Poster Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy
The Birkes on flickr.com
Performance Today®

To the Nobility of the Human Spirit

Times were desperate in the Soviet Union in 1944. World War II was raging. Millions died from injuries, disease, and starvation. And somehow, in spite of that (or perhaps because of it), Sergei Prokofiev managed to write a symphony that he dedicated "to the nobility of the human spirit." He later confessed that it surprised even him. He said, "I can't say I chose the music. It was born deep inside me, matured within me, and clamored for expression." Today, as much of the country struggles to recover from Hurricane Sandy, we'll hear Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic in a performance of Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony, from a concert earlier this year.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Maurice Ravel: Jeux d'eau
Robert Casadesus, piano

David Popper: Requiem for Three Cellos and Piano. Op. 66
Bion Tsang, David Ying, and Keiko Ying, cellos, Susan Grace, piano
Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Sergei Prokofiev: Two movements from Symphony No. 5 in B flat, Op. 100
The New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert, conductor
Avery Fisher Hall, New York City

Maurice Ravel: Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. posth.
Daniel Hope, violin, Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano
Savannah Music Festival, Savannah, Georgia

Hour 2

Manuel de Falla: Two movements from the Three-Cornered Hat
The Romeros

Johann Strauss, Jr.: Die Fledermaus Paraphrase
Rudolph Buchbinder, piano
Rainier III Auditorium, Monaco

Francisco Tarrega: Gran Jota de Aragonesa for Guitar
Pepe Romero, guitar
92nd Street Y, New York City

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Serenade No. 13 for Strings in G, K. 525 (Eine kleine Nachtmusik)
The Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, Frans Bruggen, conductor
The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Felix Mendelssohn: Konzertstuck No. 2 in D Minor for Clarinet and Basset Horn, Op. 114
Frank van den Brink, clarinet, Esther Misbeek, basset horn, the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, Frans Bruggen, conductor
The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

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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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