Poster Composer Michael Abels
Composer Michael Abels
Eric Schwabel
Performance Today®

Borders: A new concerto by Michael Abels

Join us today for the world premiere performance of a concerto that composer Michael Abels wrote for Slovenian guitarist Mak Grgic. We'll hear the story behind the piece and how it became an emotional collaboration inspired by the idea of finding beauty in troubled environments.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Amy Beach: Prelude on an Old Folk Tune
Joanne Polk, piano
Album: Under The Stars
Arabesque 6704

Giacomo Puccini: Intermezzo, from 'Manon Lescaut'
RAI National Symphony Orchestra | John Axelrod, conductor
Cava del Sole, Matera, Italy

Reena Esmail: Jhula Jhule
The Merian Ensemble: Elisabeth Remy Johnson harp | Emily Brebach, oboe
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Pre-Concert Chamber Music Series, Symphony Hall, Atlanta, GA

Amy Beach: Piano Quintet in F-Sharp minor, Op. 67
Shawn Moore, violin | Geoffrey Herd, violin | Kirsten Doctor, viola | Clive Greensmith, cello | Esther Park, piano
Geneva Music Festival, Froelich Hall, Gearan Center for the Performing Art Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY

Hour 2

Manuel de Falla, arr. Paul Kochanski, Jaume Torrent: Canciones Populares: Movements 3-4
Augustin Hadelich, violin | Pablo Sainz Villegas, guitar
Album: Histoire du tango
Avie 2280

Florence Price: Clouds
Josh Tatsuo Cullen, piano
Grand Valley State University Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Sherman van Solkema Recital Hall, Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Charter Township, MI

Michael Abels: Borders
Mak Grgic, guitar | ROCO | Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
ROCO, St. John the Divine Church, Houston, TX

Erno Dohnanyi: Serenade for String Trio in C Major, Op. 10
Augustin Hadelich, violin | Jonathan Vinocour, viola | Ani Aznavoorian, cello
Seattle Chamber Music Society, Center for Chamber Music, Seattle, WA

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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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