Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

Tempesta di Mare

Tempesta di Mare

Richard Stone is one of the directors of Philadelphia's great early music ensemble Tempesta di Mare. A few years ago, he went to Kroměříž, a small town in the Czech countryside, and found some music that may not have been seen or played for centuries. On today's show, we'll hear Tempesta di Mare perform one of those long-forgotten works and a sonata by Giovanni Valentini.

PT Weekend: The Knights before Christmas

PT Weekend: The Knights before Christmas

Solo hornist and arranger Michael Atkinson was recently browsing YouTube and stumbled across some music he'd never heard before—Romanian Christmas Carols, piano music by Bela Bartok. He loved it so much that he arranged it for the orchestra he is part of, The Knights. And we get to hear it on today's show!

Music in the Vineyards

Music in the Vineyards

The first winery opened in Napa, California, opened in 1859. The annual summertime music festival in Napa debuted in 1995. Today we'll take you to the Music in the Vineyards Festival to hear an all-star trio play music by Clara Schumann.

Jeremy Denk and Schumann's visions

Jeremy Denk and Schumann's visions

Pianist Jeremy Denk says Robert Schumann "…may not be so much a composer of pieces, as he is a composer of visions." In today's episode, join us to hear Jeremy Denk in concert, bringing to life the visions of Robert Schumann.

The Knights play Bartok's Romanian Christmas Carols

The Knights play Bartok's Romanian Christmas Carols

Solo hornist and arranger Michael Atkinson was recently browsing YouTube and stumbled across some music he'd never heard before—Romanian Christmas Carols, piano music by Bela Bartok. He loved it so much that he arranged it for the orchestra he is part of, The Knights. And we get to hear it on today's show!

Ingrid Fliter

Ingrid Fliter

When pianist Ingrid Fliter plays a specific concerto, she imagines the characters of an opera coming together for a celebratory feast over the course of the piece.  On today's show, hear Ingrid Fliter play Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major with Thomas Sondergard conducting the Minnesota Orchestra.

Florent Schmitt: Légende

Florent Schmitt: Légende

Today we’ll hear a piece of music by a composer that just doesn't get played often enough. It's a piece that French composer Florent Schmitt wrote in 1918. Conductor JoAnn Falletta leads the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Légende by Florent Schmitt. We’ll also hear a fascinating new concerto for saxophone quartet and wind ensemble by Roger Briggs.

PT Weekend: Wang Jie

PT Weekend: Wang Jie

As an avid rock climber, Composer Wang wrote a new piece inspired by a 12th-century poem about a mountain...and an adventurous climb in Colorado. Join us today to hear the story and the music: Flying on the Scaly Backs of Our Mountains by Wang Jie.

La Jota Aragonesa

La Jota Aragonesa

The jota is a rhythmic Spanish dance that often features the clacking sound of castanets. Today we’ll hear a jota by José White Lafitte (1836-1919), with violinist Samuel Nebyu playing the tune and percussion at the same time.