Performance Today®

Pianist Robert Levin believes in taking risks during performances. Not for his own glorification, but to deepen the level of communication between artist and audience. And for the simple fact that, in his view, to risk nothing is to achieve nothing. In today's show, Robert Levin takes risks, improvising his own cadenzas in a Mozart piano concerto, with the Nashville Symphony. Nicholas McGegan conducts.

Giacomo Puccini made it all seem so romantic in his opera, "La Boheme." But the Bohemian lifestyle that he celebrated was painfully real for some artists. Franz Schubert lived the Bohemian life in Vienna in the early 19th century, moving from garret to garret, sleeping on friends' couches, never having a place to call his own. Still, out of that poverty, Schubert wrote elegant, opulent music. We'll hear his String Quartet No. 15 in today's show, from a concert in Paris.

Ottorino Respighi wrote a trilogy of orchestral tone poems based on the sights and sounds of his beloved city of Rome. Writing about "The Pines of Rome," Respighi said, "The centuries-old trees which so dominate the Roman landscape became witnesses to the events of Roman life." In today's show, ancient history uncovered by the Cleveland Orchestra. Giancarlo Guerrero leads a concert performance of "The Pines of Rome."

Gustav Holst was a stargazer, fascinated with the nighttime wanderings of the planets. In today's show, we'll turn to Holst's greatest work, his suite called the Planets, to celebrate a rare planetary event, the Transit of Venus. Every century or so, Venus causes a tiny solar eclipse when it comes between the earth and the sun. The last one of the 21st century takes place today. Fittingly, there was another Transit of Venus in 1874, the year Gustav Holst was born.

Loving parents usually try to steer their children away from making the same mistakes they did. Thankfully, children don't always listen. Vanessa Perez's mother was a pianist who suffered from terrible stage fright, who thought that the life of a musician was just too hard. So when Vanessa asked for piano lessons, her mother said no. Eventually, she gave in, and Vanessa is now enjoying the life of a concert artist that had eluded her mother. We'll meet Vanessa Perez in today's show.

The legend of the firebird comes down to us from many different cultures. The details differ, but the essence of the story is the same. This magical bird is immortal, dying in fire and being reborn in the ashes of its former self. In 1910, the then-unknown Igor Stravinsky ensured his own immortality, writing music for the new ballet, "The Firebird." Today we'll hear a performance by the Cincinnati Symphony.

The British are beginning a year-long celebration starting this weekend. It's Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, a celebration of her 60 years on the throne. In today's show, we'll celebrate with our friends across the pond. We'll hear from Tony Holt, who was a boy soprano at the coronation ceremony in 1953. And we'll hear some of the same music that was played at the coronation ceremony.

We've got two powerhouse pianists in today's show. They each talk about the emotional challenges of performing. While he says he loves playing, Evgeny Kissin limits his concerts to 40 or 50 performances a year, because he finds it so draining. And Emanuel Ax is candid about his stage fright. Both are phenomenal performers, despite the challenges. In today's show, Kissin plays Chopin in Sydney, Australia, and Ax plays Beethoven in Los Angeles.

The legend of the firebird comes down to us from many different cultures. The details differ, but the essence of the story is the same. This magical bird is immortal, dying in fire and being reborn in the ashes of its former self. In 1910, the then-unknown Igor Stravinsky ensured his own immortality, writing music for the new ballet, "The Firebird." Today we'll hear a performance by the Cincinnati Symphony.