American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.
In 1959, composers Chen Gang and He Zhanhao wrote a piece based on an old Chinese story where two lovers face a tragic end... and a new beginning. On today's show, hear The Butterfly Lovers violin concerto, performed by violinist Gil Shaham and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
Florence Price's Piano Concerto has only been performed a handful of times. Pianist Michelle Cann wants to change that, and she commissioned a new version for piano quintet. It's intimate and powerful, and we can't wait to share it with you. On today's show, hear this new arrangement of the Piano Concerto by Florence Price.
The most recent Tchaikovsky Competition was open to brass players for the first time. Tchaikovsky didn't write music for solo brass, so the jury chose the Horn Concerto by Reinhold Gliere to be the horn's shining moment. Hear Yun Zeng's a gold medal performance of Gliere's Horn Concerto on this edition of Performance Today.
On overcast days, the mountains of Vermont lose their color, becoming grey silhouettes. And some of the roads are so dark you need headlights, even during the day. On today's show, JoAnn Falletta leads the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in a live performance of Dark Mountains by Robert Paterson.
Tune in for a mix of classical favorites AND classical discoveries. On this episode of Performance Today, hear an engaging new piece called Bound, by Natalie Dietterich, plus music by Ravel, Shostakovich, and Jean Marie Leclair.
There's a curious psychological phenomenon: when something is forbidden or out of reach, we want it, we crave it all the more. Coming up, music inspired by a famous story of desire and temptation. On this episode of Performance Today, hear a new piece of music called Low Hanging Fruit, by Michael Gilbertson.
On overcast days, the mountains of Vermont lose their color, becoming grey silhouettes. And some of the roads are so dark you need headlights, even during the day. On today's show, JoAnn Falletta leads the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in a live performance of Dark Mountains by Robert Paterson.
With the right kind of radio you can sometimes hear the sound of nearby lightning. Some of those sounds are called whistler waves. On this episode of Performance Today, hear a new concerto by Caroline Mallonee, inspired by lightning...and whistler waves.
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.
