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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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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