What if Joseph Haydn had written the Happy Birthday song? Or Ludwig van Beethoven? On Monday's Performance Today we'll hear composer Peter Heidrich's Variations on the Happy Birthday song which he has written in the style of a dozen different composers. Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg leads the New Century Chamber Orchestra in that performance. Also, tune in to find out what makes Happy Birthday one of the most expensive songs to perform.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Edvard Grieg: Once Upon a Time, Op. 71, no. 1 - Es war einmal
Andrei Gavrilov, piano
Gary Schocker: Three Dances for Two Flutes
Eugenia Zukerman, flute; Gary Schocker, flute; Ran Dank, piano
Symphonyspace, New York City, NY
Edvard Grieg: Excerpts from Peer Gynt Suite - Morning Mood, Death of Ase, Anitra's Dance, Arabian Dance, Peer Gynt's Homecoming, In the Hall of the Mountain King
German Symphony Orchestra; Osmo Vanska, conductor
Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Franz Schubert: Cello Quintet in C - iv. Allegretto
Emerson String Quartet and Paul Watkins
Baird Auditorium, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Hour 2
J.S. Bach: Fantasia in C minor, BWV 906
Angel Hewitt, piano
Mikhail Glinka: Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla
Dallas Wind Symphony; Jerry Junkin, conductor
Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, TX
PT Young Artist-in-Residence: Young Artist in Residence
Xiang Yu, violinist
J.S. Bach: Partita in D minor BWV 1004 - IV. Chaconne
Xiang Yu, violin
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, MN
Peter Heidrich: Happy Birthday Variations (all mvmt except theme)
New Century Chamber Orchestra; Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, music director
Osher Martin Jewish Community Center, San Rafael, CA
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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.
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