Performance Today®

In 2020, composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich premiered a new concerto for cello and full orchestra. Zwilich then reimagined that piece for a smaller ensemble of only six players—the limitations of the pandemic made that idea even more timely, appealing, and safe. On today's show, we'll hear the Cello Concerto for chamber ensemble by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, performed for a live (online) audience from the spacious Brungard Aviation Hangar in Boulder, Colorado.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.