When Maurice Ravel wrote La Valse, he was imagining a swirling Viennese waltz, which slowly unravels into near chaos. The tension that makes it impossible to dance to, is what make La Valse incredible to listen to. On today's episode, hear pianist David Fung unwind Ravel's La Valse, from a concert in Athens, Georgia.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Rebecca Clarke: Passacaglia on an Old English Tune
Iris van Eck, cello; Arielle Vernede, piano
Works for Cello and Piano by Women Composers
Eroica 3302
Maurice Ravel: La Valse, Poeme Choregraphique
David Fung, piano
Hugh Hodgson School of Music & UGA Performing Arts Center, Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, UGA Performing Arts Center, Athens, GA
Rebecca Clarke: Dumka
Ellen dePasquale, violin; Toby Appel, viola; William Wolfram, piano
Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Packard Hall, Colorado Springs, CO
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 3: Movement 6
Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra; Donald Runnicles, conductor
Grand Teton Music Festival, Walk Festival Hall, Jackson Hole, WY
Hour 2
Jennifer Higdon: String Poetic: Nocturne
Jennifer Koh, violin; Reiko Uchida, piano
String Poetic
Cedille 103
Charles Griffes: Poem for Flute and Orchestra
Mimi Stillman, flute; Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle; Lorenzo Muti, conductor
Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Carolina Theater, Durham, NC
Felix Mendelssohn: Cello Sonata No. 2 Op. 58
Jonah Ellsworth, cello; Heng-Jin Park, piano
Rockport Music, Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport, MA
Missy Mazzoli: Dissolve, O My Heart
Jennifer Koh, violin
Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL
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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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