Performance Today®

Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra was recently ranked as the top orchestra in the world. And their home, the Concertgebouw, is widely regarded as the best concert hall in the world. Add to that mix conductor Mariss Jansons, whom some have called the best conductor in the world, and you've got an unbeatable combination. Today we'll hear the Royal Concertgebouw with Mariss Jansons at the Concertgebouw, playing Schubert's Symphony No. 3.

We'll have a Mozart symphony in each hour of today's show. In the first, we'll go to Amsterdam to hear Nikolaus Harnoncourt lead the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a stirring rendition of the "Haffner" Symphony. And, in our second hour, Hans Graf conducts the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in a performance of Mozart's 25th Symphony in St. Paul.

The only way to get five of a kind in poker is to cheat. Today, we'll feature five different works by the Waltz King, Johann Strauss, Jr. Plus a suite from "Der Rosenkavalier," by Richard Strauss. No cheating, we swear. We've laid all our cards on the table, and they add up to one great New Year's Day show.

Does wine taste better when you're listening to classical music? A study by a Scottish scientist argued that it does. We decided to put this theory to the test in a special broadcast, a Performance Today music listening and wine tasting party. Jason Kallsen, founder and owner of Twin Cities Wine Education, provided some wine recommendations to accompany our playlist.

Today, we'll take a look at some of the big events in classical music in 2008. We'll also feature some of the performers who had a particularly good year in 2008, including conductor Gustavo Dudamel, pianist Lang Lang, violinists Gil Shaham and Leila Josefowicz, and the Beaux Arts Trio.

Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra was recently ranked as the top orchestra in the world. And their home, the Concertgebouw, is widely regarded as the best concert hall in the world. Add to that mix conductor Mariss Jansons, whom some have called the best conductor in the world, and you've got an unbeatable combination. Today we'll hear the Royal Concertgebouw with Mariss Jansons at the Concertgebouw, playing Schubert's Symphony No. 3.

Michael Praetorius: "Dances from Terpsichore," from "Christmas Vespers" Apollo's Fire with conductor Jeannette Sorrell

There are lots of great encoded mysteries in the world. Some of them, like Egyptian hieroglyphics, have been solved. Unfortunately, there's no Rosetta Stone to help decipher Edward Elgar's "Enigma Variations," but there are some interesting theories about them. Tune in today for a performance of the "Enigma Variations" by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

Like a box of fine chocolates, today's show features a rich assortment of the sweet and the tart, the smooth and the chewy. Sink your teeth into today's show, and you'll hear holiday music from all over the world. We'll feature music from different cultures - some serious, some fun, all delightful. Merry Christmas from all of us at Performance Today!