American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.
When the young wind quintet called WindSync plays a concert, they memorize their music and play without music stands. Why do they do this? We'll find out on Tuesday's Performance Today, when WindSync joins Fred in the studio for music and conversation.
Wind quintet WindSync joins Fred in the studio to discuss their approach to playing - and performing - classical music.
Joshua Bell and Steven Isserlis are classical superstars. But when they wanted a pianist for a European tour, they decided to choose a pianist whose playing they loved, but who isn't famous - yet. His name is Denes Varjon, and on Monday's Performance Today we'll hear Bell, Isserlis, and Varjon play a Chopin piano trio in concert in Poland.
Lots of unusual instruments on the way on this weekend's Performance Today, including a 21st century concerto for Pipa and Orchestra, and a Grand Grand Overture for Vacuum Cleaners, Floor Polisher, and Concert Band.
The Chinese lute, or pipa, has been around for more than two thousand years. On Friday's Performance Today, we'll hear a 21st century composition for pipa performed by Wu Man and the Buffalo Philharmonic.
On Thursday's Performance Today, Lawrence Foster conducts the Houston Symphony Orchestra in a glorious performance of music from Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations at Jones Hall in Texas.
The story of Don Juan has all the makings of a gripping melodrama -- love, betrayal, and death. On Wednesday's Performance Today, we'll hear the Munich Philharmonic perform Richard Strauss's explosive tone poem based on the legend.
After a holiday weekend, there's often a big clean-up that has to take place. So on Tuesday's Performance Today, we'll help out with a special piece by Malcolm Arnold; his Grand Overture for Vacuum Cleaners, Floor Polisher, and Concert Band.
Long before we became aware of conserving the environment, Johann Sebastian Bach was hard at work conserving his own output: his musical ideas. On today's show, we'll hear Bach's music as he reworked and finessed his favorite melodies in a variety of performances.
