Poster Pianist Jenny Lin
Pianist Jenny Lin's new CD is Get Happy, virtuoso showtunes for pianists
Liz Linder Photography
Performance Today®

Jenny Lin

Pianist Jenny Lin joins host Fred Child in the PT studios today. She's got a new CD out, "Get Happy," a set of virtuoso arrangements of Broadway show tunes written by some of her fellow pianists. Lin says, "You really have to remember that the melody is first," and confesses that she listened to plenty of Sinatra (whom she adores) in preparation for this project. On today's show, Jenny Lin talks about the project and performs five selections from the CD.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Antonin Dvorak: Scherzo from Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81
The Orion String Quartet, Peter Serkin, piano

Henry Purcell: Scotch Tune
Solamente Naturali, Milos Valent, violin and leader
Boston Early Music Festival, Boston

Ludwig van Beethoven: Six Ecossaises, WoO 83
Alfred Brendel, piano

Traditional Irish: Jezebel Carol
Ensemble Galilei
Beaches Fine Arts Series, Jacksonville, Florida

Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70
The Los Angeles Philharmonic, James Conlon, conductor
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles

Hour 2

Irving Berlin (arranged by Dick Hyman): Cheek to Cheek
Jenny Lin, piano

George Gershwin (arranged by Earl Wild): I Got Rhythm
Jenny Lin, piano

Paul Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, David Robertson, conductor
The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Peter Tchaikovsky: The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, from the Nutcracker, Op. 71a
The Glass Duo
International Chopin Piano Festival, Duszniki Zdroj, Poland

Perfchat with Jenny Lin: Perfchat

Richard Rodgers (arranged by Stephen Hough): My Favorite Things
Jenny Lin, piano
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul

Frederick Loewe (arranged by Stefan Malzew): Eliza in Ascot
Jenny Lin, piano
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul

George Gershwin (arranged by Earl Wild): Embraceable You
Jenny Lin, piano
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul

Richard Rodgers (arranged by Andre Previn): Blue Moon
Jenny Lin, piano
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul

Harold Arlen (arranged by Stephen Prutsman): Get Happy
Jenny Lin, piano
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul

Benjamin Britten: A Hymn to the Virgin
Chanticleer, Dale Warland, director
St. Vincent de Paul Church, Petaluma, California

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

Bruckner the late bloomer

Bruckner the late bloomer

Anton Bruckner was a late bloomer. He wrote his first major piece at age 40. He built some momentum in his 50s, but musicians, critics, and most audiences at the time didn't fully appreciate his work. Bruckner got his first authentic taste of success with a piece he premiered in 1884 at the age of 60. We'll hear from that work on today's show: Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7.

1:59:00
Music from a summer home

Music from a summer home

We'll hear the Philadelphia Orchestra in concert at their summer home in Saratoga Springs, New York, on today's show. Conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin leads a performance of the Prelude to Act One of Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin.

1:59:00
Elsa Barraine

Elsa Barraine

French composer Elsa Barraine lived through the Nazi occupation of Paris, where she organized concerts to support morale and promote resistance. She also supported Jewish musicians whose very lives were in danger. Barraine believed in music as a force for good in this world. On today's show, we'll take you to a concert in Paris to hear Elsa Barraine's Symphony No. 2.

1:59:00
MLK

MLK

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s impact is more important than ever. Join us for a special edition of ‘Performance Today’ honoring King through music. We'll celebrate his legacy with a piece dedicated to Dr. King in 1963: Montgomery Variations by Margaret Bonds. Join us for music honoring Dr. Martin Luther King on today’s show.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: The Piano Puzzler

PT Weekend: 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 and 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
Bringing fractals to live

Bringing fractals to live

Composer Jessie Montgomery found inspiration in nature's infinitely repeating patterns: fractals. Her fascination with these natural wonders led her to write a captivating new piece that brings fractals to life through sound. On today's show, we'll hear "Rounds" by Jessie Montgomery, a musical exploration of nature's boundless beauty.

1:59:00
Juantio Becenti: The Glittering World

Juantio Becenti: The Glittering World

We'll hear fascinating new music from Navajo composer Juantio Becenti on today's show. Becenti found a unique parallel between the Navajo creation story and his own musical journey. Join us to hear the ensemble A Far Cry perform Juantio Becenti's The Glittering World at a concert in Rockport, Massachusetts.

1:59:00
The Piano Puzzler

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 and 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
Irish composer Howard Ferguson

Irish composer Howard Ferguson

Irish composer Howard Ferguson only published twenty pieces before retiring from composition to take up cooking. Later in life, he even wrote a popular cookbook. We have music by Howard Ferguson on this edition of Performance Today.

1:59:00
Missy Mazzoli's Sinfonia for Orbiting Spheres

Missy Mazzoli's Sinfonia for Orbiting Spheres

The hurdy-gurdy has strings like a violin, a keyboard, and a hand crank that produces a wheezing drone. Composer Missy Mazzoli was fascinated by this sound and wanted to make a whole orchestra sound like a big hurdy-gurdy.  Tune in for the Sinfonia for Orbiting Spheres by Missy Mazzoli on today’s episode.

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®