Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

Kodaly: Dances of Galanta

Kodaly: Dances of Galanta

Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly heard Roma bands when he was growing up, and later incorporated some of those tunes into his own music. On today's show, hear Kodaly's Dances of Galanta, from a recent concert in Stockholm, Sweden.

Martinu's Kitchen Revue

Martinu's Kitchen Revue

During the 1920s, Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu began to withdraw from the styles in which he was trained, and ballets became his favorite medium for experimentation. On today's show, hear ballet music set in an unusual setting: La Revue de Cuisine (Kitchen Revue) by Bohuslav Martinu.

A true role model

A true role model

Marin Alsop's job title is often some variation on the word "conductor", but to musicians and music-lovers around the world, she's so much more than that. On today's show, we speak to an innovator, a mentor, and a visionary leader: Marin Alsop, our 2021 Classical Woman of the Year.

Marin Alsop!

Marin Alsop!

Marin Alsop's job title is often some variation on the word "conductor", but to musicians and music-lovers around the world, she's so much more than that. On today's show, we speak to an innovator, a mentor, and a visionary leader: Marin Alsop - PT's 2021 Classical Woman of the Year.

Fabio Bidini

Fabio Bidini

As well as being a great pianist, Italian pianist Fabio Bidini is in high demand as a piano teacher. Bidini teaches at the Colburn School in Los Angeles and the Hans Eisler Music Academy in Berlin. On today's show, hear Fabio Bidini play Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 3, with conductor JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Power to the pipa

Power to the pipa

The Chinese lute, or pipa, has been around for more than two thousand years. On today's show, we'll hear a 21st century composition for pipa performed by Wu Man and the Lexington Symphony at a concert in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Arturo Marquez

Arturo Marquez

Mexican composer Arturo Marquez says he has always been enthralled by the music bubbling out of cafes and dance salons in Mexico. On Today's show, hear the Dorian Wind Quintet perform Danza del Mediodia, by Arturo Marquez, inspired by the cafe music of Mexico City.

Hannah Lash: In Pursuit of Flying

Hannah Lash: In Pursuit of Flying

Hannah Lash knew from a young age that she wanted to be a composer, but she hadn't yet learned how to read or write music. So, Hannah developed her own system for writing music using triangles, squiggles, and x's. On today's show, hear pianist Jeremy Denk and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra play "In Pursuit of Flying," by American composer Hannah Lash.

2021 Classical Woman of the Year: Marin Alsop
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