When Martin Luther King, Jr. and Duke Ellington met in 1963, they talked about American music and life. Nine years later, Duke Ellington wrote a composition, Three Black Kings, in honor of Dr. King. On Monday's Performance Today, we'll hear that piece from a concert in Buffalo, New York, as part of our celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Jean Sibelius: Suite Mignonne: Movements 2-3
Gerard Schaub, flute; Kenneth Wihlborg flute; Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
Sibelius: Spring Song, The Bard
DG 4764211
Peter Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Kevin Mills, cello; Carlos Avila, piano
Heifetz International Music Institute, Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, VA
Jean Sibelius: Tapiola, Op. 112
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Philipp von Steinaecker, conductor
Berwaldhallen Concert Hall, Berwaldhallen, Stockholm, Sweden
Jon Jonsson: Wind Quartet
Nadine Asin, flute; Frank Rosenwein, oboe; JJ Koh, clarinet; Per Hannevold, bassoon
Aspen Music Festival and School, Benedict Music Tent, Aspen CO
Hour 2
Jason Moran: Cager Lee
Jason Moran, piano
Selma
Paramount Pictures/Pathe
Traditional: We Shall Overcome
SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) Freedom Singers and audience
Sing for Freedom: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through Its Songs
Smithsonian/Folkways Records 40032
Duke Ellington: Three Black Kings: 3. Martin Luther King
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Duke Ellington: Black, Brown and Beige
Naxos 559737
Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen
Lorenza Borrani, violin; Daniel Hope, violin; Philip Dukes, viola; Carla Maria Rodrigues, viola; Eric Kim, cello; Camden Shaw, cello; Joseph Conyers, double bass
Savannah Music Festival, Trinity United Methodist Church, Savannah, GA
Thomas Dorsey: Take My Hand, Precious Lord
Ledisi
Selma
Paramount Pictures/ Pathe
Jason Moran: Final Speech
Jason Moran, piano
Selma
Paramount Pictures/Pathe
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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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