Performance Today®

Today on PT, special music in honor of a few of our 44 Commanders-in-Chief. The inimitable James Earl Jones reads words by Abraham Lincoln, in Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait." We'll tip our caps to Harry S. Truman, perhaps our most musical president. And hear how Ronald Reagan facilitated pianist Vladimir Feltsman's defection from the former Soviet Union. Plus works inspired by U.S. presidents, from George Washington to Bill Clinton.

The Israel Philharmonic has been around since 1936, making it older than the modern-day nation of Israel. In honor of its 75th anniversary, the Philharmonic is embarking on a major American tour, starting this weekend. On today's show, a performance from their home in Tel Aviv, recorded this past week. Music Director Zubin Mehta conducts.

The Israel Philharmonic has been around since 1936, making it older than the modern-day nation of Israel. In honor of its 75th anniversary, the Philharmonic is embarking on a major American tour, starting this weekend. On today's show, a performance from their home in Tel Aviv, recorded just three days ago. Music Director Zubin Mehta conducts.

Johannes Brahms' fourth symphony could be viewed as a reflection of his own personality, starting with a slightly gruff and glowering exterior. Brahms himself called the work dark, forbidding, and melancholy. But the symphony also has moments of lightness and joy. Just like the Brahms who could write charming waltzes and lively Hungarian dances. In today's show, this complex piece by an equally complex man, from a concert by the New York Philharmonic.

Peter Tchaikovsky's violin concerto had a rocky start. The first two violinists who tried to master it gave up. The third gave the work its premiere, but was panned by critics. One said the soloist had not so much played the violin as "torn it apart, pounded it black and blue." Nowadays, the Tchaikovsky concerto is an audience favorite, a staple in every violinist's repertoire. We'll hear one of the best, Christian Tetzlaff, in concert with the Montreal Symphony.

Carl Maria von Weber was one of the greatest champions of the clarinet. He seemed to have an innate feel for what would sound good on the instrument that's sometimes called the licorice stick. Soaring melodies, intricate runs, hefty technical passages. Clarinetist Jorg Widmann turns confectioner in a performance of Weber's First Clarinet Concerto, from a concert in Stuttgart, Germany.

Today on PT, stories of love and romance, in honor of Valentine's Day. Stories of young love: the mythical Orpheus and Eurydice, newly-married and deeply in love. And we'll meet a pair of real-life young newlyweds, pianists Anna Polonsky and Orion Weiss. We'll hear from cellist Sharon Robinson and violinist Jaime Laredo, musical collaborators and spouses for nearly four decades. Plus, touching stories of love at the opera.

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.

For four decades, the English conductor Roger Norrington has pioneered the early music movement. Less vibrato, more contrast, more clarity, more visceral energy, all with a touch of showmanship. Roger Norrington leads the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Carnegie Hall, in the final two movements of Beethoven's 9th. Plus, we'll meet the $300,000 man: pianist Kirill Gerstein, winner of the lucrative Gilmore Artist Award.