Poster Room with bright sunlight coming in
Gallery of the church tower where Bohuslav Martinu lived as a child. (Czechia/Czech Republic)
User Dobroš, Wikimedia Commons
Performance Today®

PT Weekend: Martinu's room with a view

Composer Bohuslav Martinu spent his childhood in a bell tower, where his father was the keeper. Looking back, he said he saw "everything in miniature, and above it all a great, boundless space... it is this space that I am forever seeking in my music." On today's show, we'll take you to a concert in Switzerland to hear Marinu's Cello Concerto No. 1.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

An-Lun Huang: Saibei Dance from Saibei Suite No. 2
Chicago Sinfonietta | Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
Album: Delights and Dances
Cedille 141

Wallace Willis, arr. Hao Zhou: Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Viano String Quartet
Beaches Fine Arts, St. Paul's By The Sea Episcopal Church, Jacksonville Beach, FL

Benjamin Horne: I Remember You
Alcides Rodriguez, clarinet | Helen Hwaya Kim, violin | Brad Ritchie, cello | Elizabeth Pridgen, piano
Atlanta Chamber Players, Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, Atlanta, GA

Piano Puzzler
Brian Coyne calling from Mt. Vernon, Washington

Gao Hong: Celebration
Gao Hong, Pipa | Kenwood Symphony Orchestra, Carleton College Chinese Music Ensemble | Dennis Friesen-Carper, conductor
International Friendship Through the Performing Arts, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, St. Paul, MN

Li Huanzhi: Spring Festival Overture
China National Traditional Orchestra | Chen Xieyang, conductor
Album: The Year of Roaring Tiger (Live)
NCPA Classics

Traditional Chinese, arr. Jeremy Cohen: Jasmine Flower/Beautiful Scenery of Wuxi
Quartet San Francisco
Album: A QSF Journey
Reference

Hour 2

Antonin Dvorak: Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90, Mvt. 1
Nicolas Altstaedt, cello | Barnabas Kelemen, violin | Alexander Lonquich, piano
Album: Kodaly: Duo for Violin and Violoncello, Op. 7 - Dvorak: Piano Trio, Op. 90 'Dumky'
Alpha 737

Zhou Long: Song of the Ch'in
Cassatt String Quartet
Seal Bay Festival, Woodfords Congregational Church, Portland, ME

Anthony Barfield: Samsara
American Brass Quintet
Aspen Music Festival and School, Harris Concert Hall, Aspen, CO

Bohuslav Martinu: Cello Concerto No. 1 in D Major
Nicolas Altstaedt, cello | Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana | Krzysztof Urbanski, conductor
EBU, LAC Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland

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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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