Performance Today®

A Chinese folk tale became music in the hands of composers Chen Gang and He Zhanhao. And violinist Gil Shaham decided that he wanted to share this beautiful piece with the world. He's joined by Lan Shui and the Singapore Symphony for the "Butterfly Lovers" Violin Concerto.

Last night in Fort Worth, Texas, the Van Cliburn Piano Competition came to an end. The result? An unexpected tie for first place. Our own Fred Child was there, hosting the awards ceremony. On today's show, we'll hear from Fred in Texas, feature conversations with the winners, and catch one of the winning concerto performances, featuring co-winner Nobuyuki Tsujii of Japan.

Composer Osvaldo Golijov's search for beauty in life and in his music is on-going. He likens it to "the laughter of the universe." On today's show, we'll hear the beauty of the color blue in Golijov's new work, "Azul." Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is among the soloists in this performance with Jeffrey Kahane and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Plus, we'll hear from one of the finalists at the Van Cliburn Competition, Bulgarian Evgeni Bozhanov.

The Van Cliburn Piano Competition has been going on in Texas for the last two weeks. In the shadow of that big event, the Parkening International Guitar Competition was held last week in Malibu, California. On today's show, we'll hear the gold medal performance by Italian guitarist Emanuele Buono. Plus, we'll hear more from the final round of Van Cliburn, with the winner to be featured on Monday's show.

Violinist Hilary Hahn has been on the concert stage since she was 12 years old. Now a seasoned pro, she's still only 29. She continues to grow as a soloist, offering ever richer performances. On today's show, she appears with the Cleveland Orchestra in Dvorak's violin concerto. Plus, we'll feature another performance from one of the Van Cliburn Competition finalists, South Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son.

The six remaining Van Cliburn Competition contestants are giving their final performances this week. Today, we'll hear Italian pianist Mariangela Vacatello in her semi-final round performance, playing music by Schumann and Scriabin. Our guest blogger, Gregory Allen, says of Vacatello, "She has insight, sensitivity, imagination, good taste, and - rarely found in competitions - a sense of integrity and humility about her role as an artist."

Composer Osvaldo Golijov's search for beauty in life and in his music is on-going. He likens it to "the laughter of the universe." On today's show, we'll hear the beauty of the color blue in Golijov's new work, "Azul." Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is among the soloists in this performance with Jeffrey Kahane and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Plus, we'll hear from one of the finalists at the Van Cliburn Competition, Bulgarian Evgeni Bozhanov.

Felix Mendelssohn was 20 years old, and on holiday in Scotland. Visiting a ruined castle, he wrote, "Everything around is broken and mouldering, and the bright sky shines in. I believe that today I've found the beginning of my Scottish Symphony." From the shards of that ruined place, Mendelssohn created a work of great wholeness and beauty. Today, we'll go to a concert in Berlin to hear the German Symphony Orchestra perform it.

The field of competitors in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is down to 12. We'll hear outstanding performances by two of them, Di Wu of China (pictured), and Nobuyuki Tsujii of Japan. We'll be covering the results of the competition as they unfold. The semi-final round of the competition is underway, and the finals begin on June 3. PT host Fred Child will be emceeing the awards ceremony on June 7.