Rick Sowash's musical conversations

In the last decade of his life, Johann Sebastian Bach worked on a vast exploration of the fugue, but he never finished the final section of the piece. Tune in today to hear the Danish String Quartet play J.S. Bach's extraordinary and unfinished “The Art of Fugue.”

When a piece is well-written for orchestra, sometimes a piano version can feel slightly empty. Today, we’ll hear pianist Ilya Shmukler play one of those piano versions, but this one has a percussive pianistic quality that makes it lovable: Stravinsky's Petrushka for solo piano.

Composer Tan Dun grew up in the province of Hunan, China. His community practiced a ritual called “ghost opera,” a way of communicating with spirits of the past, future, and nature. On today’s show, we’ll hear a concerto by Tan Dun, inspired by the Chinese ‘ghost opera’ ritual.

When violinist Ilya Gringolts was a kid in the USSR, his first teacher told him to quit the violin because he had no talent. Fortunately, he didn't let that stop him. Now, he's THRIVING. On today's show, we'll take you to a concert in Switzerland to hear Ilya Gringolts play Pablo de Sarasate's Spanish Dances.

When a piece is well-written for orchestra, sometimes a piano version can feel slightly empty. Today, we’ll hear pianist Ilya Shmukler play one of those piano versions, but this one has a percussive pianistic quality that makes it lovable: Stravinsky's Petrushka for solo piano.

In 1948, American composer William Grant Still was inspired by some poems about the natural beauty of the American South. On this episode of Performance Today, take a break with us and hear Wood Notes, William Grant Still's work of quiet musical contemplation.

Two violins, viola, and cello... usually, we'd call that a string quartet. On today's show, we'll hear from a group that doesn't want to identify as a traditional string quartet. They call themselves ETHEL. We'll hear ETHEL play at a concert presented by the Beaches Fine Arts Series in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

On today's show, we'll hear from a major piece that begins in darkness and despair and ends in delirious joy: The Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler.

There’s a wonderful German word that conveys a particular musical feeling: "gemütlich." If you're feeling gemütlich, you're relaxed and at ease, with maybe a touch of happy nostalgia. On today's show, we'll explore ‘gemütlich’ feelings in Fritz Kreisler's music from a concert presented by the Society for Chamber Music in Rochester, New York.

Meet one of our 2024 PT Young Artists in Residence: harpist Jane Yoo. Jane joins Fred Child for music and conversation at our Saint Paul studio on today's show.