Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

Ravel's student and friend

Ravel's student and friend

At the age of 35, English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams went to Paris to study with Maurice Ravel (who was younger than Vaughan Williams). They worked together intensely for several months, after which Ravel gave him a great compliment. He said Vaughan Williams was his only student who didn't try to write exactly like Ravel himself. On today's show, we'll take you to the most recent Spoleto Festival USA to hear the Piano Quintet by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

PT Weekend: Arnold Schoenberg

PT Weekend: Arnold Schoenberg

Like any good story, music can express many emotions: moments of tenderness, passion, fear, and frustration. All those emotions shared without a single word...that's the power of music. Today we'll hear Transfigured Night by Arnold Schoenberg from a concert presented by the Kingston Chamber Music Festival in Philadelphia.

Christian Zacharias

Christian Zacharias

Christian Zacharias began his stellar career as a solo pianist. He then became a conductor, leading orchestras around the world. But Zacharias also wants to do the occasional tour as a solo pianist again. On today's show, we'll hear how Christian Zacharias balances his life as a conductor and soloist, and we'll hear him play Haydn's Piano Sonata No. 62 at a concert at Spivey Hall in Morrow, Georgia.

Anthony McGill

Anthony McGill

Clarinetist Anthony McGill joins Fred Child as co-host for a special hour of PT!

Arnold Schoenberg: Transfigured Night

Arnold Schoenberg: Transfigured Night

Like any good story, music can express many emotions: moments of tenderness, passion, fear, and frustration. All those emotions shared without a single word...that's the power of music. Today we'll hear Transfigured Night by Arnold Schoenberg from a concert presented by the Kingston Chamber Music Festival in Philadelphia.

Strings for Peace

Strings for Peace

Sharon Isbin is a master of Western classical music. Amjad Ali Khan is a master of Indian classical music. Together, they're building Musical and cultural bridges. Join us at a concert in Aspen for a highlight from Sharon Isbin's and Amjad Ali Khan's Strings for Peace project.

It's time for that bass trombone to shine

It's time for that bass trombone to shine

The rich, deep tone of the bass trombone makes it part of the backbone of a brass section, but it rarely gets a moment in the spotlight. Now, it's time to shine. On today's show, hear a new concerto by Kenneth Fuchs, featuring George Curran on bass trombone.

PT Weekend: Hmmm, thinking...

PT Weekend: Hmmm, thinking...

Every week, composer Bruce Adolphe joins us for a musical game: the Piano Puzzler. Bruce re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a great composer, and we get one of our listeners on the phone who tries to guess the hidden tune and the composer whose style Bruce is imitating. Play along with the Piano Puzzler on today’s show.

Copper Street Brass

Copper Street Brass

Tim Bradley recently arranged a piece by Clara Schumann for his group, the Copper Street Brass. Join us today to hear the Copper Street Brass play Bradley's arrangement of Soirees Musicales from a concert in St Paul, Minnesota.

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