Poster Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Scriabin, composer and pianist
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Performance Today®

Music for one hand

When Alexander Scriabin was 20 years old, he was working on playing an extraordinarily demanding piece by Franz Liszt. He pushed himself so hard that he permanently injured his right hand. Scriabin adapted by creating music that is technically demanding, emotional…and particularly demanding for the left hand. Join us today to hear pianist Ilya Yakushev play 'Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand Alone’ by Alexander Scriabin.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Andre Previn: Tango Song and Dance: Movement 2: Song. Simply
Augustin Hadelich, violin | Joyce Yang, piano
Album: Franck - Kurtag - Previn - Schumann: Augustin Hadelich - Joyce Yang
Avie 2347

Augusta Holmes: La Nuit et l'amour
Lakes Area Music Festival Orchestra | Christian Reif, conductor
Lakes Area Music Festival, Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts, Brainerd, MN

Camille Saint-Saens: Tarantelle for Flute, Clarinet, and Piano, Op. 6
Mimi Stillman, flute | Ricardo Morales, clarinet | Charles Abramovic, piano
Dolce Suono Ensemble, Trinity Center for Urban Life, Philadelphia, PA

Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63
Augustin Hadelich, violin | Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra | Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor
Grand Teton Music Festival, Walk Festival Hall, Jackson Hole, WY

Carlos Gardel, arr. Augustin Hadelich: Por Una Cabeza
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Grand Teton Music Festival, Walk Festival Hall, Jackson Hole, WY

Hour 2

Alexander Scriabin: Etude in G sharp minor, Op. 8 No. 9 Alla ballata
Yuja Wang, piano
Album: Yuja Wang: Fantasia
DG 16606

Ludwig van Beethoven, arr. Ruben Rengel: Sonata No 9 in A-Major: Movement 3 Presto
Sphinx Virtuosi
Lillian & Robert Utsey Chamber Music Series, Brooks Center for the Performing Arts, Clemson University, Clemson, SC

Alexander Scriabin: Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand Alone in C-sharp minor, Op. 9 No. 1
Ilya Yakushev, piano
Beaches Fine Arts Series, St Paul's By-The-Sea Church, Jacksonville Beach, FL

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K. 421
Castalian String Quartet
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

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About Performance Today®

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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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