Performance Today®

In the mid 1700s, the Gewandhous Orchestra of Leipzig had no concert hall, their regular venue was the Three Swans Tavern. It became apparent that the atmosphere of the tavern didn't always lend itself to the serious side of music-making, so in the 1780s, they moved to a big hall in a building where textiles were traded...the Garment House, or Gewandhaus. Two pieces by Max Bruch, played by the Gewandhaus Orchestra, on Wednesday's Performance Today.

Conductor, pianist and candid commentator Bill Eddins joins host Fred Child in the studio to take listeners on a tour of his favorite pieces of classical music. He talks about the unappreciated humor in Beethoven's symphonies, the sly keyboard prowess of Alicia de Larrocha, and Eddins reveals what he calls "the sexiest piece of classical music ever written." Find out the answer and get the conductor's take on classical music on Tuesday's Performance Today.

Christopher Costanza a member of the St. Lawrence String Quartet and he's a talented cello soloist, as well. On Monday's Performance Today, we'll hear his complete performance of the Solo Cello Suite No. 1, by Bach in concert at the 2013 Spoleto Festival USA, in Charleston, South Carolina.

If you enjoy classical music, there's no escaping Johann Sebastian Bach. This 18th Century German composer continues to influence how we organize pitches, put notes in order and create harmony. We'll hear Bach at work in the 21st Century from modern performances of his music to new compositions playing upon Bach's themes, on this weekend's Performance Today.

On Friday's Performance Today, the power of musical youth. Great young performers from across the country. We'll hear the National Youth Orchestra of the U.S. in concert this summer in London, and 15 year-old pianist George Li tearing up a Hungarian Rhapsody by Franz Liszt.

Pianist Stephen Hough says the melody in Rachmaninoff's Paganini Variations is so nimble, so adaptable, it could be a musician's most valuable tool in his repertoire. Or wardrobe. "It's like a white shirt," Hough says. "You can do anything with it. You can put jean, a suit, evening dress, a tie." Hough performs the white shirt in a white shirt on Thursday's Performance Today with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Conductor Christoph von Dohnanyi led the Cleveland Orchestra for 18 years. When his tenure came to an end in 2002, the orchestra liked him so much, they named Dohnanyi "Conductor Laureate." Something similar happened in London. Dohnanyi led the Philharmonia Orchestra for 10 years. Again, they didn't want to see the relationship come to an end so the Philharmonia gave Dohnanyi the title: "Honorary Conductor for Life." On Wednesday's Performance Today we'll hear from a conductor whom is not just respected, but loved by the orchestras he works with.

If you enjoy classical music, there's no escaping Johann Sebastian Bach. This 18th Century German composer continues to influence how we organize pitches, put notes in order and create harmony. We'll hear Bach at work in the 21st Century from modern performances of his music to new compositions playing upon Bach's themes, on Tuesday's Performance Today.

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was the son of the immortal Johann Sebastian Bach. But CPE was also a great composer and musician in his own right. He was the harpsichordist and composer for the Prussian King, Frederick the Great. We'll hear a cello concerto by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, on Monday's Performance Today.