Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

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Rick Sowash's musical conversations

Rick Sowash's musical conversations

A few years ago, composer Rick Sowash set a poem to music, creating a song. And then he turned that song into a musical conversation between flute and cello. On today's show, hear the Sylvan Trio perform the result: Seasonal Breezes by Rick Sowash.

Opera's answers to life

Opera's answers to life

What would you do for love? Could you write a song expressing your passion? And if the person you care for fell in love with somebody else, could you let them go so they could be happy? We'll hear that these answers can be found in classic operas on this episode of Performance Today.

Remember Parihaka

Remember Parihaka

In the 1860s, the Maori village of Parihaka was founded in New Zealand. When white troops came to seize the land, the villagers responded with non-violent resistance. We'll hear a piece called Remember Parihaka by New Zealand composer Anthony Ritchie on today's show.

PT Weekend: Rebecca Clarke's 'Dumka'

PT Weekend: Rebecca Clarke's 'Dumka'

In Ukrainian, the word "dumka" means "thought." And in music, a dumka is a somewhat dreamlike dance that often comes back to a bittersweet reflection on the sadness of life. We'll hear a dumka by Rebecca Clarke on today's show from an all-star performance in Colorado Springs.

Cellist Bion Tsang

Cellist Bion Tsang

When cellist Bion Tsang was in grad school, he realized that he didn't really know what it means to play the cello. Ever since, he's been laser-focused on the meaning of making music. We'll hear cellist Bion Tsang play a cello sonata by Erno Dohnanyi in concert on today's show.

Enrique Crespo

Enrique Crespo

Enrique Crespo was a supremely talented composer and trombonist. He was raised in Uruguay but spent most of his career in Germany writing great music for brass ensembles. We've got an example of Enrique Crespo's brassy creativity on this edition of Performance Today.

Rebecca Clarke: Dumka

Rebecca Clarke: Dumka

In Ukrainian, the word "dumka" means "thought." And in music, a dumka is a somewhat dreamlike dance that often comes back to a bittersweet reflection on the sadness of life. We'll hear a dumka by Rebecca Clarke on today's show from an all-star performance in Colorado Springs.

Elgar's Enigma Variations

Elgar's Enigma Variations

There's a musical puzzle at the heart of the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar. Cryptographers have been working on cracking the code for a century. On this episode of Performance Today, we'll share some of the many possible solutions... and enjoy a great performance of the Elgar's Enigma Variations, from the Aspen Music Festival.

Harry Partch: Seduced into carpentry

Harry Partch: Seduced into carpentry

Composer Harry Partch built one-of-a-kind instruments based on his own tuning systems. He described himself as "a philosophic music man seduced into carpentry." We'll hear music by Harry Partch arranged for string quartet on this episode of Performance Today.

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