Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

An hour on the water

An hour on the water

Our second hour features music inspired by the water, starting with Smetana's "The Moldau," performed by the Russian National Orchestra in Florida. We'll also have flowing works from Ravel, Michael Daugherty and Dana Wilson. And Rebel plays a Handel "Water Music" Suite in Virginia.

Erich wolfgang korngold's violin concerto

Erich wolfgang korngold's violin concerto

Korngold was heir to the tradition of the great Viennese composers, but he fled the Nazis and landed in Hollywood. His film scores not only won Oscars, but remain influential today (John Williams is a disciple). However, his lone violin concerto may be his masterpiece, a sprawling work of cinematic sweep. We'll go to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam to hear Danish violinist Nikolaj Znaider play it with conductor Valery Gergiev and the Rotterdam Philharmonic.

Elgar's "in the south" overture

Elgar's "in the south" overture

One of Sir Edward Elgar's best friends was a bulldog named Dan. And he shows up in all sorts of guises in the composer's work. You can listen for the hidden pooch as JoAnn Falletta conducts the Buffalo Philharmonic in the "In the South" Overture at Buffalo's Kleinhans Hall.

rome via prague

rome via prague

We'll go to the Czech city of Prague to hear an evocative performance of Ottorino Respighi's "The Pines of Rome" by conductor Marcello Rota and the Czech National Symphony. And we'll stay in Prague, where two Italians - violinist Riccardo Minasi and harpsichordist Giulia Nuti - play a violin sonata by J.S. Bach.

Mozart's 19th piano concerto

Mozart's 19th piano concerto

Mitsuko Uchida will talk about Mozart's 19th Piano Concerto before serving as both soloist and conductor for a performance with the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall.

Farewell, beaux arts trio

Farewell, beaux arts trio

The legendary piano trio, the Beaux Arts Trio, is on its final U.S. tour. Violinist Daniel Hope is keeping an audio diary, from which we'll hear a few entries. And we'll listen to the group play a Schubert piano trio at their last concert in Boston.

A pair of powerful piano concertos

A pair of powerful piano concertos

We'll go to Oslo, Norway, to hear Gerhard Oppitz perform music from Brahms' Second Piano Concerto with conductor Marek Janowski and the Oslo Philharmonic. Then Mitsuko Uchida will talk about Mozart's 19th Piano Concerto before serving as both soloist and conductor for a performance with the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall.

Beethoven's eighth symphony

Beethoven's eighth symphony

One of the world's great orchestras offers a fascinating interpretation of Beethoven's penultimate symphony. Mariss Jansons leads the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in concert at their home hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Richard strauss'"Le bourgeois gentilhomme" suite

Richard strauss'"Le bourgeois gentilhomme" suite

When Moliere's comedy, "The Bourgeois Gentleman," premiered in 1670, Jean-Baptiste Lully not only wrote the music... he acted in it, too. Almost two-and-a-half centuries later, Lully pulled another cameo when some of his themes for that production showed up in a suite by Richard Strauss inspired by the same play. We'll head to Hanover, Germany, to hear Eiji Oue conduct the North German Radio Philharmonic.