Poster Orion Weiss
Pianist Orion Weiss
Hanry Fair
Performance Today®

Improvisation or composition?

What is a composition? Recently, pianist Orion Weiss listened very carefully to a recording of a piano improvisation that Keith Jarrett performed in 1984. He then wrote it down note for note, with the intent of performing it himself. On Wednesday's Performance Today we'll hear Weiss playing Keith Jarrett's improvisation/composition in concert in Seattle.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Richard Strauss: Der Burger als Edelmann: 4. Entrance and Dance of the Tailors
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Strauss: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Divertimento After Couperin / Orpheus CO
Deutsche Grammophon 435871

Osvaldo Lacerda: Fantasia and Rondo
American Brass Quintet
Beaches Fine Arts Series, St. Paul's by the Sea Episcopal Church, Jacksonville Beach, FL

The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Alex Strong from Bloomington, IN

Richard Strauss: Metamorphoses, study for 23 solo strings
Orchestra of the Suisse Romande; Marek Janowski, conductor
Batiment des Forces Motrices, Geneva, Switzerland

Hour 2

Edouard Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole, Op. 21: 2. Scherzando. Allegro molto
Chee-yun, violin; London Philharmonic Orchestra; Jesus Lopez-Cobos, conductor
Lalo Symphonie Espagnol, Saint-Saens Violin Concerto No. 3
Denon 18017

Toccata
Orion Weiss, piano
Seattle Chamber Music Society Summer Festival, Nordstrom Recital Hall of Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA

Camille Saint-Saens: Concerto for Violin No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61
Chee-Yun, violin; Nashville Symphony Orchestra; Gunther Herbig, conductor
Laura Turner Concert Hall, Schermerhorn Symphony Center; Nashville, TN

Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13: 1. Adagio - Allegro vivace
Danish String Quartet: Frederik Oland, violin; Rune Tonsgaard Sorensen, violin; Asbjorn Norgaard, viola; Fredrik Sjolin, cello
Maud Mood Weyerhaueser Studio, St. Paul, MN

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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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