Performance Today®

On today's show, hear the Piano Concerto No. 5 by French composer Camille Saint-Saens... and find out why it has become known as the Egyptian Concerto.

When Stephen Hough wrote his Piano Sonata No. 4, he called it "Vida Breve" (Short Life), expressing the melancholy of this brief lifetime we have. On today's show, Stephen Hough plays "Short Life", from a concert at the Grand Teton Music Festival.

Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez" may be the most popular guitar concerto of all time. On today's show, hear guitarist Chaconne Klaverenga play Rodrigo's concerto with the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week's Piano Puzzler.

Violinist Daniel Hope is very much at home on stages around the world. When the pandemic closed venues, he brought his concerts, literally, home. On today's show, hear about Daniel Hope's award-winning concert series from his home in Berlin.

Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez" may be the most popular guitar concerto of all time. Even if you don't think you know it, there's a good chance you've at least heard some of it. On today's show, hear guitarist Chaconne Klaverenga play Rodrigo's concerto with the Boulder Chamber Orchestra.

A sheet music store in New York City used to separate music with dividers, one of which was labeled "Women Composers." Composer Missy Mazzoli simply removed that divider. She says that if she writes an opera, she wants it to be shelved with the operas, not in the "Ladies' bin." On today's show, the Aeolus Quartet performs the 'Quartet for Queen Mab' by Missy Mazzoli.

On today's show, learn more about Lady Jess, a freelance violinist living in New York City. We'll hear selections from one of Lady Jess's recent projects - a recording of The Prison, by Ethel Smyth.

Composer Jennifer Higdon wrote Blue Cathedral in 2000. It was inspired by an imaginary vision of a glass cathedral in the sky. On today's show, The Orchestra Now (TON) takes us on a journey through that cathedral. Blue Cathedral by Jennifer Higdon, from a concert in upstate New York.

The pandemic has profoundly affected the musical world, with concerts and festivals having been cancelled worldwide. There is hope though...in some places, concerts with audiences are safely back underway. On today's show, hear a highlight from a concert presented just last month by the Taipei Music Academy & Festival.