Performance Today®

Invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s, the saxophone has long been seen as an outsider in classical music. But Timothy McAllister is on a mission to change that. On today’s show, Timothy McAllister performs a saxophone classic: Alexander Glazunov’s Saxophone Concerto.

Sure, it's a flashy showpiece for piano, but Kirill Gerstein says, "If you dig deeper, it's also a sincere expression straight from the heart." On today's show, hear Kirill Gerstein play Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 with conductor Hannu Lintu leading the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Memorial Day. It's the unofficial beginning of summer, but that's not what this holiday is about. On today's show, we mark the day with music by American composers and recognize the people who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

The Jamaican folk song 'Come Back, Liza' is full of longing. Composer Eleanor Alberga used that song as the basis for a new piece dedicated to the memory of her mother. On today's show, we'll take you to a concert in Charleston, South Carolina, to hear 'Remember' by Eleanor Alberga.

Composer Jessie Montgomery found inspiration in nature's infinitely repeating patterns: fractals. Her fascination with these natural wonders led her to write a captivating new piece that brings fractals to life through sound. On today's show, we'll hear "Rounds" by Jessie Montgomery, a musical exploration of nature's boundless beauty.

After Beethoven played some concerts in his 20s, reviews wondered who this unknown pianist and composer might be ...and they even misspelled his name as "Beethover." Yeah, even Beethoven had to climb the career ladder. We'll hear music by the up-and-coming Beethoven on today's show.

The Jamaican folk song 'Come Back, Liza' is full of longing. Composer Eleanor Alberga used that song as the basis for a new piece dedicated to the memory of her mother. On today's show, we'll take you to a concert in Charleston, South Carolina, to hear 'Remember' by Eleanor Alberga.

In the 1820s, 17-year-old Frederic Chopin wrote a set of variations that helped launch his career. A century later, an unknown 18-year-old played that piece at the 2022 Cliburn International Piano Competition and took the classical world by storm. On today's show, we'll hear pianist Yunchan Lim's Cliburn performance of Chopin's Variations on ‘Là ci darem la mano.’

In 1880, Antonín Dvořák composed a series of short piano pieces that aren’t performed as frequently as many of his other works. Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes admires the beauty of the music; he’s surprised by its infrequent performance. We’ll hear Leif Ove Andsnes play several highlights from Antonín Dvořák's Poetic Tone Pictures on today's show.