Performance Today®

In 1839, Clara Schuman agonized over whether she should continue writing music. She wrote in her diary, "I once thought that I possessed creative talent, but I have given up this idea; a woman must not desire to compose." Thankfully, attitudes have changed since then. In today's show, we'll hear Three Romances by the creative and talented Clara Schumann. Plus, one of the busiest conductors around, JoAnn Falletta leading the Buffalo Philharmonic in Mozart's Prague Symphony. And a Renaissance charmer by Piffaro called "Goddesses."

Two weeks ago, 250 musicians were assembled on stage at Carnegie Hall in New York. Not to mention an off-stage military band, horns on the 3rd balcony, and bells in the light boxes. The glorious sounds of Gustav Mahler's Resurrection Symphony filled up every nook and cranny in the hall. We'll have highlights in today's show, from that Carnegie Hall concert by Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic.

Three weeks ago, Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes gave a solo recital at Carnegie Hall in New York. PT's Fred Child was there, hosting the live APM special. In case you missed it, we'll be rebroadcasting highlights from Andsnes' spectacular performance on today's show, works by Haydn, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff.

We first met soprano Susanna Phillips in the summer of 2010, when she was a young artist at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. Her career has skyrocketed since then. She's been singing roles in major opera houses around the world. Today, Susanna joins host Fred Child for music and conversation in the PT studios. She'll sing three French songs from her new CD.

Three weeks ago, Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes gave a solo recital at Carnegie Hall in New York. PT's Fred Child was there, hosting the live APM special. In case you missed it, we'll be rebroadcasting highlights from Andsnes' spectacular performance on today's show, works by Haydn, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff.

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." We'll hear a performance of the complete ballet from Germany, Alan Gilbert leading the Berlin Philharmonic.

Times are tough, but that's not why Christian Zacharias can often be found wearing two hats, as pianist and conductor. It's not about tightening his belt. It's about loosening the lines of communication between soloist and orchestra. In today's show, Zacharias plays and conducts what he describes as "big-scale chamber music," Chopin's Second Piano Concerto, with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Camille Saint-Saens hated the cold, damp, raw Paris winters. So every year, he packed his valise and headed off to another exotic locale. His Piano Concerto No. 5 came out of a winter trip to Egypt. German Max Bruch was more of a homebody. Rather than going all the way to Scotland, he lifted a handful of Scottish tunes from a library book in Munich, and wove them into his Scottish Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra. In today's show, two examples of the art of travel, in performances by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and violinist Julia Fischer.

Edvard Grieg wrote one of the best opening lines in all of classical music in his Piano Concerto in A Minor. And like the best pickup lines, we fall for it every time. It has us intrigued, wanting to know more. We'll hear those dramatic, crashing chords that draw us in, and the rest of the musical conversation, from a concert in Montreal.