Performance Today®

When composer Shulamit Ran finished writing a piece, she somewhat flippantly named the piece "Lyre of Orpheus". Later, she was astonished to find that the title was totally appropriate. Hear the story and the music on this episode of Performance Today.

In 1991, Composer Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee wrote a set of bagatelles for an up-and-coming nine-year-old flutist.  Now, those playful pieces have taken on a life of their own. On today's show, hear a recent recording of Five Bagatelles by Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee, performed by flutist Suzanne Bona and pianist Greg Kostraba of the Sylvan Trio.

Composer Elizabeth Brown never got formal training in composition. Instead, she says that she learned to compose by playing all kinds of music, and she feels like that was the right path for her. On today's show, hear a piece that she was inspired to write after a working residency in Italy: Liguria, by Elizabeth Brown.

Pianist Yuja Wang thrives in the spotlight; she has been known to play multiple encores after one show. On today's show, Yuja Wang returns to the stage following a performance with the Melbourne Symphony to play just ONE encore...and a hefty showstopper at that.

Composer and guitarist Agustín Barrios was in a cathedral listening to heavenly music...then he then walked out into the city and felt assaulted by the sudden change from serenity to noise. On today's show, hear the music he wrote in response to that experience: The Cathedral, by Agustín Barrios.

Viennese Composer Egon Wellesz wrote a piece in 1934 inspired by Prospero, the magical character in Shakespeare's The Tempest. On today's show, learn more about Egon Wellesz and hear selections from Prospero's Incantations, from a concert at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.

Harpist Emmanuel Ceysson says he needs to forget all of the harp cliches when he plays the Harp Concerto by Alberto Ginastera. He and his harp need to sound strong and aggressive in order to project from the orchestra. Hear Ceysson play the Ginastera Harp Concerto with the Prague Philharmonia, from a concert at Dvorak Hall in Prague.

Composer Matthew Jackfert spent six months in the seaside city of Qingdao, China. Memories of the waves and wind and local culture stuck with him. On this episode of Performance Today, hear "On the Shores of Qingdao," by Matthew Jackfert, from a concert by the West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra.

Viennese Composer Egon Wellesz wrote a piece in 1934 inspired by Prospero, the magical character in Shakespeare's The Tempest. On today's show, learn more about Egon Wellesz and hear selections from Prospero's Incantations, from a concert at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.