Poster Gustav Mahler - 1902 portrait by Emil Orlík
Gustav Mahler - 1902 portrait by Emil Orlík
Wikimedia Commons - Public Domain
Performance Today®

Darkness and joy

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.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Igor Stravinsky: Suite No. 1 for Small Orchestra
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Album: Shadow Dances
Deutsche Grammophon 453 458-2

Jessie Montgomery: Divided, for cello and orchestra
Tommy Mesa, cello | Greenwich Symphony Orchestra | Stuart Malina, conductor
Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, Greenwich High School Performing Arts Center, Greenwich, CT

Igor Stravinsky: Three Movements from Petrushka
Ilya Shmukler, piano
Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, TCU Van Cliburn Concert Hall, Fort Worth, TX

Benjamin Krause: Origin Stories (World Premiere)
Helen Hwaya Kim, violin | Kenn Wagner, violin | Catherine Lynn, viola | Brad Ritchie, cello | Jesse McCandless, clarinet
Atlanta Chamber Players, First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

Hour 2

Nadia Boulanger: Vers la vie nouvelle (Toward a New Life)
Lucy Mauro, piano
Album: Mademoiselle: Unknown Music of Nadia Boulanger
Delos 3496

Nadia Boulanger: Three Pieces for Cello and Piano
Clive Greensmith, cello | Esther Park, piano
Geneva Music Festival, Smith Opera House, Geneva, NY

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 5: Mvts. 4-5
Lakes Area Music Festival Orchestra | Christian Reif, conductor
Lakes Area Music Festival, Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts, Brainerd, MN

Juan Pablo Contreras: Mariachitlan
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra | Jaime Martin, conductor
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras

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Simone Dinnerstein on committing work to memory

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2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

‘Performance Today’ has selected performer and composer Jessie Montgomery as the 2025 Classical Woman of the Year. This annual award recognizes women who have made significant contributions to the classical music art form and have inspired our listeners. Find out more!

It's our honor...

It's our honor...

We are both proud and honored to announce that Jessie Montgomery is our 2025 PT Classical Woman of the Year. Montgomery is a celebrated composer, violinist, and educator known for compositions that blend classical, folk, jazz, and contemporary influences. Among her numerous accomplishments, she founded the Young Composers Initiative, where she mentors high school composers, assisting them in preparing their music for performance by members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Tune in today to learn more about Jessie Montgomery and why her work is so influential.

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PT Weekend: Webern's recovered work

PT Weekend: Webern's recovered work

In 1945, Austrian composer Anton Webern and his family fled Vienna. Most of Webern’s valuables, mementos, and manuscripts were placed in a lock box, which they buried in the backyard. Sixteen years later, the box was recovered with the manuscripts inside. On today's show, we'll hear one of those 'found' pieces: Im Sommerwind (In the Summer Breeze) by Anton Webern.

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1:59:00
Festival Mozaic

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1:59:00
Anton Webern's recovered work

Anton Webern's recovered work

In 1945, Austrian composer Anton Webern and his family fled Vienna. Most of Webern’s valuables, mementos, and manuscripts were placed in a lock box, which they buried in the backyard. Sixteen years later, the box was recovered with the manuscripts inside. On today's show, we'll hear one of those 'found' pieces: Im Sommerwind (In the Summer Breeze) by Anton Webern.

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Blindfold Music

Blindfold Music

Composer Miguel del Aguila imagined a meeting between two characters: one is Justice, the blindfolded woman holding scales and a sword, and the other is Law, the man holding a book and gavel. We'll hear Imani Winds play the world premiere of Miguel del Aguila's 'Blindfold Music' on today's show.

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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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