Poster Cover of Le tombeau de Couperin, drawn by Maurice Ravel
Cover of Le tombeau de Couperin, drawn by Maurice Ravel
Drawing by Maurice Ravel, via wikimedia commons
Performance Today®

Ravel's tribute to fallen friends

During the First World War, Maurice Ravel composed a work and dedicated each movement to a fallen friend or colleague. On this weekend's Performance Today, we'll hear Ravel's Le tombeau de Couperin, from a concert in Helsinki, Finland. Guest-hosted by Jade Simmons.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Germaine Tailleferre: Sonata No. 2 Movement 2 Adagietto
Ransom Wilson, flute; Christopher O'Riley, piano
Flute Music by Les Six
Etcetera 1073

Georg Philipp Telemann: Concerto for Three Trumpets in D
Radovan Vlatkovic, horn; Richard Watkins, horn; Lukas Christinat, horn; International Horn Festival Symphony Orchestra; Philippe Bach, conductor
Aula Cher, Sarnen, Switzlerand

Germaine Tailleferre: Harp Sonata: Movement 2. Lento
Sophie Baird-Daniel, harp
98.1 KING FM Northwest Focus Live, KING FM Studios, Seattle, WA

Eileen Ivers: Bygone Days
Michael Newman, guitar; Laura Oltman, guitar
Ernst C. Stiefel Concert Hall, Mannes School of Music, New York, NY

R. Nathaniel Dett: The Ordering of Moses (excerpts)
Donnie Ray Albert, baritone; Latonia Moore, soprano; Ronnita Nicole Miller, mezzo soprano; Rodrick Dixon, tenor; May Festival Chorus and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; James Conlon, conductor
R. Nathaniel Dett: The Ordering of Moses
Bridge 9462

Black Musician Spotlight: R. Nathaniel Dett

Hour 2

Erwin Schulhoff: Alla Tango Milonga
Mira Wang, Colin Jacobsen, violins; Nicholas Cords, viola; Jan Vogler, cello
Tango!
Sony 32803

Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre: Trio Sonata No.4 in C minor
Sonnambula: Jude Ziliak and Toma Iliev, violins; Amy Domingues, bass viol; James Kennerley, harpsichord; Elizabeth Weinfield, Artistic Director
Baruch Performing Arts Center - Engelman Recital Hall, New York, NY

Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Edward Gardner, conductor
Musikkitalo, Helsinki, Finland

Erwin Schulhoff: Sonata for alto saxophone & piano "Hot Sonata"
Sean Meyers, alto saxophone; Teodora Adzharova, piano
Summer Chamber Music in Roland Park, Roland Park Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, MD

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

PT Weekend: David Lai

PT Weekend: David Lai

We're pleased to introduce the first of our 2025 PT Young Artists in Residence: pianist David Lai. David joins Fred Child for music and conversation at our Saint Paul studio on today's show.

1:59:00
Where true joy is serious business

Where true joy is serious business

The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra has an official motto. It's carved in stone on the side of their concert hall, a Latin phrase that translates: "True joy is serious business." We'll hear some of that joy from a concert in Leipzig, Germany, on today’s episode of Performance Today.

1:59:00
Rossini's worst critic: Rossini

Rossini's worst critic: Rossini

When composer Gioachino Rossini was 12, he wrote six "terrible" sonatas. WE don't think they're terrible—Rossini is the one that used that word. So, see what you think... join us today to hear Rossini's not-so-terrible String Sonata No. 3 from a concert in Portland, Oregon.

1:59:00
The Year of the Snake

The Year of the Snake

It’s the Year of the Snake! For more than two billion people across many Asian cultures and the Asian diaspora, it's the beginning of a new year, the Lunar New Year. Join us today for celebratory music from Sichuan province, with a violinist born in the Year of the Snake.

1:59:00
Beethoven's 'Hammerklavier'

Beethoven's 'Hammerklavier'

Marc-Andre Hamelin is one of the most celebrated and respected pianists of our time. His performances are known for their brilliance, technical mastery, and deep musicality. On today's show, we'll hear Hamelin play one of the world’s most challenging piano compositions: Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29, the Hammerklavier.

1:59:00
Young Artist in Residence: David Lai

Young Artist in Residence: David Lai

We’re proud to introduce you to pianist David Lai, our newest PT Young Artist in Residence. He joined Fred Child in our St. Paul studio — hear his music and the entire interview here!

44:27
Meet David Lai

Meet David Lai

We're pleased to introduce the first of our 2025 PT Young Artists in Residence: pianist David Lai. David joins Fred Child for music and conversation at our Saint Paul studio on today's show.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Music from a summer home

PT Weekend: Music from a summer home

We'll hear the Philadelphia Orchestra in concert at their summer home in Saratoga Springs, New York, on today's show. Conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin leads a performance of the Prelude to Act One of Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin.

1:59:00
Inon Barnatan and Summerfest La Jolla

Inon Barnatan and Summerfest La Jolla

Pianist Inon Barnatan keeps busy as a musician, playing on the most prestigious stages around the world. He's also the Music Director of Summerfest La Jolla in California. On today's show, we'll hear a stunning performance at a stunning location—Inon Barnatan and violinist Augustin Hadelich play a piece by Camille Saint-Saens at Summerfest La Jolla.

1:59:00
Bruckner the late bloomer

Bruckner the late bloomer

Anton Bruckner was a late bloomer. He wrote his first major piece at age 40. He built some momentum in his 50s, but musicians, critics, and most audiences at the time didn't fully appreciate his work. Bruckner got his first authentic taste of success with a piece he premiered in 1884 at the age of 60. We'll hear from that work on today's show: Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

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.

How do I leave a comment?

Send us a comment here.

About Performance Today®