Performance Today®

As a church organist, the young Charles Ives didn't really want to play the same hymns in the same old way. He played around some edgy harmonies and overlapping tunes, much to the shock of the congregation. The pastor had an opinion too. On today's show, hear about Charles Ives and his creative liberties, and hear the Escher String Quartet perform Ives's ‘String Quartet No. 1’ at a concert at Lincoln Center.

It's the beginning of the New Year in much of Asia. More than a billion people are ushering in the Year of the Tiger with food and family celebrations. Join us for music that celebrates the Lunar New Year.

In his later years, Gioachino Rossini scribbled notes on his old manuscripts, and on one piece, he wrote, "Six terrible sonatas composed  by me at a most youthful age..." On this edition of Performance Today, hear one of those "terrible" sonatas—which isn't terrible—composed by Rossini when he was 12 years old.

If you could personally thank a musical artist who's been an inspiration for you, who would it be and how would you thank them? On today's show, hear how composer/percussionist Ivan Trevino expressed his gratitude in Songbook Volume 3 from a concert in Jacksonville, Florida. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week's Piano Puzzler.

Avi Avital was the first mandolin soloist nominated for a classical Grammy. More than 100 contemporary compositions have been written for him, but Avital is also known for his renditions of Baroque pieces. On today's show, Avi Avital plays a concerto by Vivaldi at a recent concert in Oslo, Norway.

Composer Gilad Cohen grew up in Israel listening to Pink Floyd. He also played classical piano, and when he moved to the United States, he heard klezmer music in the synagogue for the first time.  On today's show, hear members of Musici Ireland play a piece that combines each of those styles: "Trio for Spry Clarinet, Weeping Cello, and Ruminating Harp" by Gilad Cohen.

Composer Osvaldo Golijov is drawn to the milonga, a rhythm and dance that's quite similar to the tango. Join us today to hear cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianist Inon Barnatan play the world premiere of a new milonga by Osvaldo Golijov.

In 2019, there was a ceremony in Iceland to memorialize the Ok glacier that had melted away. A humble copper plaque was installed in its former spot, and composer Marcus Maroney wrote a piece inspired by the inscription on that plaque. On today's show, ROCO performs Marcus Maroney's ‘OK, Goodbye’, from a concert in Houston.

In 2017, Composer Hannah Kendall wrote a piece inspired by a poem about women who worked in match factories in the 1800s. The piece, aptly titled The Spark Catchers, is full of kinetic energy and driving rhythms. On today's show, we'll hear The Spark Catchers played by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at a recent concert in Sweden.