, conductor
Concert Hall, Sao Paulo, Brazil

The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Gary Hoffman from Ketchum, Idaho

Josef Strauss: The Dragonfly, Op. 204
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck, conductor
Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany

Hour 2

Johann Neruda: Vivace from Trumpet Concerto in E-flat
Sergei Nakariakov, trumpet, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Hugh Wolff, conductor

Ennio Morricone: Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso
Ekachai Jearakul, guitar
JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition, Buffalo, New York

Erik Satie: Gnossienne No. 6
Andreas Borregaard, accordion
Mazovia Goes Baroque, Warsaw, Poland

Maria Schneider: Prologue and Souvenir, from Carlos Drummond de Andrade Stories
Dawn Upshaw, soprano, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Scott Yoo, conductor

Nadia Boulanger: Three pieces for Cello and Piano
Nicolas Altstaedt, cello, Jose Gallardo, piano
Lucerne Summer Festival, Lucerne, Switzerland

Philippe Gaubert: Les Chants de la Mer (Songs of the Sea)
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, New York

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

Julio Medaglia

Julio Medaglia

Composer Julio Medaglia was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1938. He studied conducting in Germany for ten years before returning to Brazil to conduct and compose. For 30 years, he hosted a daily radio show in Sao Paulo that sounded similar to PT, combining concert highlights and contemporary music. On today's show, we'll hear the Imani Winds play Julio Medaglia's 'Belle Epoque en Sud-America,’ including a really fun movement named "Crazy Baby Clarinette!"

1:59:00
Bruce Adolphe and the Piano Puzzler

Bruce Adolphe and the Piano Puzzler

Every week on our Piano Puzzler, composer Bruce Adolphe re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a great composer. One of our listeners calls in, tries to guess the tune and the composer whose style Bruce is mimicking. Tune in and play along with our weekly musical game: the Piano Puzzler.

1:59:00
Kodaly: Dances of Galanta

Kodaly: Dances of Galanta

Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly heard Roma bands when he was growing up, and later incorporated some of those tunes into his own music. On today's show, hear Kodaly's Dances of Galanta, from a concert at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

1:59:00
Kirill Gerstein: Music in Time of War

Kirill Gerstein: Music in Time of War

Pianist Kirill Gerstein recently released an album called Music in Time of War. The album includes the Etudes Claude Debussy wrote during the First World War and music by composer and musicologist Komitas, who lived through the Armenian Genocide. Fred Child recently spoke with Gerstein about the project and how it reflects on the world. Join us today for a special hour of music and conversation with Kirill Gerstein.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: The Piano Puzzler

PT Weekend: The Piano Puzzler

So, what is a Piano Puzzler? Well, it's a familiar tune that Bruce Adolphe has re-written in the style of a classical composer. See if you can name the hidden tune and the composer whose style Bruce is imitating. Join us for this week’s Piano Puzzler. Plus, as part of our celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we'll hear music by Argentine composers Lalo Schifrin and Maximo Diego Pujol.

1:59:00
Gabriela Montero's 'Latin Concerto'

Gabriela Montero's 'Latin Concerto'

In 2016, pianist and composer Gabriela Montero wrote a concerto reflecting how people perceive Latin America. She says it's not an overtly political piece, but it does express the light and dark sides of the subject. Today, we'll hear Gabriela Montero play her “Latin Concerto” with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm.

1:59:00
As if waking from a dream

As if waking from a dream

Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 differs from many of his other concertos. It doesn't try to please us right away; it begins with a feeling of uncertainty and tension. The tension is resolved when the piano comes in two minutes later, and the music becomes very pleasing. Pianist Joyce Yang says the moment feels like waking suddenly from a dream. On today's show, we'll hear Joyce Yang play the concerto with the Aspen Chamber Symphony, led by conductor Jane Glover.

1:59:00
Puzzling!

Puzzling!

So, what is a Piano Puzzler? Well, it's a familiar tune that Bruce Adolphe has re-written in the style of a classical composer. See if you can name the hidden tune and the composer whose style Bruce is imitating. Join us for this week’s Piano Puzzler. Plus, as part of our celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we'll hear music by Argentine composers Lalo Schifrin and Maximo Diego Pujol.

1:59:00
Sabine Meyer plays Mozart

Sabine Meyer plays Mozart

When Sabine Meyer plays Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, she insists on using the kind of clarinet Mozart had in mind: a basset clarinet, a clarinet that has an extra four low notes. And Mozart uses those extra notes, of course. Sabine Meyer plays Mozart's Clarinet Concerto on today's show.

1:59:00
Kwame Ryan

Kwame Ryan

In 1980, a young aspiring conductor watched a videotape of the New York Philharmonic, and he wore the tape out as he dreamed of his future. Kwame Ryan is now in his first season as Music Director of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. On today’s show, we’ll hear them play Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 at a concert in Charlotte, North Carolina.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

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.

How do I leave a comment?

Send us a comment here.

About Performance Today®