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.

The Silk Road carried trade goods between Europe and China, but it also carried culture and ideas. Join us today and hear music inspired by the Silk Road by Zhao Jiping from a concert in Guiyang, China.

We don't toss the word "virtuoso" around casually, but in some cases, it clearly applies. On today's episode, join us for a virtuosic performance by Alexander Gavrylyuk - who, by the way, would like to redefine what we mean by the word 'virtuoso.'

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.