Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

Sibelius' Symphony No. 7

Sibelius' Symphony No. 7

Jean Sibelius' final symphony unfolds in a single riveting movement; one unbroken weightless flow of music. It evolves from a quiet opening, to a warm, life-affirming ending -- a full 25 minutes later. On Tuesday's Performance Today, we'll hear Sibelius' Symphony No. 7 from a concert in Bergen, Norway.

A Russian gem

A Russian gem

Sergei Taneyev's Symphony No. 4 is a great piece of Romantic Russian music, and it's not played nearly often enough. On Monday's Performance Today, we'll hear the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra play it in concert in Rotterdam.

Heart-piercing music

Heart-piercing music

Jonathan Biss believes that Robert Schumann is the most poetic of all composers, because of his effortless ability to create intensely emotional music. On this weekend's Performance Today, we'll hear Biss play Schumann's heart-piercing Forest Scenes in concert in Schenectady.

Biss on Schumann

Biss on Schumann

Because of Robert Schumann's ability to create intensely beautiful, emotional music, Jonathan Biss believes that is the most poetic of all composers. On Friday's Performance Today, we'll hear Biss play an example of Schumann's musical poetry; his heart-piercing Forest Scenes.

Janine Jansen

Janine Jansen

On Thursday's Performance Today, Janine Jansen teams up with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra for a performance of Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1.

Our weekly musical game

Our weekly musical game

Every 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.

The story of Don Juan

The story of Don Juan

The story of Don Juan taps a deep territory in the human psyche: love, betrayal, excess, and death. On Tuesday's Performance Today, we'll hear Richard Strauss's explosive tone poem based on the story of Don Juan.

The 2016 Sphinx Competition

The 2016 Sphinx Competition

The Sphinx Competition is an annual event for young African American and Latino string players. On Monday's Performance Today, we'll speak to the winner and hear performance highlights from this past weekend's competition in Detroit.

Diversity in Classical Music

Diversity in Classical Music

On Performance Today, we're launching a conversation about the value of diversity in classical music. Does it matter? And if so, what can and should we do about it? Our list of thought-provoking interviews will grow over the course of the year, so keep coming back to see and hear more.