Poster "Snap-apple night" by Daniel Maclise
"Snap-apple night" painted by Daniel Maclise in 1833
Wikimedia Commons
Performance Today®

The 'Danse Macabre'

Picture Death playing his malevolent fiddle in the graveyard on Halloween night. The skeletons rise and do their annual clattering dance until the sun comes up next morning. Get into the spirit with Danse Macabre, by Camille Saint-Saens on Monday's Performance Today.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Camille Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals (selections)
Renaud Capucon, violin; Esther Hoppe, violin; Beatrice Muthelet; viola; Gautier Capucon, cello; Frank Braley, piano; Emmanuel Pahud, flute
Le Carnaval Des Animaux
Virgin 45603

Camille Saint-Saens (arr. Franz Liszt): Danse Macabre, Op. 20
Yukine Kuroki, piano
The Cliburn, Ed Landreth Hall, TCU, Fort Worth, TX

Gian Francesco Malipiero: Sinfonia del silenzio (Symphony of Silence)
Moscow Symphony Orchestra; Antonio de Almeida, conductor
Malipiero Symphonies
Marco Polo 8.223603

Gian Francesco Malipiero: Il molino della morte (The Mill of Death)
Moscow Symphony Orchestra; Antonio de Almeida, conductor
Malipiero Symphonies
Marco Polo 8.223603

Elmer Bernstein: Ghostbusters
Royal Philharmonic Pops; Elmer Bernstein, conductor
Elmer Bernstein By Elmer Bernstein
Denon 75288

Elmer Bernstein: Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra (excerpts)
Christopher Parkening, guitar; London Symphony Orchestra; Elmer Bernstein, conductor
Christopher Parkening - Elmer Bernstein - Albeniz - Marshall
EMI 56859

Hour 2

Alan Hovhaness: Spirit of Trees, Sonata for Harp and Guitar: Movement 2
Yolanda Kondonassis, harp; David Leisner, guitar
Music of Alan Hovhaness
Telarc 80530

Johannes Brahms: Ballades Op. 10: Movements 3-4
Vladimir Feltsman, piano
The Aspen Music Festival and School, Harris Hall, Aspen, CO

Alan Hovhaness: Prayer of Saint Gregory
Kevin Cobb, trumpet; Frank Almond, violin; Stefan Hersh, violin; Phillip Ying, viola; David Ying, cello
Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Packard Hall, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO

Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61: Movements 2-4
Sydney Symphony Orchestra; David Robertson, conductor
Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia
**Classical Live - available on Google Play**

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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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