Poster Holiday wreath
Holiday wreath
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Performance Today®

The night before...

On today's show, we celebrate the joys and blessings of the holiday season with music for a cozy Christmas Eve.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Ben Rowarth: There is no rose
ORA Singers | Suzi Digby, conductor
Album: The Mystery of Christmas
Harmonia Mundi 905305

Jessica French: Earth Strike Up Your Music
St. Olaf Orchestra | St. Olaf Massed Choir | James E. Bobb, conductor
St. Olaf Christmas Festival, Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN

Traditional, arr. Catherine McMichael: A Renaissance Noel (selections)
The National Flute Choir | Amy Rice Blumenthal, conductor
Album: Here We Come a'FLUTING
ALRY 27

Armas Maasalo, arr. Antoine Bareil: Joulun Kellot (The Bells of Christmas)
La Pieta | Angele Dubeau, conductor
Album: Noel
Analekta 8730

Ledward Kaapana: C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
Ledward Kaapana, guitar
Album: Ki ho'alu Christmas: Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar
Dancing Cat 08022

Traditional French: Angels from the Realms of Glory
Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra | Craig Jessop, conductor
Album: Rejoice and Be Merry!
Mormon Tabernacle 5007325

Traditional German: Leise rieselt der Schnee
Calmus Ensemble Leipzig
Album: White Christmas
Carus 83511

Franz Schubert: Mille Cherubini In Coro
Johann Strauss Orchestra | Andre Rieu, conductor
Album: Silver Bells
Universal Music GmbH

Jill Jackson Miller and Sy Miller: Let There Be Peace On Earth
The Boys Choir of Harlem
Album: We Shall Overcome
The Boys Choir of Harlem 822139000221

Hugh Martin, arr. Harriet Adie: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
4 Girls 4 Harps
Album: 4 Girls 4 Harps At Christmas
Discovery 107

Hour 2

Traditional Polish, arr: Hania Rani & Dobrawa Czocher: Jezus Malusienki
Hania Rani, piano | Dobrawa Czocher, cello
Album: Winter Tales
DG 28948615049

George Chadwick: Noel, from Symphonic Sketches
St. Olaf Orchestra | Chung Park, conductor
St. Olaf Christmas Festival, Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN

Susan Brumfield: See Amid the Winter's Snow
Spivey Hall Children's Choir | Martha Shaw, conductor
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Michael Delalande: Simphonies des noels/Christmas Symphony
The King's Violins | Bernard Labadie, conductor
Album: Simphonies des Noels: A Treasury of Baroque Christmas Concerti
Dorian 90180

Traditional Venezuelan, arr. Michael Culloton: Nino Lindo
Choral Arts Ensemble | Michael Culloton, conductor
Album: Joy to the World
Rochester 102009

Katherine Davis, Henry Onorati, & Harry Simeone, arr. George Andrews: The Little Drummer Boy
The Hampton String Quartet
Album: What if Mozart Wrote Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
RCA 5625

Franz Gruber: Silent Night
Lahti Symphony Orchestra | Osmo Vanska, conductor
Album: Christmas Wonderland
Bis 947

Traditional: Away in a Manger / Friendly Beasts
Adagio Trio
Album: Winter Gift
Adagio Trio 2

Timothy Stephens, arr. Desmond Earley: The Adoration of the Magi
Katherine Hunka, violin | Tristan Russcher, piano | The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin | Irish Chamber Orchestra | Desmond Earley, conductor
Album: Be All Merry
Signum 643

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

PT Weekend: Music from a summer home

PT Weekend: Music from a summer home

We'll hear the Philadelphia Orchestra in concert at their summer home in Saratoga Springs, New York, on today's show. Conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin leads a performance of the Prelude to Act One of Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin.

1:59:00
Inon Barnatan and Summerfest La Jolla

Inon Barnatan and Summerfest La Jolla

Pianist Inon Barnatan keeps busy as a musician, playing on the most prestigious stages around the world. He's also the Music Director of Summerfest La Jolla in California. On today's show, we'll hear a stunning performance at a stunning location—Inon Barnatan and violinist Augustin Hadelich play a piece by Camille Saint-Saens at Summerfest La Jolla.

1:59:00
Bruckner the late bloomer

Bruckner the late bloomer

Anton Bruckner was a late bloomer. He wrote his first major piece at age 40. He built some momentum in his 50s, but musicians, critics, and most audiences at the time didn't fully appreciate his work. Bruckner got his first authentic taste of success with a piece he premiered in 1884 at the age of 60. We'll hear from that work on today's show: Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7.

1:59:00
Music from a summer home

Music from a summer home

We'll hear the Philadelphia Orchestra in concert at their summer home in Saratoga Springs, New York, on today's show. Conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin leads a performance of the Prelude to Act One of Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin.

1:59:00
Elsa Barraine

Elsa Barraine

French composer Elsa Barraine lived through the Nazi occupation of Paris, where she organized concerts to support morale and promote resistance. She also supported Jewish musicians whose very lives were in danger. Barraine believed in music as a force for good in this world. On today's show, we'll take you to a concert in Paris to hear Elsa Barraine's Symphony No. 2.

1:59:00
MLK

MLK

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s impact is more important than ever. Join us for a special edition of ‘Performance Today’ honoring King through music. We'll celebrate his legacy with a piece dedicated to Dr. King in 1963: Montgomery Variations by Margaret Bonds. Join us for music honoring Dr. Martin Luther King on today’s show.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: The Piano Puzzler

PT Weekend: The Piano Puzzler

Every week on our Piano Puzzler, composer Bruce Adolphe re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a great composer. One of our listeners calls in and tries to guess the tune and the composer whose style Bruce is mimicking. Tune in and play along with our weekly musical game: the Piano Puzzler.

1:59:00
Bringing fractals to live

Bringing fractals to live

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
Juantio Becenti: The Glittering World

Juantio Becenti: The Glittering World

We'll hear fascinating new music from Navajo composer Juantio Becenti on today's show. Becenti found a unique parallel between the Navajo creation story and his own musical journey. Join us to hear the ensemble A Far Cry perform Juantio Becenti's The Glittering World at a concert in Rockport, Massachusetts.

1:59:00
The Piano Puzzler

The Piano Puzzler

Every week on our Piano Puzzler, composer Bruce Adolphe re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a great composer. One of our listeners calls in and tries to guess the tune and the composer whose style Bruce is mimicking. Tune in and play along with our weekly musical game: the Piano Puzzler.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

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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