Poster Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
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Performance Today®

Celebrate. Remember.

From ev'ry mountainside, Let freedom ring! On Memorial Day, we remember the people who've made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the American Armed Forces. Today, we honor those who preserve our freedom with music.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Trumpet Concerto in E major S.49 3rd movement Rondo
Paul Merkelo, trumpet; Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra;
The Enlightened Trumpet
Sony 803581

Arvo Part: Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Manfred Honeck, conductor
WQED-FM, Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, PA

Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Military Septet, Op. 114 in C
Carol Wincenc, flute; Jon Manasse, clarinet; Kevin Cobb, trumpet; Mark Fewer, violin; David Ying, cello; David Chapman-Orr, bass; Orion Weiss, piano
Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Packard Hall, Colorado Springs, CO

Ryan Nowlin: Let Freedom Ring
United States Marine Band; Col. Jason K. Fettig, conductor
United States Marine Band, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Vienna, VA

Bob Lowden: Armed Forces Salute
Aspen Music Festival Orchestral Ensemble; Lawrence Isaacson, conductor
Aspen Music Festival and School, Benedict Music Tent, Aspen, CO

Hour 2

Felix Mendelssohn: Octet: Scherzo
James Ehnes, Erin Keefe, Andrew Wan, Augustin Hadelich, violins; Cynthia Phelps, Richard O'Neill, violas; Robert deMaine, Edward Arron, cellos
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Octet
Onyx 4060

Edward Elgar: Variations On an Original Theme, Op. 36 Enigma (Excerpts)
Minnesota Orchestra; Sir Neville Marriner, conductor
Minnesota Orchestra at One Hundred
Minnesota Orchestra 1002038

Camille Saint-Saens: Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano in D minor, Op. 75
James Ehnes, violin; Boris Giltburg, piano
Seattle Chamber Music Society, Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA

Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas: Dido's Lament
Jessye Norman, soprano; English Chamber Ensemble; Sir Thomas Allen, conductor
Purcell: Dido And Aeneas
Decca International NA

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

Elsa Barraine

Elsa Barraine

French composer Elsa Barraine lived through the Nazi occupation of Paris, where she organized concerts to support morale and promote resistance. She also supported Jewish musicians whose very lives were in danger. Barraine believed in music as a force for good in this world. On today's show, we'll take you to a concert in Paris to hear Elsa Barraine's Symphony No. 2.

1:59:00
MLK

MLK

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s impact is more important than ever. Join us for a special edition of ‘Performance Today’ honoring King through music. We'll celebrate his legacy with a piece dedicated to Dr. King in 1963: Montgomery Variations by Margaret Bonds. Join us for music honoring Dr. Martin Luther King on today’s show.

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PT Weekend: The Piano Puzzler

PT Weekend: The Piano Puzzler

Every week on our Piano Puzzler, composer Bruce Adolphe re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a great composer. One of our listeners calls in and tries to guess the tune and the composer whose style Bruce is mimicking. Tune in and play along with our weekly musical game: the Piano Puzzler.

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Bringing fractals to live

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1:59:00
Juantio Becenti: The Glittering World

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We'll hear fascinating new music from Navajo composer Juantio Becenti on today's show. Becenti found a unique parallel between the Navajo creation story and his own musical journey. Join us to hear the ensemble A Far Cry perform Juantio Becenti's The Glittering World at a concert in Rockport, Massachusetts.

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The Piano Puzzler

The Piano Puzzler

Every week on our Piano Puzzler, composer Bruce Adolphe re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a great composer. One of our listeners calls in and tries to guess the tune and the composer whose style Bruce is mimicking. Tune in and play along with our weekly musical game: the Piano Puzzler.

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Irish composer Howard Ferguson

Irish composer Howard Ferguson

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Missy Mazzoli's Sinfonia for Orbiting Spheres

Missy Mazzoli's Sinfonia for Orbiting Spheres

The hurdy-gurdy has strings like a violin, a keyboard, and a hand crank that produces a wheezing drone. Composer Missy Mazzoli was fascinated by this sound and wanted to make a whole orchestra sound like a big hurdy-gurdy.  Tune in for the Sinfonia for Orbiting Spheres by Missy Mazzoli on today’s episode.

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PT Weekend: Leila Josefowicz

PT Weekend: Leila Josefowicz

Violinist Leila Josefowicz has forged a tremendous career specializing in 20th and 21st-century music. At times, Josefowicz has faced reluctance or resistance from what she sees as the somewhat stodgy traditions in some parts of the classical music world. Still, she believes that the greatest music happens when one overcomes fear and pushes the traditional boundaries.  On today's show, Leila Josefowicz plays Stravinsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, backed by conductor Donald Runnicles and the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra.

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Shawn Okpebholo

Shawn Okpebholo

As a young man, composer Shawn Okpebholo firmly believed he would someday write music for the Imani Winds. Twenty years later, that wish has come true with a new piece. It's music inspired by justice, hope, and a desire for harmony. The Imani Winds play Rise by Shawn Okpebholo on today’s show.

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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.

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