Performance Today®

The PT debut of an innovative recorder quartet from Germany: "Quartet New Generation." They proudly proclaim that the recorder is suitable for *any* kind of music, from Renaissance madrigals to Euro techno dance music. We'll hear "QNG" play a smoky tango on four of their biggest (and lowest) recorders, in concert at the 2009 Ojai Festival. We'll follow that with a tango for trumpet and orchestra, from soloist Tine Thing Helseth and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra in Oslo, as they play Astor Piazzolla's "Oblivion."

Aside from a roaring lion, what is a "lion's roar"? It's an unusual percussion instrument, and it roars in Patrick Dunnigan's bold arrangement of Renaissance dances. Fred Child explains what makes the lion roar, and we'll hear a full-throttle performance by the Dallas Wind Symphony, with drummers and brass players unleashed, and...the roaring lion.

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.

Yesterday, the young Chinese pianist Lang Lang played at the Nobel Peace Price Award Ceremony in Oslo, Norway. We have Lang Lang's performances of a Chopin Etude, and "Liebestraum" by Franz Liszt. And Lang Lang talks about the honor of being invited to perform at the ceremony, and why he chose these two pieces.

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."