Performance Today®

Paul Galbraith is quietly revolutionizing the classical guitar world. He plays with his guitar held upright, like a cello. His specially-designed instrument even has an endpin in it, just like the cello. It's got eight strings, as opposed to the normal six. But more importantly, his sound is warm and expansive, and he plays with depth and artistry. Part one of Fred Child's conversation with Paul Galbraith is today. Tune in Friday for part two.

Can an Austrian orchestra swing? We explore that question, as the Bruckner Orchestra of Linz, Austria, gives a performance of the Symphonic Dances from Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story." Bernstein's music is jazzy, raucous, not the least bit tidy or controlled. We'll see if the Austrians can get into the American spirit of the music, in this performance from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Plus, a new Piano Puzzler with Bruce Adolphe.

French pianist Francois Guy loves to play Beethoven. Just a few weeks ago in Washington, he accomplished a pianist's equivalent of an Iron Man. He played all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas, 9 concerts in 9 days. Today, he'll make his PT debut, playing Beethoven's fourth piano concerto, from a recent concert in Paris.

Prometheus took fire from the gods and gave it to mortals. We got warmth and light, knowledge and culture. But Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock for all eternity, where a giant eagle pecked out his liver each day. Hour one is a look at music inspired by the Prometheus legend, including music by Barber, Schubert, Beethoven, and Glazunov.

Outside, there is a great view of the Manhattan skyline. Inside, there is a cozy concert space with 130 seats. So what if the concert hall rocks when a ship goes by? Bargemusic is a concert space inside a barge moored below the Brooklyn Bridge, in New York City. From the cozy confines of Bargemusic, we'll hear a small-scale but spirited version of the Concerto for Two Violins, by Bach. And as a follow-up, a high-octane 2-minute version of the same piece, infused with bluegrass and jazz, from the trio "Time for Three."

Every Friday, PT features 21st century music. Today, the Turtle Island Quartet joins Fred in the studio to play a new piece called "Tree of Life," by Turtle Island violinist David Balakrishnan. Members of the quartet demonstrate their unusual string techniques (the chop, the shuffle bow, the bow slap, walking bass on the cello, etc.), and play Balakrishnan's exuberant new piece, which draws on a wide range of styles: classical, bluegrass, swing, Indian classical, and more.

Peter Tchaikovsky loved to visit Florence, Italy, especially in the winter. After one trip to the warm, sunny Tuscan city, he returned home with the idea for a new work. "Souvenir of Florence" was born of that winter getaway. Douglas Boyd leads the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in concert, on a chilly January evening in St. Paul.

Outside, there is a great view of the Manhattan skyline. Inside, there is a cozy concert space with 130 seats. So what if the concert hall rocks when a ship goes by? Bargemusic is a concert space inside a barge moored below the Brooklyn Bridge, in New York City. From the cozy confines of Bargemusic, we'll hear a small-scale but spirited version of the Concerto for Two Violins, by Bach. And as a follow-up, a high-octane 2-minute version of the same piece, infused with bluegrass and jazz, from the trio "Time for Three."

Sergei Rachmaninoff once said he had neither the ability nor the desire to write a symphony. Not long after saying that, he wrote an epic: his Symphony No. 2, full of grand romance. We'll go to a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden to hear Mark Wigglesworth conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Plus: the most famous tango ever written: "La Cumparsita." Even if you don't know it by name, you'll recognize the tune, and you might have a hard time NOT singing along. The Cuarteto Latinoamericano played La Cumparsita in concert at the Strings Music Festival, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.