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February 19, 2009

The Olympics of the Piano

The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition comes around once every four years, just like the Olympics. Contestants prepare every bit as much as their athlete counterparts. And the stakes are just as high. The competition takes place this spring, but today we'll be hearing from one of the qualifying rounds. Pianist Spencer Myer performs selections from Debussy's Preludes in New York City.

Today's Playlist



hour 1

  • Peter Tchaikovsky
    "Barcarolle (June)," from "The Seasons," Op. 37b
    Pianist Van Cliburn
  • John Lennon and Paul McCartney
    "Oh! Darling"
    Quartet San Francisco
    Green Music Festival, Rohnert Park, California
  • Manuel de Falla
    "Nights in the Gardens of Spain"
    Pianist Nicholas Angelich with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin
    Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  • Claude Debussy
    Preludes, Book II
    Pianist Spencer Myer
    Caspary Auditorium, New York City

hour 2

  • Jim Cockey
    "Ithaca," from "To the Wandering Hero of Distant Lands"
    The Langroise Trio
  • Geirr Tveitt
    "Wedding Bells"
    Pianist Harvard Gimse
    Concert Hall, Stavanger, Norway
  • Edvard Grieg
    "Anitra's Dance," from "Peer Gynt"
    The Georgia Guitar Quartet
    Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Athens, Georgia
  • Michael Praetorius
    Four Dances from the Late Renaissance
    The Georgia Guitar Quartet
    Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Athens, Georgia
  • Dorothy Lawson
    "Chai"
    ETHEL
    Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, Minnesota
  • Mary Ellen Childs
    "After Dust"
    ETHEL
    Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, Minnesota
  • Rodney Yazzie
    "Possessed By Obscurity"
    ETHEL
    Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, Minnesota
  • Zoltan Kodaly
    "Dances of Galanta"
    The West German Radio Symphony Orchestra with conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste
    Philharmonie, Cologne, Germany
Program Archive



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