Czech composer Bedrich Smetana married his childhood sweetheart; they had four beautiful daughters together... but over the course of two years, three daughters and Smetana's wife all died from illness. On Tuesday's Performance Today, hear dramatic music inspired by Smetana's tragic loss.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Bedrich Smetana: Memories of Bohemia in the form of a Polka
Peter Schmalfuss, piano
Bedrich Smetana - Works for Piano
Thorofon 2005
Ludwig van Beethoven: Egmont Overture, Op. 84
IRIS Orchestra; Michael Stern, conductor
Germantown Performing Arts Center, Germantown, TN
Jacques Ibert: Three Short Pieces
Mimi Stillman, flute; Samuel Nemec, oboe; JJ Koh, clarinet; Catherine Chen, bassoon; Phillip Browne, horn
Lake George Music Festival, St James Episcopal Church, Lake George, NY
Bedrich Smetana: Piano Trio, Op. 15
Eroica Trio: Erika Nickrenz, piano; Sara Parkins, violin; Sara Sant'Ambrogio, cello
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
Hour 2
Jerome Moross: Biguine
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Frankie & Johnny
Albany 1400
Claude Debussy: Estampes: 1. Pagodes; 2. La soiree dans Grenade
Stephen Hough, piano
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA
Jerome Moross: Symphony No. 1
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY
Astor Piazzolla: Tango Suite: 2. Andante, rubato, melancolico; 3. Allegro
ANCIA Saxophone Quartet
Rochester Chamber Music Society, Christ United Methodist Church, Rochester, MN
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About Performance Today®
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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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