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.
The Butterfly Lovers is often considered the Chinese equivalent of Romeo and Juliet. It's the story of two star-crossed lovers who, after their tragic deaths, are reincarnated and reunited as butterflies. On Monday's Performance Today we'll hear a musical interpretation of this tale, The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, performed by Gil Shaham and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
Claude Debussy's La Mer is a colorful, inventive picture of the sea; a portrait painted with music. On this weekend's Performance Today we'll hear La Mer performed in concert in the seaside town of Stockholm, Sweden.
For fans of classical music it doesn't get much better. On Friday's Performance Today we'll hear the Berlin Philharmonic in concert at their home venue, the Philharmonie, playing Beethoven's Symphony No. 6.
On Thursday's Performance Today, we'll hear music that Sergei Prokofiev wrote for the satirical film "Lieutenant Kije," which depicts the noble life and tragic death of a soldier who was never born in the first place.
On Wednesday's Performance Today, we're celebrating the Bard's 450th birthday with Shakespeare-inspired works by Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and Chopin.
Claude Debussy's La Mer is a colorful, inventive picture of the sea; a portrait painted with music. On Tuesday's Performance Today we'll hear La Mer performed in concert in the seaside town of Stockholm, Sweden.
Rudolf Buchbinder grew up in a house with a piano, despite the fact that no one in his family played music. That piano became a source of inspiration for Buchbinder, who has grown up to have a tremendous career as a pianist. We'll hear him play Beethoven on Monday's Performance Today.
Sergey Khachatryan is a 28-year-old violinist who says he has two lives: his love for cars, and his love for music. On this weekend's Performance Today we'll focus on his musical life, and we'll hear him play Sibelius' dramatic violin concerto in concert in Sydney, Australia.
In many churches around the world tonight marks the second of three days of Tenebrae, the service of shadows. On Friday's Performance Today, we'll hear a piece inspired by these religious services.
