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September 6, 2007

Celebrating the life of Luciano Pavarotti

The legendary tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, died today from pancreatic cancer at the age of 71. We offer a look at the life of this operatic superstar, celebrating his amazing voice and charismatic personality through classic recordings, as well as reminiscences from soprano Joan Sutherland and Pavarotti himself.

Today's Playlist


  • Pianists Philippe Corre and Edouard Exerjean
    First movement from Sonata Concertante, Op. 64
    Adolphe Blanc
  • Octuor de France
    Third and fourth movements from Septet, Op. 40
    Adolphe Blanc
  • Octuor de France
    "Ondine" from "Gaspard de la Nuit"
    Maurice Ravel
  • The UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra with conductor Zubin Mehta
    Fourth and fifth movements from "Symphonie Fantastique," Op. 14
    Hector Berlioz
  • Tenor Luciano Pavarotti with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Leone Magiera
    "Brindisi" from "La Traviata"
    Giuseppe Verdi
  • Tenor Luciano Pavarotti and soprano Dame Joan Sutherland
    "Parigi, o cara" from "La Traviata"
    Giuseppe Verdi
  • Tenor Luciano Pavarotti with conductor James Levine and members of the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
    "Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot"
    Giacomo Puccini

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The Piano Puzzler®

Test your ears as Bruce Adolphe takes a popular tune and transforms it into something that sounds like it was composed by one of the greats. Guess the great and the song. Then listen to a piece by the composer in question. The Piano Puzzler® with Bruce Adolphe is available for download and as a podcast.



Today in Music History

For more music history, visit Composers Datebook.



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Broadcast of work by living American composers on Performance Today is supported, in part, by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music. Performance Today® was created by National Public Radio.
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Parker Quartet-Performance Today Artists in Residence
Special Features

Music that Matters

Philip Glass
Get to Know Philip Glass
Hear extended portions of Fred Child's conversation with Philip Glass and violinist Maria Bachmann, from a recent concert with the composer, Trio Solisti, and the Glass Chamber Players at Caspary Auditorium on the campus of Manhattan's Rockefeller University.
Violin Sonata's beginning and evolution
From Symphony to Sextet
Glass Sextet and the Art of Hearing
Schubert and Glass share a birthday
On the edge of listening
Glass on his own voice and others'
The generation that started music over
My music is theatre music


Susan Graham Download
Free Download of Susan Graham recital!
Mezzo Soprano Susan Graham is one of the world's foremost opera and recital stars, a compelling and versatile singing actress. Enjoy the incredible Susan Graham in recital with Malcolm Martineau, Piano. Works by Chaubriet, Bizet, Franck, Fauré, and more!
Download the concert for free.


Give to Haiti
Give to Haiti
In Monday's "King Celebration" show, we heard music by Haitian composer Ludovic Lamothe, and we heard Martin Luther King III talk about what we can do in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti: "If my father (Martin Luther King Jr.) were here, he would be leading an effort to encourage people to give a little to make a great difference." If you'd like to give in support of those in Haiti, this website offers several choices, and suggestions for effective giving.


Parker Quartet-Performance Today Artists in Residence
Meet the Parker Quartet
Performance Today's artists-in-residence for 2010. Learn about this exciting young quartet on the air, via audio downloads, videos, and much else. And the winner of our Master Class Contest gets a free private lesson with the Parkers! Learn more.

The Parker Quartet joins Fred Child in the studio to play Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 2.


Karim Al-Zand
Visions from Another World
Canadian-American composer Karim Al-Zand has written a fantastical piece based on a set of drawings by 19th century French caricaturist and cartoonist J.J. Grandville. It's called "Visions from Another World," and each movement is based on a different Grandville drawing. Our January 7th show features the world premiere of the piece. See Grandville's original drawings.


Gil Shaham
Gil Shaham
One of violinist Gil Shaham's recent CDs is a recording of the Butterfly Lovers Concerto. Fred Child and Shaham talked about the music, its cultural history and the legend behind it. Visit Canary Classics for more info.
Listen


In-studio with Anonymous 4
In-studio with Anonymous 4
The women of Anonymous 4 joined PT at the Church of St. Bernard in St. Paul for terrific performances of early English and American carols all written about the Christmas story of the Cherry Tree.
The Cherry Tree


Handel's Messiah
Handel's Messiah
View the original draft of Handel's score for The Messiah, as well as other famous original scores, at the the British Library Board website.


In-studio with Lang Lang, David Chan and Hai-Ye Ni In-studio with Lang Lang, David Chan and Hai-Ye Ni
Pianist Lang Lang is a superstar soloist among classical musicians, but that hectic schedule often keeps him from performing chamber music. Until now. Listen to Lang Lang's in-studio chamber performance two other musical powerhouses: concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra David Chan and principal cellist with the Philadelphia Orchestra Hai-Ye Ni.
Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio

Thomas Hampson's 'Song of America'
Free Download of Thomas Hampson's 'Song of America' recital!
Thomas Hampson chose America's heartland - specifically Minnesota's bluff country - to kick off his Song of America tour. He gave a spectacular recital from three centuries of song at the Minnesota Beethoven Festival in Winona.
Download the concert for free.