Performance Today®

Composer Osvaldo Golijov wrote a piece, a lullaby and variations, for a 2002 film called "The Man Who Cried." The film never really found an audience, but that piece by Golijov has become a favorite 21st-century work for chamber ensembles. On today's show, hear Golijov's "Lullaby and Doina", from the Mizmorim Festival in Basel, Switzerland.

It's one of the greatest endings in all of classical music. After a hard life and a fiery death, this brilliant symbol of the unquenchable thirst for life rises from the ashes. The Classical Tahoe Orchestra plays the Firebird Suite (1919), by Igor Stravinsky on today's show.

Violist Beth McNinch used to like jumping out of planes and scuba diving. Now, she snuggles her dog, plays dominos with her family, and runs a chamber music collective called Musici Ireland. On today's show , hear the group Musici Ireland, from a concert in Wexford, Ireland.

In 2018, composer Michael Daugherty wrote a piece inspired by the iconic photography of O. Winston Link (1914-2001), whose work chronicled the last days of steam-powered locomotives in the United States. Join us today to hear conductor JoAnn Falletta lead the Virginia Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Night Owl, by Michael Daugherty.

When violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley was a kid, his family Hanukkah included lots of latkes and lots of klezmer. On today's show, Noah Bendix-Balgley shares memories and music for Hanukkah and tells us who makes the best latkes in the world.

Pianist Lise de la Salle has been surrounded by dance her whole life, so it's no surprise that her most recent musical project has her dancing up and down the piano. On today's episode of PT, Lise de la Salle plays an eclectic series of dances, from a recent concert in Frederiksvaerk, Denmark.

An orchestra of talented young players from Cuba recently traveled to Berlin. Join us today for a highlight from that extraordinary concert. It's the Havana Lyceum Orchestra, on this edition of Performance Today.

Jiji is a guitarist from Seoul, South Korea. When she was nine, she performed for a well-known guitarist...who was harshly critical of her playing. So, she hatched an 18-year "revenge" plan - to become a professional guitarist. On today's show, Jiji plays Asturias, by Isaac Albeniz, from a recent concert at the Honest Brook Music Festival in Delhi, New York.

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.