Poster Conrad Tao
Conrad Tao
Courtesy of the artist
Performance Today®

Conrad Tao plays Gershwin

Pianist Conrad Tao believes that George Gershwin was trying to prove himself when he wrote his Piano Concerto. Gershwin wanted to show that his signature sound, infused with jazz, could fit the world of classical music. On this episode of Performance Today, hear Conrad Tao play Gershwin's Piano Concerto, from a concert with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition Movement 2 The Old Castle
Conrad Tao, piano
Pictures
Warner Classics 08256464056941

Giovanni Battista Viotti: Duetto for Solo Violin
Adam Barnett-Hart, violin
Music@Menlo, The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton, Atherton, CA

Michel-Richard Delalande: Chaconne Les Fontained de Versailles
Sonnambula; Elizabeth Weinfield, Artistic Director
Baruch Performing Arts Center - Engelman Recital Hall, New York, NY

George Gershwin: Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra
Conrad Tao, piano; The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

Hour 2

Clara Schumann: Two Lieder from "Liebesfruhling
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo
Reflection
DG 690402

Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
Nurit Bar-Josef, violin; GTMF Festival Orchestra; Donald Runnicles, conductor
Grand Teton Music Festival, Walk Festival Hall, Jackson Hole, WY

Clara Schumann: Three Romances, Op. 22
Amy Schwartz Moretti, violin; Max Levinson, piano
Seattle Chamber Music Society, Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA

Samuel Barber: Summer Music for Woodwind Quintet, Op.31
Lorna McGhee, flute; Chengwen Lai, oboe; Anthony McGill, clarinet; Seth Krimsky, bassoon; Jeffrey Fair, horn

Edvard Grieg: Anitra's Dance
Donald Lambert, piano
Recorded 1951-61
Storyville NA

Donald Lambert: Pilgrim's Chorus (after Wagner's opera 'Tannhauser')
Jeremy Denk, piano
Ted Mann Concert Hall, Minneapolis, MN

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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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