Performance Today®

On Wednesday's Performance Today, we'll hear a Romance by Schumann. By Clara Schumann, that is -- the great pianist who gave up composing when she married Robert Schumann. Plus, Bruce Adolphe joins us for this week's Piano Puzzler.

When Maurice Ravel's Noble and Sentimental Waltzes premiered in Paris in 1911, the audience had to guess who the composer was. There's no need to guess anymore; these waltzes have become a concert hall favorite. On Tuesday's Performance Today, we'll hear them played in concert by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

During a trip down the Nile, French composer Camille Saint-Saens was captivated by an old Nubian song. In fact, he was so inspired by the tune that he transformed it into a piano concerto. On Monday's Performance Today, we'll hear pianist Stephen Hough and the Nashville Symphony play that very piece; Saint-Saens' Egyptian Concerto.

According to conductor JoAnn Falletta, most orchestras only explore the tip of the musical iceberg; largely ignoring vast amounts of repertoire waiting to be discovered. On this weekend's Performance Today, Falletta joins Fred in the studio to co-host a special hour of PT, and to discuss her thoughts on musical repertoire, conducting, and more.

According to conductor JoAnn Falletta, most orchestras only explore the tip of the musical iceberg; largely ignoring vast amounts of repertoire waiting to be discovered. On Friday's Performance Today, Falletta joins Fred in the studio to co-host a special hour of PT, and to discuss her thoughts on musical repertoire, conducting, and more.

In 1820, Franz Schubert began writing out a four-movement string quartet. He composed a gorgeous nine minute opening, then got sidetracked and never finished the piece. On Thursday's Performance Today, we'll hear that abandoned movement from a recent concert in Schenectady, New York.

Each week on our Piano Puzzler, composer Bruce Adolphe re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a great composer. Then, one of our listeners calls in and tries to guess two things: the tune, and the composer whose style Bruce is mimicking. Play along with our weekly musical game, on Wednesday's Performance Today.

Conductor Jeffrey Kahane loves Britten's Variations on a theme by Frank Bridge. He says that it's simultaneously majestic, mysterious, sentimental, hilarious, heartbreaking, dazzlingly cerebral, and in the end, profound. On Tuesday's Performance Today, we'll hear it from a concert in Los Angeles.

Composer Alberto Ginastera was born one hundred years ago today. On Monday's Performance Today, we'll say feliz cumpleaños to the great Argentine composer, and we'll hear pianist Joyce Yang play his Argentine Dances in concert in Aspen.