Poster Pianist Andre Watts
Pianist Andre Watts
Photo: Steve J. Sherman
Performance Today®

PT Weekend: André Watts

André Watts, the acclaimed American pianist who rose to fame as a teenager and went on to have a distinguished career performing and teaching, died last week (July 12, 2023) at the age of 77. He was known for his powerful technique and his ability to communicate the emotional depth of the music he played. He will be dearly missed, but his music lives on. We'll hear André Watts play music by Schubert and Liszt on today's show.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio No. 37 in d minor, Hob. XV:23 Mvmt III. Finale: Vivace
Beaux Arts Trio
Album: Haydn: Complete Piano Trios
Philips 432 070

Franz Schubert: Impromptu No. 3 in B flat Major, Op. 142
Andre Watts, piano
Album: Andre Watts: The Schubert Recital
EMI

Piano Puzzler
Contestant: Rodger Reynolds calling from Ashland, VA

Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio No. 25 in E minor, Hob. XV/12
Vienna Piano Trio
University of Georgia Performing Arts Center, Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, UGA Performing Arts Center, Athens, GA

Hour 2

Georges Bizet: Premier Nocturne in D Major
Glenn Gould, piano
Album: Glenn Gould Edition - Grieg, Bizet, Sibelius
Sony 52654

Georges Bizet: Seguidilla, from Carmen
Talin Nalbandian, mezzo-soprano | Ana Moiseeva, piano
Young Artist in Residence Series, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Recording Studio, St. Paul, MN

Georges Bizet: Habanera, from Carmen
Talin Nalbandian, mezzo-soprano | Ana Moiseeva, piano
Young Artist in Residence Series, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Recording Studio, St. Paul, MN

Samuel Barber: Must the winter come so soon?
Talin Nalbandian, mezzo-soprano | Ana Moiseeva, piano
Young Artist in Residence Series, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Recording Studio, St. Paul, MN

Hilary Purrington: Threshold
ROCO | Jeri Lynne Johnson, conductor
ROCO, St. John the Divine Church, Houston TX

Romanos Melikyan: Vart
Talin Nalbandian, mezzo-soprano | Ana Moiseeva, piano
Young Artist in Residence Series, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Recording Studio, St. Paul, MN

Manuel De Falla: Asturiana, from Siete Canciones Populares Epanolas
Talin Nalbandian, mezzo-soprano | Ana Moiseeva, piano
Young Artist in Residence Series, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Recording Studio, St. Paul, MN

Gustav Mahler: Liebst du um Schonheit 
Talin Nalbandian, mezzo-soprano | Ana Moiseeva, piano
Young Artist in Residence Series, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Recording Studio, St. Paul, MN

William Bolcom: George
Talin Nalbandian, mezzo-soprano | Ana Moiseeva, piano
Young Artist in Residence Series, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Recording Studio, St. Paul, MN

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

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.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

PT Weekend: Meet Victor Ni

PT Weekend: Meet Victor Ni

We're pleased to introduce you to clarinetist Victor Ni, our next 2025 PT Young Artists in Residence. On today's program, Victor joins Fred Child for music and conversation in our Saint Paul studio. Plus, Bruce Adolphe joins us for this week’s Piano Puzzler.

1:59:00
Augustin Hadelich and the St Louis Symphony

Augustin Hadelich and the St Louis Symphony

Once troubled by pre-concert jitters so intense that he needed a push to get on stage, violinist Augustin Hadelich has discovered a new sense of calm. Breathing exercises have transformed his performance experience, making the stage feel like home. On today's program, Agustin Hadelich and the St. Louis Symphony play music by Samuel Barber.

1:59:00
Julio Medaglia

Julio Medaglia

Composer Julio Medaglia was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1938. He studied conducting in Germany for ten years before returning to Brazil to conduct and compose. For 30 years, he hosted a daily radio show in São Paulo that sounded similar to PT, combining concert highlights and contemporary music. On today's show, we'll hear the Imani Winds play Julio Medaglia's 'Belle Epoque en Sud-America,’ including a really fun movement named "Crazy Baby Clarinette!"

1:59:00
Young Artist in Residence: Victor Ni

Young Artist in Residence: Victor Ni

Clarinetist Victor Ni is the next of our 2025 cohort of PT Young Artists in Residence. Victor recently joined Fred Child in our St. Paul studio. You can hear Victor’s music and the entire interview here.

42:34
Victor Ni

Victor Ni

We're pleased to introduce you to clarinetist Victor Ni, our next 2025 PT Young Artists in Residence. On today's program, Victor joins Fred Child for music and conversation in our Saint Paul studio.

1:59:00
Bringing fractals to life

Bringing fractals to life

Composer Jessie Montgomery found inspiration in nature's infinitely repeating patterns: fractals. Her fascination with these natural wonders led her to write a captivating new piece that brings fractals to life through sound. On today's show, we'll hear "Rounds" by Jessie Montgomery, a musical exploration of nature's boundless beauty.

1:59:00
The Poiesis Quartet

The Poiesis Quartet

The Poiesis Quartet was founded in the fall of 2022 at Oberlin Conservatory. Its name comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “to make"—specifically, to create something that has never been made before. One of the quartet's violinists is our former Young Artist in Residence, Sarah Ma. On today's program, we'll take you to a concert in San Antonio to hear what Ma and their quartet have been up to lately.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: A Finnish connection

PT Weekend: A Finnish connection

Finnish violinist and conductor Pekka Kuusisto shares a connection with the music and character of his fellow countryman, Jean Sibelius. On today’s program, Kuusisto and the German Symphony Orchestra perform two seldom-heard gems by Sibelius at a concert in Berlin.

1:59:00
Marin Alsop's debut with the Berlin Philharmonic

Marin Alsop's debut with the Berlin Philharmonic

When Marin Alsop was a kid, her parents taught her she could achieve anything she set her heart to; no one was going to stop her. She's now the Music Director of the National Orchestral Institute and Festival and guest conducts orchestras worldwide. On today's program, we'll hear Marin Alsop make her conducting debut with the Berlin Philharmonic at a concert in Germany.

1:59:00
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.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

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.

About Performance Today®
YourClassical Radio
0:00
0:00