 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
December 13, 2010
The Nutcracker, Part II
It was a memorable collision between technology and art. A new instrument had just been invented in France: the celeste, a keyboard instrument with a sound like a tinkly set of magic bells. Peter Tchaikovsky heard it on a trip to Paris, and knew instantly that he had the perfect tune for it. Nowadays, people automatically associate the sound of the celeste with the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from his ballet, "The Nutcracker." At the premiere, the audience was astounded at the new invention. We'll hear Act II from the Nutcracker today, including that big celeste solo. Simon Rattle leads the Berlin Philharmonic.
Today's Playlist
Performance Today audio is available for seven days following broadcast.
hour 1
-
Felix Mendelssohn
Second movement from Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 (Scottish)
The Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan, conductor
-
William Beckstrand
So Gracious is the Time
The Singers, Min Kim, harp, Matthew Culloton, director
Wayzata Community Church, Wayzata, Minnesota
-
Peter Tchaikovsky
Act II from the Nutcracker
The Berlin Philharmonic, Simon Rattle, conductor
Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
hour 2
-
Johann Sebastian Bach
Fourth movement from Violin Sonata No. 3 in C, BWV 1005
Hilary Hahn, violin
-
Moritz Moszkowski
Sparkles, from Eight Characteristic Pieces, Op. 36
Cameron Carpenter, organ
Saint Matthias Church, Berlin, Germany
-
Frederic Chopin
Etude No. 23 in A Minor, Op. 25, No. 11 (Winter Wind)
Mihaela Ursuleasa, piano
Chopin and his Europe International Music Festival, Warsaw, Poland
-
Camille Saint-Saens
Excerpts from Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12
The Bavarian Radio Chorus, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, soloists, Tonu Kaljuste, conductor
Herkulessaal, Munich, Germany
-
Johann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1, BWV 1046
The English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
Cite de la Musique, Paris, France
-
Jonas Knutsson and Nils Landgren
Bach-Polska
Jonas Knutsson, saxophone, Nils Landgren, trombone
Berwaldhallen, Stockholm, Sweden
