Poster Pianist Jonathan Biss
Jonathan Biss is an American pianist, teacher, and writer based in Philadelphia.
Benjamin Ealovega
Performance Today®

Jonathan Biss pulls back the curtain

Pianist Jonathan Biss is our special guest this hour. For years, Biss suffered from debilitating performance anxiety and chose to hide it. But he's had a change of heart. He says that honesty is an absolute priority as an artist. His goal is to pull back the curtain on living as a musician with anxiety. Join us today for music and conversation with Jonathan Biss.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Florence Price: Somebody's knockin' at yo do', from Negro Folk Songs in Counterpoint
Catalyst Quartet
Album: UNCOVERED Vol. 2
Azica

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 1 Movement 2 Adagio
Jonathan Biss, piano
Album: Beethoven Piano Sonatas Vol. 4
JB

Florence Price: Five Folk Songs in Counterpoint
Catalyst Quartet
Maverick Concerts, Maverick Concert Hall, Woodstock, NY

Robert Schumann: Arabesque
Jonathan Biss, piano
Album: Schumann: Kreisleriana, Fantasie, Arabeske
EMI

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 "Pathetique" Movement 2 Adagio Cantabile
Jonathan Biss, piano
Album: Beethoven Sonatas No. 8, 15, 27 & 30
EMI

Hour 2

Anna Clyne: Lavender Rain
Anna Clyne, violin | Amy Kaufmann, violin | Cornelius Dufallo, violin
Album: The Violin
VIA Records 001

Anna Clyne: Masquerade
Texas Festival Orchestra | Jeffery Meyer, conductor
Round Top Music Festival, Festival Concert Hall, Round Top, TX

Samuel Barber: String Quartet in B minor, Op. 11
Ying Quartet
Cooperstown Summer Music Festival, Christ Episcopal Church, Cooperstown, NY

Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, "Scottish" Movements 3-4
Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra | Donald Runnicles, conductor
Grand Teton Music Festival, Walk Festival Hall, Jackson Hole, WY

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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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