When writing his Piano Concerto No. 3, Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote a single word above a particular point in the composition: "coldly." It's a chilling musical descent, entombed in the concerto's fiery heat. On Friday's Performance Today, pianist Simon Trpceski and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra perform Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 at a concert in Stavanger, Norway.
In the 1930s, Samuel Barber's career as a composer was blossoming, and he had mixed feelings about it. All of that attention can be exhilarating AND nerve-racking. On this episode of Performance Today, hear music by a young man on the rise, the Symphony No. 1 by Samuel Barber.
In 1874, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov traveled to the northern coast of the Black Sea. The trip left a lasting impression on the composer; he was intoxicated by the Arabic and Turkish music he heard on the streets and in coffee houses. Hear these exotic impressions in a Buffalo Philharmonic performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade on this episode of Performance Today.
On this episode of Performance Today, hear a composition by Valerie Coleman named "Portraits of Josephine"... inspired by the life and times of one of the most famous entertainers of the 20th Century: Josephine Baker.
Not many pieces can match the romantic drama and sheer virtuosity of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. On this episode of Performance Today, hear a thrilling concert performance by pianist Sergio Tiempo and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
In the early 1900s, Bela Bartok traveled the dusty back-roads of eastern Europe with a heavy Edison recording machine. He recorded thousands of folk songs that, in turn, inspired his own work. On this episode of Performance Today, hear Bartok's Romanian Dances from a concert in Interlochen, Michigan.
When people talk about why they enjoy classical music, one thing that often comes up is the idea that at least SOME classical music is relaxing. In some cases, there is science to back that up. On this episode of Performance Today, kick back, rest your head and enjoy a Camerata Pacifica performance of Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.
On this episode of Performance Today, meet cellist Julia Yang, our current PT Young Artist in Residence. Hear Ms. Yang and pianist Lee Dionne play music by Schumann, J.S. Bach, and Prokofiev, with a very special world premiere of "Horse of the Wind" by Dai Wei.
Cellist Julia Yang is Performance Today's current Young Artist in Residence. Julia recently joined Fred Child for conversation and music at our studio in Saint Paul. You can hear it all here!
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