Performance Today

Mon. 3/26 9a: Composer Aaron Copland was a city slicker from Brooklyn, New York. And yet he instinctively knew how to capture the sound of the great open spaces of the American West. Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony play highlights from Copland's cowboy ballet, Billy the Kid, in a special gala concert in honor of the orchestra's 100th anniversary.

Wed. 01/18 9a: A systematic assault on a mind is a hard thing to track. But photographs of Dmitri Shostakovich over the years do seem to tell a story. Into his late 20s, he kept a kind of impish Harry Potter youthfulness about him, including the owl glasses. But gradually, as the official scolding from Moscow turned into harassment and then to abuse and threats, Shostakovich changed. 

Mon. 12/19 9a: Handel's Messiah has been a hit ever since it premiered in Dublin in 1742. So much so that, in early performances, ladies were asked not to wear hoop skirts and men were advised to leave their swords at home, in order to accommodate more concert goers in the hall. There wasn't a sword or a hoop in sight at a recent Messiah performance in Boston. We'll bring you highlights in today's show.

Tues. 12/13 9a: Joaquin Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez is perhaps the most popular guitar concerto of all time. Even if you don't think you know it, there's a good chance you've at least heard the gorgeous, tender slow movement. 

12/12 9a: In today's show, a performance of a Haydn symphony that had a Viennese audience laughing out loud.