Performance Today®

There used to be a bustling entertainment neighborhood in Detroit called Paradise Valley, with a lively music scene. It was plowed under, and lost to new construction. An today's show, hear the Akropolis Reed Quintet play a musical homage to Paradise Valley, and we reflect on the nature of change.

Here on PT we love great performances of the classics AND innovative new sounds from today's composers. On today's show, we invite you to discover new music by Paul Dooley. "Northern Nights" is a piece for orchestra and percussion, plus the sounds of birds and rainstorms and more.

In 1933, Florence Price became the first female African American composer to have her work performed by a major symphony orchestra. When she died, boxes of music remained in her house, which was then abandoned for almost 50 years. Recently, a trove of works by Price has been rediscovered. On today's show, hear about the remarkable discovery and revival of Florence Price's music.

When Claude Debussy wrote music for the ballet "Jeux," he was picturing a game of tennis between two women and one young man. In tennis, "love" means nothing; in Debussy's music, love is everything. On today's episode, we'll hear romance and seduction on the courts, from a concert by the New York Philharmonic.

Beethoven did his groundbreaking work two centuries ago, and to this day, musicians are finding new interpretations and new inspiration in his music. On Today's show, join us for two new takes on Beethoven. One reverential, and one that's pure whimsy.

The members of an ensemble called A Far Cry are strong believers in musical democracy. They rotate leadership roles among all of the players; those personalities make their concerts refreshing and unexpected and vibrant. On today's show, hear A Far Cry play music by Philip Glass, from a concert in Rockport, Massachusetts.

When Claude Debussy wrote music for the ballet "Jeux," he was picturing a game of tennis between two women and one young man. In tennis, "love" means nothing; in Debussy's music, love is everything. On today's episode, we'll hear romance and seduction on the courts, from a concert by the New York Philharmonic.

Hungarian composer Bela Bartok was one of the founders of the field of ethnomusicology. He traveled the dusty back roads of Hungary and Romania, recording tens of thousands of folk songs, and that work inspired many of his own compositions. On today's episode, join us for Bartok's Hungarian Folk Tunes, from a concert at the Music@Menlo festival.

From ev'ry mountainside, Let freedom ring! On Memorial Day, we remember the people who've made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the American Armed Forces. Today, we honor those who preserve our freedom with music.