Poster Bela Bartok, Hungarian pianist and composer
Bela Bartok, Hungarian pianist and composer
University of Florida, Scholar Commons
Performance Today®

Bartok's Romanian Dances

In the early 1900s, Bela Bartok traveled the dusty back-roads of eastern Europe with a heavy Edison recording machine. He recorded thousands of folk songs that, in turn, inspired his own work. On Wednesday's Performance Today, the Romanian Dances by Bela Bartok, from a concert by the Sinfonietta of Riverdale, New York.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Bela Bartok: For Children, Hungarian Folk Tunes, Volume 1 (selections)
Paul Galbraith, 8-string guitar
In Every Lake the Moon Shines Full
Delos 3236

Johann Sebastian Bach: Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
Alisa Weilerstein, cello
92nd Street Y, Kaufmann Concert Hall, New York City, NY

Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Jason Carr from Philadelphia, PA

Bela Bartok: Romanian Folk Dances
Sinfonietta of Riverdale; Mark Mandarano, conductor
Sinfonietta of Riverdale, Christ Church Riverdale, Riverdale, NY

Hour 2

Franz Schubert: Ave Maria, Op. 52, No. 6
Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Kathryn Stott, piano
Songs From the Arc of Life
Sony 88875103162

Kevin McKee: Vuelta del Fuego
Micah Wilkinson, trumpet; Stephen Cook, trumpet; Eric Reed, horn; John Kitzman, trombone; Justin Benavidez, tuba
Round Top Festival Institute, Festival Concert Hall, Round Top, TX

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 4, K. 218
Augustin Hadelich, violin; Utah Symphony; Thierry Fischer, Music Director
Utah Symphony & Utah Opera, Abravanel Hall, Salt Lake City, UT

Franz Schubert: Sonata in G Major, D. 894: Movements 3-4
Andras Schiff, piano
The Gilmore Keyboard Festival, Chenery Auditorium, Kalamazoo, MI

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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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