Poster Paul Wittgenstein
Paul Wittgenstein
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Performance Today®

A piano concerto for the left hand

In 1930, Maurice Ravel wrote a special concerto for Paul Wittgenstein, a pianist who had lost his right arm in the First World War. On Friday's Performance Today, we'll hear a performance of Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, from a concert in Round Top, Texas.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Johannes Brahms: Ballade No. 1
Canadian Brass, Conductor
Brahms on Brass
Opening Day 7415

John Stevens: Seasons: Movement 3 Autumn
Tom Hooten, trumpet; Jennifer Marotta, trumpet; Gail Williams, french horn; Michael Mulcahy, trombone; Craig Knox, tuba
The Hunter Hereford Ranch, Moose, WY

Anton Garcia Abril: The Changing of the Leaves, from "Tippet Rise Songs" The Changing of the Leaves
Emily Helenbrook, soprano, Christopher O'Riley, piano
Tippet Rise, The Olivier Music Barn, Fishtail, MT

Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297: L'inverno - Movement 1
Sinfonia da Camera
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Urbana, IL

Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (arr. Brandon Ridenour): A Scheherazade Fantasy
Brandon Ridenour, trumpet; Cory Smythe, piano
Beaches Fine Arts Series, St. Pauls By The Sea church, Jacksonville, FL

Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 2, Op. 73: Movement 1. Allegro non troppo
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
BPO Live BRAHMS TCHAIKOVSKY
Beau Fleuve Records 610708-095002

Hour 2

Antonin Dvorak: Legends, No. 5
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor
Dvorak: Symphonic Variations, Scherzo capriccioso, Legends
Supraphon 3533

Antonin Dvorak: Piano Quartet in D Major, Op. 23, B. 53: Movement 1. Allegro moderato
Mishka Rushdie Momen, piano; Lily Francis, violin; Dimitri Murrath, viola; Tony Rymer, cello
Marlboro Music, Persons Auditorium, Marlboro College, Marlboro, VT

John Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

Freddie Mercury (arr. Vince Peterson): Somebody to Love
Chanticleer
Virginia Arts Festival, Christ & St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Norfolk, VA

Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major
Francois Dumont, piano; Texas Festival Orchestra; Ransom Wilson, conductor
Round Top Festival Institute, Festival Concert Hall, Round Top, TX

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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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