We share highlights from winter concerts and new holiday releases every year on PT. Join us today for a wide range of seasonal music, and hear the trio Revien play gorgeous versions of the Coventry Carol and Vince Guaraldi's Christmas Time is Here.
One measure of the lasting influence of a piece of music is how many other musicians have given it their own twist. Join us for a full hour of some of the fun, creative music that The Nutcracker, by Peter Tchaikovsky, has inspired in other composers, arrangers, and musicians.
In this episode of Performance Today, we'll explore and connect two forms of expression...poetry and music, for the winter season.
In 1952, Composer Margaret Bonds wrote and premiered a piece based on a spiritual. The music was finally published in 2020. On today's show, pianist Lara Downes plays "The Bells,” from the Spiritual Suite by Margaret Bonds.
Ferde Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite doesn't seem like music for Christmas, at least not on its own, but then it was used in a crucial part of the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story." On this episode of Performance Today, hear music from several classic movies about Christmas.
This fall, Yo-Yo Ma (and many others) were involved in the effort to evacuate 272 musicians, teachers, and their family members from Afghanistan. They were all affiliated with the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM). The story is somberly uplifting. Learn more on today's show, and hear Yo-Yo Ma play music of peace and hope.
In 1952, Composer Margaret Bonds wrote and premiered a piece based on a spiritual. The music was finally published in 2020. On today's show, pianist Lara Downes plays "The Bells,” from the Spiritual Suite by Margaret Bonds.
It's a piece that isn't played very often these days, but it's a lot of fun and has a fascinating backstory. Hear it on today’s show: the Suite for two violins, cello and piano left hand, by Erich Korngold, from a concert at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Imagine a festive sleigh ride through a winter evening: horses trotting, bells jangling in rhythm. The air is frosty, but we're warm and toasty in all of our winter gear. We'll go on a Sleigh Ride with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra on this episode of Performance Today.
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