Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

Composer Yuko Uebayashi

Composer Yuko Uebayashi

Yuko Uebayashi wrote Misericordia for flute soloist Carol Wincenc. Wincenc loves it... she says it creates a sense of "wonder, charm, and serenity" all at the same time. On Friday's Performance Today, hear Carol Wincenc and the Escher Quartet perform Misericordia, by Yuko Uebayashi.

Slatkin conducts Brahms

Slatkin conducts Brahms

On Thursday's Performance Today, we'll go to a concert in Warsaw to hear Leonard Slatkin conduct a vibrant performance of the Double Concerto by Johannes Brahms. Also featured: an exhilarating piece called Gumboots by David Bruce, from a concert in Charleston, South Carolina.

Women in Music

Women in Music

We recently started tracking how many pieces of music on our program were composed by, performed by or conducted by women. The numbers made it clear: women are underrepresented. Performance Today wants to change that.

Ravel visits Harlem

Ravel visits Harlem

In 1928, Maurice Ravel spent some time hanging out with George Gershwin in Harlem jazz clubs. The sounds Ravel heard in Harlem made their way into some of his subsequent compositions. On Wednesday's Performance Today, pianist Martha Argerich joins the National Orchestra of France to play Ravel's jazz-influenced Piano Concerto in G Major. Elena See guest-hosts.

Edgar Meyer

Edgar Meyer

When Edgar Meyer was growing up, there was sort of a family tradition... his father and two uncles played the double bass. Now, Edgar Meyer is THE great double bass virtuoso of our time. On Tuesday's Performance Today, hear him play a Bottesini double bass concerto with the Nashville Symphony. Roderick Cox guest-hosts.

Garrick Ohlsson

Garrick Ohlsson

Garrick Ohlsson feels that Chopin's music is more about visceral feeling than intellectual understanding, though Chopin's intellect was penetrating and brilliant. On Monday's Performance Today, we'll hear Ohlsson perform a Chopin scherzo from a concert at The Cliburn.

From stage to screen

From stage to screen

In 1897, French composer Paul Dukas wrote The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and it became a popular concert piece within a few years. The symphonic poem became widely known to audiences everywhere when it was used for the 1940 Walt Disney film Fantasia. On this weekend's Performance Today, JoAnn Falletta conducts the Buffalo Philharmonic in a live performance of The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas.

Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

In 1897, French composer Paul Dukas wrote The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and it became a popular concert piece within a few years. The symphonic poem became widely known to audiences everywhere when it was used for the 1940 Walt Disney film Fantasia. On Friday's Performance Today, JoAnn Falletta conducts the Buffalo Philharmonic in a live performance of The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas.

The Inextinguishable Symphony

The Inextinguishable Symphony

During the First World War, Carl Nielsen poured his energy into a new piece of music; a fervent symphony expressing his belief that despite the war, life and light could prevail. On Thursday's Performance Today, we'll hear Nielsen's "Inextinguishable" Symphony No. 4, from a concert in Fayetteville, Arkansas.