Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

Playing the unplayable

Playing the unplayable

When Maurice Ravel wrote Gaspard de la Nuit, he was trying to make it the most difficult piano music ever written... perhaps even unplayable. On today's show, Benjamin Grosvenor plays the unplayable in a concert presented by Capital Region Classical in Schenectady, NY.

On the Shores of Qingdao

On the Shores of Qingdao

Composer Matthew Jackfert spent six months in the seaside city of Qingdao, China. Memories of the waves and wind and local culture stuck with him. On this episode of Performance Today, hear "On the Shores of Qingdao," by Matthew Jackfert, from a concert by the West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra.

Meira Warshauer

Meira Warshauer

Our planet is teeming with life, and the rainforests are the lungs of the earth. Composer Meira Warshauer was moved by that image and the threats our natural world faces when she wrote her first symphony. It's a musical prayer for healing, for our home. On today's show, hear Warshauer's Symphony No. 1 "Living Breathing Earth", from a performance by the Western Piedmont Symphony in Hickory, NC.

Nielsen's Wind Quintet

Nielsen's Wind Quintet

In 1922, Danish composer Carl Nielsen was working on a piece for wind quintet when he had an idea. He turned a simple hymn tune of his into a theme with wide variety of variations... one of which even imitates the sound of bagpipes! On today's show, experience the dynamic moods and sounds of Nielsen's Wind Quintet, from a concert presented by Camerata Pacifica.

For those we've lost

For those we've lost

Some unforgettable musicians passed away in 2020...guitarist Julian Bream, cellist Lynn Harrell, soprano Mirella Freni - just to name a few. On today's show, join us for a special hour to honor and remember some of those we've lost over this past year.

Music for Christmas Day

Music for Christmas Day

For Christmas Day, we're playing some of the best holiday music... you might even find yourself joining the chorus. Tune in for Christmas and holiday music from concerts around the world. Happy Holidays from all of us at Performance Today!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

On today's show, we celebrate the joys and blessings of the holiday season with music for a cozy Christmas Eve.

Ukraine's "kolyadka" tradition

Ukraine's "kolyadka" tradition

There's a Ukrainian holiday tradition of singing "kolyadkas", folk songs that have been passed down for centuries. Last year, composer Ivan Nebesnyy created a symphony to celebrate this beloved tradition. On Today's show, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine presents selections from the world premiere of "Christmas Symphonies" by Ivan Nebesnyy.

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

In "A Christmas Carol," Ebenezer Scrooge not only hates Christmas, he hates generosity itself... at least until a three uninvited house-guests demonstrate what greed might cost him. On today's show, join us in a musical retelling of "A Christmas Carol," by Charles Dickens.

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