In 1952, Composer Margaret Bonds wrote and premiered a piece based on a spiritual. The music was finally published in 2020. On today's show, pianist Lara Downes plays "The Bells,” from the Spiritual Suite by Margaret Bonds.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Margaret Bonds: Three Dream Portraits: Movements 1-2
Bonnie Pomfret, soprano | Laura Gordy, piano
Album: De Toda la Eternidad
ACA
Friedrich Silcher, arr. Eva Beneke: Alle Jahre Wieder
Eve Beneke, guitar | Scott Tennant, guitar | Moni Simeonov, violin | Phil Popham, oboe and English horn | Lars Hoefs, cello
Album: In Dulci Jubilo
GSI 98010
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Suite No. 1, Op. 71a: Movements 1-2
Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra | Mikko Franck, conductor
Auditorium, Radio France Broadcasting House, Paris
Piano Puzzler
Contestant: Riley McManus from New York, NY
Margaret Bonds: Spiritual Suite: The Bells
Lara Downes, piano
Album: Some of These Days
Flipside Music
Mykola Leontovich: Carol of the Bells Medley
Lucas Meachem, baritone
Album: All I Want
Crossover 2021
Traditional, arr. Jonathan Miller: Jingle Bells Hallelujah Chorus
Chicago a cappella | Anne Heider, conductor
Chicago a cappella, Nichols Hall, Evanston, IL
Traditional, arr. David Wilcocks: Ding Dong Merrily On High
St. Paul's Choir School | John Robinson, conductor
Album: Christmas in Harvard Square
London/Decca 20969
Adrian Dunn: Bells Orchestral Prelude (Live)
The Rize Orchestra | Adrian Dunn, conductor
Redemption Live in Chicago, Chicago Temple, Chicago, IL
HoperaWorld Music
Traditional, arr. Adrian Dunn: Bells (for Tamir Rice)
Darshaya Oden, soprano | The Adrian Dunn Singers | Adrian Dunn, conductor
Redemption Live in Chicago, Chicago Temple, Chicago, IL
HoperaWorld Music
Hour 2
Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Death of Tybalt
Buffalo Philharmonic | JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY
George Walker: Lyric for Strings
Emerson String Quartet
Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, West Palm Beach, FL
Shulamit Ran: Lyre of Orpheus
Shawn Moore, Geoffrey Herd, violins | Kirsten Doctor, Noah Fields, violas | Clive Greensmith, Hannah Collins, cellos
Geneva Music Festival, Froelich Hall, Gearan Center for the Performing Arts, Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY
Josef Suk: Meditation on the old Czech Chorale St. Wenceslas, Op. 35a
Tessa Lark, violin | Erin Keefe, violin | Jonathan Vinocour, viola | Yegor Dyachkov, cello
Seattle Chamber Music Society, Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA
Nicolas Saboly, arr. Robert Parker: Touro-louro-louro!
Chanticleer | William Fred Scott, conductor
Concerts at St Ignatius, St Ignatius Loyola, NYC
Danny Elfman: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra: Eleven Eleven: Movement 1
Sandy Cameron, violin | The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra | JoAnn Falletta, conductor
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY
Love the music?
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.
Your Donation
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.
