Performance Today®

Pianist Andras Schiff calls it a 'finger breaking piece.' Stephen Kovacevich said he worked on it for so long, he nearly paralyzed his hands. On today's show, Yefim Bronfman takes us beyond the strenuous side of Bartok's Piano Concerto No. 2 in a thrilling performance with the Houston Symphony.

The Symphony No. 7 by Gustav Mahler opens with a gorgeous solo for the unusual tenor horn. The Oregon Symphony has a fine horn section, but they called in Demondrae Thurman to get that particular sound. On today's show, Thurman steps in with the Oregon Symphony for the opening movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 7, conducted by Carlos Kalmar.

Violinist Angele Dubeau and her all-female ensemble La Pieta are based in Montreal. On Today's show, Dubeau explains that there are many ways to interpret the title of their new album: Pulsations. Join us for music and conversation with Angele Dubeau, on this episode of Performance Today.

Heitor Villa-Lobos dedicated many pieces to "Mindinha," the nickname of his companion and life partner for 23 years. On today's show, hear "Ciranda das Sete Notas," one of the many pieces Villa-Lobos dedicated to Mindinha.

A huge mysterious creature lurks below the surface of a clear and tranquil lake. It may or may not be dangerous...it's hard to tell. On today's show, you'll hear that creature's presence in The Enchanted Lake, by Russian composer Anatoly Lyadov.

In pop music, it's Beyonce and Jay-Z. Here in the classical world, the big power couple is Wu Han and David Finckel. They're musical visionaries, mentors, and chamber musicians with incredible chemistry. On today's episode, they'll play a piece that Bruce Adolphe wrote for them, simply titled "Couple."

JoAnn Falletta grew up playing classical guitar, but what she really wanted to do was conduct orchestras. There wasn't a path for a female conductor to follow... so Falletta paved a path of her own and is now a respected conductor around the world. On today's show, JoAnn Falletta conducts the Buffalo Philharmonic in a concert performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21.

After composer Ethel Smythe toured the coast of England, she became fascinated by the history of "wrecking," where villagers on the coast would lure ships onto the rocks and plunder the wrecked vessels. On this episode of Performance Today, hear Ethel Smythe's overture from The Wreckers, performed by ROCO at a recent concert in Houston, Texas.

Around the world, November 11th is Remembrance Day or Armistice Day, and here in the U.S., we celebrate it as Veterans Day. On this episode of Performance Today, we'll honor those who've served our country in uniform.