Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

A musical fairy-tale by Richard Strauss

A musical fairy-tale by Richard Strauss

In 1895, Richard Strauss composed a musical fairy-tale... a 15-minute orchestral romp that celebrates a crass, anti-establishment prankster. On Tuesday's Performance Today, take a seat at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and hear the LA Philharmonic perform "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks" by Richard Strauss.

Alan Page with the Minnesota Orchestra

Alan Page with the Minnesota Orchestra

Alan Page played in nine Pro Bowls with the Minnesota Vikings. He then served over twenty years as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Now, he has a performance with the Minnesota Orchestra under his belt. On Monday's Performance Today, Alan Page narrates "Lincoln Portrait" by Aaron Copland, from a concert in Minneapolis.

A graduate of the Sibelius Academy

A graduate of the Sibelius Academy

Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara was 28 years old when he wrote his Symphony No. 1. It's a fascinating piece that is simply not played often enough. So.... on this weekend's Performance Today, we'll hear the Buffalo Philharmonic in concert, playing the Rautavaara's Symphony No. 1.

An exploration of brotherhood

An exploration of brotherhood

Sheridan Seyfried composed a musical exploration of the relationship between two brothers. On Friday's Performance Today, Nikki and Timothy Chooi perform Seyfried's Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra, from a concert with the Lake George Music Festival Symphony Orchestra.

J. S. Bach's immortal concertos

J. S. Bach's immortal concertos

In 1721, Johann Sebastian Bach submitted six concertos as a job application. His application was ignored... but, those concertos are now immortal. Bach and the story of his Brandenburg Concertos on Thursday's Performance Today.

Rautavaara: Symphony No. 1

Rautavaara: Symphony No. 1

Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara was 28 years old when he wrote his Symphony No. 1. It's a fascinating piece that is simply not played often enough, and so.... On Wednesday's Performance Today, we'll hear the Buffalo Philharmonic, in concert, playing the Rautavaara's Symphony No. 1

from the Grand Teton Music Festival

from the Grand Teton Music Festival

The Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming is an annual celebration of music in a stunning mountain location. On this episode of Performance Today we'll hear music and conversation from a special PT event featuring Mendelssohn's Piano Trio at the 2017 festival in the Tetons.

Thierry Escaich

Thierry Escaich

For 20 years, Thierry Escaich has been a church organist in Paris. Part of his work is to play hymns and chorales and then improvise on those themes. On the next Performance Today, we'll hear Escaich's 21st Century twist on the old Lutheran tune, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. The piece is called 'Psalmos' by Tierry Escaich and performed by the Cincinnati Symphony.

Brasil Guitar Duo

Brasil Guitar Duo

Douglas Lora and Joao Luiz met when they were teenagers, and have been playing guitar together for almost 20 years as the Brasil Guitar Duo. On this weekend's Performance Today, hear them perform an arrangement of "A Fala Da Paixao" (Words of Passion) by Egberto Gismonti, from a concert in New York City.