Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

Joachim times two

Joachim times two

The legendary 19th-century violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim makes his presence felt on today's show. His "Hungarian" Violin Concerto is performed by Christian Tetzlaff with conductor Rossen Milanov and the Philadelphia Orchestra in Philadelphia. And his cadenzas are used by Veronika Eberle as she plays Mozart's Fourth Violin Concerto with Lawrence Foster and the North German Radio Symphony in Hamburg.

A week of outstanding pianists

A week of outstanding pianists

This week, "Performance Today" casts a spotlight on some excellent pianists. We'll start in Dallas, where Stephen Hough plays Rachmaninoff's seldom played Fourth Concerto with Andrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony. And then we'll go to St. Paul, where Stephen Kovacevich performs Beethoven's First Concerto with Joseph Swensen and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Music from aspen

Music from aspen

We'll have plenty of music from Aspen this weekend, including Rachmaninoff preludes from pianist Lang Lang; a Mozart piano trio featuring violinist Julia Fischer, cellist Daniel Muller-Schott and pianist Jonathan Gilad; and South American works from guitarist Sharon Isbin.

Music from aspen

Music from aspen

We'll have plenty of music from Aspen this weekend, including Rachmaninoff preludes from pianist Lang Lang; a Mozart piano trio featuring violinist Julia Fischer, cellist Daniel Muller-Schott and pianist Jonathan Gilad; and South American works from guitarist Sharon Isbin.

Kavakos plays Tchaikovsky

Kavakos plays Tchaikovsky

If you're looking for a place where traditional concert etiquette is staunchly observed, then Amsterdam's Concertgebouw is generally a good example. So you have to imagine that a performance was particularly good to inspire a Concertgebouw audience to applaud lustily between movements of a concerto. Hear what inspired this outbreak of enthusiasm when Leonidas Kavakos plays Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with Jaap van Zweden and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic.

Beethoven in shanghai

Beethoven in shanghai

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra recently completed an eight-city tour of China. We'll go to their concert in Shanghai to hear Christoph Konig lead them in Beethoven's powerful Symphony No. 7.

Two sides of the jazz age

Two sides of the jazz age

We'll have music both new and old that echoes with the sound of the 1920's. Composer John Harbison will talk about his new "Great Gatsby" Suite before we listen to the recent world premiere performance from Colorado's Aspen Festival. And we'll go to Houston to hear Jon Kimura Parker play George Gershwin's Piano Concerto with Hans Graf and the Houston Symphony.

Music from aspen

Music from aspen

Later this week, we'll be broadcasting from Colorado's Aspen Music Festival, and presenting a live concert from there. But we'll have plenty of music from Aspen today, including Rachmaninoff preludes from pianist Lang Lang; a Mozart piano trio featuring violinist Julia Fischer, cellist Daniel Muller-Schott and pianist Jonathan Gilad; and South American works from guitarist Sharon Isbin.

An hour on stormy seas

An hour on stormy seas

We'll spend an hour with music that evokes raging storms and unsettled seas. Wagner's "Flying Dutchman" Overture sets sail from Aspen, Colorado. Le Concert d'Astree summons up a storm by Rameau at France's Palace of Versailles. And we'll have some Malcolm Arnold sea shanties for winds before docking in Risor, Norway, for a lovely Mahler Adagietto.