Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

Coleridge-Taylor's Nonet

Coleridge-Taylor's Nonet

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor wrote his Nonet in London in 1893, when he was only 18 years old. On today's show, hear this remarkable work — a piece that deserves to be played and heard so much more. Also, hear Grieg's Holberg Suite performed at a recent concert in Taiwan.

Anna Clyne: Stride

Anna Clyne: Stride

Last year marked Beethoven's 250th birthday, and celebrations have included a lot of new music inspired by his work. On today's show, hear one of those new inspirations: Stride, by Anna Clyne, from a recent concert in Australia.

PT Weekend: Seven Last Words

PT Weekend: Seven Last Words

It's one of most emotionally moving and relevant pieces of the 21st century. On today's show, hear Seven Last Words of the Unarmed by Joel Thompson, performed by the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Morehouse College Glee Club, and the Florida A&M University Concert Choir.

Pedja Muzijevic in Charleston

Pedja Muzijevic in Charleston

On this episode of Performance Today, hear Pedja Muzijevic and his friends in the St. Lawrence String Quartet play the Piano Quintet No. 2 by Antonin Dvorak, from a concert at the 2019 Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, SC.

Seven Last Words of the Unarmed

Seven Last Words of the Unarmed

It's one of most emotionally moving and relevant pieces of the 21st century. On today's show, hear Seven Last Words of the Unarmed by Joel Thompson, performed by the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Morehouse College Glee Club, and the Florida A&M University Concert Choir.

The persistent princess

The persistent princess

Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia had a tyrannical father who punished her for playing music. Her life didn't get any easier when her father died, but music remained her secret source of comfort. On today's show, hear the Flute Sonata in F Major by Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia.

Caroline Shaw: Watermark

Caroline Shaw: Watermark

In printing and publishing, a watermark is a faint design in paper that's used to identify the time and place the paper came from. Composer Caroline Shaw had a poetic version of that idea and composed a piece that references a Beethoven piano concerto. On today's show, hear Jonathan Biss and the Saint Paul Chamber orchestra play Watermark, by Caroline Shaw.

Nights in the Gardens of Spain

Nights in the Gardens of Spain

The Alhambra is a sprawling palace and fortress built in the 1300s on a hill overlooking the city of Granada, Spain. On today's episode, hear a shimmering piece inspired by the colorful gardens on the grounds of the palace. Pianist Bernadene Blaha and the Texas Festival Orchestra perform Nights in the Gardens of Spain, by Manuel de Falla.

PT Weekend: Michelle Rofrano

PT Weekend: Michelle Rofrano

When Michelle Rofrano was a girl, she loved listening to classical music and opera with her grandparents. As a teenager, she became fascinated by watching orchestral conductors — so when Rofrano finally stepped in front of an orchestra in college, she knew immediately that conducting was her place in music. On this episode of Performance Today, hear Michelle Rofrano leads the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra in a (pre-pandemic) concert performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 1.

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