Poster Bela Bartok, Hungarian pianist and composer
Bela Bartok, Hungarian pianist and composer
University of Florida, Scholar Commons
Performance Today®

The power of giving

Paul Sacher was a Swiss-born conductor who founded the Basel Chamber Orchestra in 1926. His wife inherited a fortune from her family's pharmaceutical business, and with that money, Sacher began to commission music from some of the great composers of the time. In 1939, Sacher invited Bela Bartok to stay at his family's Swiss chalet while Bartok composed. Bartok was given a month of luxury accommodations, a live-in chef, and blissful solitude. We'll hear what Bartok came up with on today's show, his Divertimento for Strings.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Bela Bartok: Two Romanian Dances, Op. 8a (Sz43) Allegro vivace
Gyorgy Sandor, piano
Album: Bela Bartok Solo Piano Works, Vol. 2
Sony 68275

Bela Bartok: Divertimento for String Orchestra, Sz.113
East Coast Chamber Orchestra
Chamber Music Northwest, Kaul Auditorium, Reed College, Portland, OR

Pablo Ziegler: Blues Porteno
Pablo Zieglar Trio: Pablo Ziegler, piano | Hector Del Curto, bandoneon | Claudio Ragazzi, guitar
Beaches Fine Arts Series, St. Paul's By The Sea Church, Jacksonville Beach, Florida

Andrea Mazzariello: Of and Between
Jacob Ertl, piano | fivebyfive
University at Buffalo, Slee Hall, Buffalo, NY

Hour 2

Alberto Ginastera: Danzas Argentinas: Danza de la moza donosa
Lise de la Salle, piano
Album: When Do We Dance?
Naive

Clarice Assad: Bonecos de Olinda
Grand Teton Festival Orchestra | Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Grand Teton Music Festival, Walk Festival Hall, Jackson Hole, WY

Johannes Brahms: Quartet for Piano and Strings in A major, Op. 26: Movement 4 Finale. Allegro
Andrew Wan, violin | Matthew Lipman, viola | Robert deMaine, cello | Piers Lane, piano
Seattle Chamber Music Society, Nordstrom Recital Hall, Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA

Alberto Ginastera: Variaciones Concertantes
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra | Jaime Martin, conductor
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA

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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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