Performance Today®

She's an astonishing fire-colored creature, a symbol of hope, and sometimes...an omen of doom. She is the Firebird. On today's PT, we'll hear the Firebird Suite by Igor Stravinsky, from a concert in Nashville.

The pink plastic flamingo... maybe you had one in the yard of your childhood home or you've seen the plastic birds flocking your neighbor's lawn. Composer Michael Daugherty says those pink plastic lawn ornaments are American icons. On today's show, hear Daugherty's musical ode to flamingos, plastic and feathered, from a concert in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Join us for a musical New Year's celebration! We'll usher in 2020 with a celebratory Trumpet Concerto by Johann Neruda, and sample a bit of musical champagne, courtesy of Johann Strauss Jr.. Music for the New Year, on this edition of Performance Today.

Conductor JoAnn Falletta says that audiences don't realize how much the performers rely on their energy. On today's show, hear JoAnn Falletta, pianist Juho Pohjonen, the Buffalo Philharmonic, and a GREAT audience in Buffalo, New York.

The final movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 6 is epic. Thirty minutes of emotional energy that bursts with dramatic tension, culminating in three powerful hammer blows. On today's show, we'll hear the Boston Symphony perform it in concert, Andris Nelsons conducting.

In May 2010, Tennessee was hit with terrible floods. The home of the Nashville Symphony suffered nearly $40 million in damages. Despite losses, the Nashville Symphony became a symbol of recovery, and the concert hall was brought back to life. On today's show, hear the Nashville Symphony perform music by Sibelius, from a concert at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.

Fanny Mendelssohn wrote more than 500 pieces of music, and she also was a conductor. One musician recalled, "A gesture of her little finger ran like an electric shock through our souls." More about the multi-talented Fanny Mendelssohn this edition of Performance Today.

In May 2010, Tennessee was hit with terrible floods. The home of the Nashville Symphony suffered nearly $40 million in damages. Imagine finding two concert grand pianos floating upside down. Despite losses, the Nashville Symphony became a symbol of recovery, and the concert hall was brought back to life in less than 8 months. On today's show, hear the Nashville Symphony perform music by Sibelius, from a concert at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

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!