Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

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Reimagining an American classic

Reimagining an American classic

One hundred years ago today, George Gershwin took the stage with Paul Whiteman and his Concert Orchestra at New York's Aeolian Concert Hall for the premiere of Rhapsody in Blue. Pianist Lara Downes sees the piece as an evolving landscape of American culture—past, present, and future—so she asked Puerto Rican composer Edmar Colon to join her in a 'reimagining' of Gershwin's classic. On today's show, we'll hear Lara Downes and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra play Colon's reimagined arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue by Georg Gershwin.

The Piano Puzzler

The Piano Puzzler

Every week, composer Bruce Adolphe joins us for a musical game: the Piano Puzzler. Bruce re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a great composer, and we get one of our listeners on the phone who tries to guess the hidden tune and the composer whose style Bruce is imitating. Play along with the PT Piano Puzzler!

PT Originals: Clayton Stephenson at Tippet Rise

Pianist Clayton Stephenson gives an exclusive performance of Art Tatum’s arrangement of Tea for Two in the Olivier Music Barn at Tippet Rise Art Center in Fishtail, Montana.

Hilary Hahn

Hilary Hahn

Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn loves Eugene Ysaye's collection of solo violin sonatas. They're wonderfully witty and inventive, but they're not well known outside of violin circles. Recently, Hahn recorded the complete set — it's an absolute treat for violin lovers. On today's show, Hahn joins Fred Child in our New York studio to discuss her recording of Ysaye's Solo Violin Sonata No. 2 (Obsession).

Extra: A conversation with Hilary Hahn

Extra: A conversation with Hilary Hahn

Violinist Hilary Hahn recently joined Fred Child in our New York studio to discuss her latest album, Eugene Ysaye: Six Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27. In this extended interview, Hahn unpacks her theory about light and redemption in the Dies Irae theme found throughout Ysaye’s Sonata No. 2, “Obsession.”

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In Response to the Madness

In Response to the Madness

Composer Joel Thompson made one rule when he began work on a piece in 2019. He would go through the major news stories each day before working on his composition. Hear the results on this episode of PT: "In Response to the Madness" by Joel Thompson.

PT Originals: The Merz Trio at Tippet Rise

An excerpt of the award-winning Merz Trio giving an exclusive performance of a Brahms piano trio in the Olivier Music Barn at Tippet Rise Art Center in Fishtail, Montana.

A gift for all of us

A gift for all of us

In 2020, Rodney Maddock commissioned composer and pianist John Novacek to write a trio in celebration of his wife Marleny Gonzalez's 70th birthday. Novacek came up with a piece with a nod to one of her musical favorites, the 20th-century Colombian clarinetist Lucho Bermudez. It's a birthday gift meant to be shared with the world. Join us today to hear a gift for all of us: Trio Marlenita by John Novacek.

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