Performance Today®

Of all the 21st century compositions we've played on PT, there is one that has gotten the most rapturous response. On today's show, hear music inspired by both the beauty of the night sky and by the pain of violence and war: Azul by Osvaldo Golijov.

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.

Violinist Hilary Hahn usually appears as a soloist, but she loves chamber music and occasionally teams up with other all-stars for some musical fun. On today's show, we'll go to a concert at the Skaneateles Festival for a rare chamber performance by Hilary Hahn and friends.

What happens in the practice room, stays in the practice room, right? Well, not in the digital age, and even less so during a pandemic. Pianist Charlie Albright has been offering a peek into his practice sessions. On today's show, hear more about Albright's method and the results of his hard work as he plays Chopin's variations on a theme by Mozart.

The string quartets by Caroline Shaw are ethereal, deeply personal, and utterly captivating. On today's show, Attacca Quartet cellist Andrew Yee and composer Caroline Shaw join us to talk about their unique collaboration, and we'll hear music from their organic, open, and reflective album "Orange."

Guaguanco is a style of Cuban rumba that is often centered around the human voice and percussion. Recently, Cuban composer Guido Gavilan wrote a guaguanco...for string quartet. Can that work? We think it works beautifully. On today's show, hear the Harlem Quartet play the Cuarteto en Guaguanco by Guido Gavilan, from a concert in Colorado Springs.

James Price Johnson was a pianist and composer who helped invent the style of "stride piano." He and George Gershwin knew and respected each other's work, but Johnson thought Gershwin didn't get jazz quite right in Rhapsody in Blue. On Today's show, hear Johnson's musical response, a piece called Yamekraw. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week's Piano Puzzler!

Working with a spouse might be fun and convenient...and challenging. Pianist Lucille Chung is married to her duo partner, Alessio Bax, and the arrangement couldn't have worked out better for them, as well as their audience. On today's show, Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung play their own arrangement of Milonga del Angel by Astor Piazzolla.

La Valse by Maurice Ravel is a reflection of the uncertainty and anxiety that was heavy in the air after World War One. It can also feel like a reflection of our times, here and now. On today's show, hear the beauty, the whimsy, and the unraveling...pianist David Fung plays La Valse by Maurice Ravel, from a concert in Athens, Georgia.