Performance Today®

At the age of 34, Richard Strauss wrote a symphony in celebration of a hero. That hero was... Richard Strauss. He said "I don't see why I should not compose a symphony about myself; I find myself as interesting as Napoleon." The Orchestre of Paris plays "Ein Heldenleben - A Hero's Life" by Richard Strauss on the Thursday's Performance Today.

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 Inon Barnatan joins the New York Philharmonic to play Ravel's jazz-influenced Piano Concerto in G Major.

Franz Schubert celebrated his 21st birthday as he was writing his Symphony No. 6. On Tuesday's Performance Today, join us for a concert from Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, with Gustavo Dudamel conducting the LA Philharmonic in the Symphony No. 6, by the young Franz Schubert.

Dvorak wrote his Cello Concerto for a good friend, a cellist named Hans Wihan. Wihan tried to make a few changes... he said he was "improving" Dvorak's piece. Similar alterations have been made to well-known works, some without the composer's knowledge at all. Dvorak refused to allow this to happen. On Monday's Performance Today, hear Antonin Dvorak's Cello Concerto as he wrote it, in a concert from Heidelberg, Germany.

Molly Yeh grew up surrounded by music... she went to the Juilliard School to pursue a musical career, but then found her calling as a food writer and cookbook author. Meet Molly Yeh at her farm on the high prairie, and find out what she'd make if Mozart were to come over for dinner.

In 2013, the Danish String Quartet spent a week in the countryside, arranging and recording Scandanavian folk tunes. We'll listen to an arrangement from that outing - an old Danish tune called "Five Sheep, Four Goats". Also featured, symphonies by Beethoven and Brahms on Friday's Performance Today.

Sol Gabetta plays cello with intelligence, emotion, and a lively wit. She lives in Switzerland, and her career is mainly in Europe. But on Thursday's Performance Today, we'll hear from a rare concert Sol Gabetta gave here in the states with the Houston Symphony.

Molly Yeh grew up surrounded by music... she went to the Juilliard School to pursue a musical career, but then found her calling as a food writer and cookbook author. On Wednesday's Performance Today, we meet Molly Yeh at her farm on the high prairie, and she tells us what she'd make if Mozart came over for dinner.

Musician/composer Simon Shaheen grew up in Israel, became a master of Arabic music, and moved to New York in 1980 where he was immersed in a kaleidoscope of vibrant cultures and sounds. On Tuesday's Performance Today, Imani Winds play Dance Mediterranea by Simon Shaheen, in a concert from the Beaches Fine Arts series in Jacksonville, Florida.