WGBH Classical Performance Podcast

Minsoo Sohn plays Liszt transcriptions - WGBH Classical Performance

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:31:29 -0500

Franz Liszt was a great admirer of Bach and Beethoven. His transcriptions of music by these great masters and others, show his devotion, but also his amazing originality. Bach's A minor Prelude and Fugue was originally a pipe organ piece, and Beethoven's "Adelaide" is a charming song, but they each become something entirely new in the hands of Liszt. We hear them played by the brilliant young pianist Minsoo Sohn.
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Bach, J.S., arr. Liszt: Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV.543 S462; Beethoven, arr. Liszt: Adelaide, Op.46 S466a.
Minsoo Sohn, piano.
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More info on Minsoo at: http://www.honens.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=139

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on August 12th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

The Calder Quartet plays Mozart - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:47:52 -0500

When Mozart's publisher distributed the "Dissonant" Quartet to music dealers, some of them sent the scores back, thinking the rich, expressive close harmonies were mistakes! But as his friend Josef Haydn said, "If Mozart wrote it, he must have meant it." We hear it played in a live performance from the Fraser Performance Studio, by the Calder Quartet.
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Mozart: String Quartet in C major, K.465, "Dissonance"
The Calder String Quartet.
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Benjamin Jacobson, Andrew Bulbrook, violins; Jonathan Moerschel, viola; Eric Byers, cello.

More info on the quartet at: http://calderquartet.com/

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on November 14th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

The Calder Quartet talks about Mozart - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:20:58 -0500

The Calder String Quartet played the marvelous and mysterious-sounding "Dissonance" Quartet in their live performance here at the Fraser Performance Studio. In conversation with program host Cathy Fuller, they mentioned that they had some great consultations with composer Terry Riley about a piece of his they played. Then they mused about what they would ask Mozart, if they could talk to him in the same way.
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Calder String Quartet, in conversation with WGBH's Cathy Fuller
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More info on the quartet at: http://calderquartet.com/

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on November 14th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Trio Saltarello (plus one!) plays Bach - WGBH Classical Performance

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:10:56 -0500

Bach wrote this "Trio Sonata" originally for the pipe organ, to help his son Wilhelm Friedemann perfect his organ technique. But since it is conveniently laid out in three voices (two melody instruments and supporting bass), it's perfect for adaptation to almost any chamber music ensemble, including this one, featuring two recorders with harpsichord and viola da gamba.
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Bach, J.S.: Trio Sonata in F major, BWV. 529
Trio Saltarello (Sarah Cantor, recorder; Angus Lansing, viola da gamba; Henry Lebedinsky, harpsichord) with Aldo Abreu, recorder.
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Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Studio One on February 4th, 2003.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Janina Fialkowska plays Chopin - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:22:07 -0400

When Chopin was a teenager, he witnessed peasants dancing the Mazurka, the triple-time dance popular in the countryside of his native Poland. It must have made quite an impression, because he wrote over 50 Mazurkas for the piano, using it as a way to express a longing for his homeland. We hear three of them played by Janina Fialkowska.
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Chopin: Mazurkas, Op. 41 No. 1, Op. 32 No. 2, Op. 59 No. 1; Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20.
Janina Fialkowska, piano
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More info about Janina Fialkowska at http://www.fialkowska.com/.

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on October 6th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Roger Tapping and Judith Gordon play Brahms - WGBH Classical Performance

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:25:21 -0400

Brahms was in a melancholy mood at the end of his life. By the 1890's he had given up writing music altogether. But then he met the great clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, and when he heard his playing, Brahms changed his mind. The result was some of his most inspired chamber music, including this Sonata in E-flat, which Brahms himself transcribed for viola.
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Brahms: Sonata in E-flat, Op. 120, No. 2
Roger Tapping, viola; Judith Gordon, piano.
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More info:
http://www.newenglandconservatory.edu/faculty/tappingR.html
http://www.smith.edu/music/faculty_gordon.php

Recorded at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on October 15th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Winsor Music plays Beethoven - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:12:00 -0400

Long before he wrote his great Symphonies, Beethoven was a star pianist, and a frequent guest in the homes of the Viennese nobility. They would welcome him to play, and to bring along a new piece of music. Here's one of those offerings, played by members of Boston's Winsor Music.
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Beethoven: Trio in C major, Op. 87 for two Oboes and English Horn
Peggy Pearson, oboe; Laura Ahlbeck, oboe; Barbara LaFitte, English horn.
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More info about Winsor Music at http://www.winsormusic.org/.

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Studio One on April 16th, 2002.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

George Li plays Beethoven - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:10:14 -0400

13-year-old George Li may be small of stature, but he unleashes the full power of the piano, playing with amazing grace and skill. George made a big impression on Boston Philharmonic conductor Ben Zander, who says he has the "usual misgivings" about child prodigies. But George has something special, as you'll hear in this performance of the Moonlight Sonata.
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Beethoven: Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2, "Moonlight".
George Li, piano
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More information on George is at
http://www.bostonphil.org/cgi/BPO.cgi?action=concerts&season=2008-2009&c...
See George's amazing performance on "From the Top" here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/fromthetop/performer-bios/season-1/104/george-li...

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on October 9th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Triple Helix plays Haydn - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:10:56 -0400

This is one of three Piano Trios dedicated to a lady friend of Haydn. Her name was Rebecca Schroeter, and he often went to her house for dinner during his second stay in London, in 1794 and 1795. The music is irresistible, so she must have been pleased!
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Haydn: Trio No. 40 in F-sharp minor, Hob. XV:26
Triple Helix Piano Trio
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Bayla Keyes, violin; Lois Shapiro, piano; Rhonda Rider, cello
More info about Triple Helix at http://www.triplehelixpianotrio.org/.

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Studio One on March 31st, 2003.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Roberto Plano plays Schubert - WGBH Classical Performance Podcast

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:50:14 -0400

Pianist Roberto Plano has a special place in his heart for the music of Franz Schubert - it's obvious when he plays these Impromptus, Op. 142. The name "Impromptu" suggests a sudden burst of inspiration - something spontaneous - and that's exactly the quality you hear when Roberto plays.
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Schubert: Impromptus, Op. 142
Robert Plano, piano
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More info about Roberto at http://www.robertoplano.com/.

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on September 24th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Roberto Plano introduces Schubert's Impromptus - WGBH Classical Performance Podcast

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:49:22 -0400

Before Roberto Plano played the Schubert Impromptus, Op. 142, he introduced the audience to these moody pieces, and gave us a guided tour of Number 3 of the set, a Theme with Variations, in B-flat. Here he is in conversation with WGBH's Cathy Fuller.
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Schubert: Impromptus, Op. 142. (Examples and Comments by pianist Roberto Plano)
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More info about Roberto at http://www.robertoplano.com/.

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on September 24th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

The Formosa String Quartet plays Debussy - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:00:51 -0400

The Formosa Quartet came together in 2002 for a memorable two-week tour of Taiwan, and stayed together to develop their unique sound, winning the 2006 London International String Quartet Competition. It was their performance of the Debussy that convinced the jury, and we heard why, in this live broadcast from the Fraser Performance Studio.
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Debussy: String Quartet in G minor, Op.10.
Formosa String Quartet
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Ayano Ninomiya, violin; Jasmine Lin, violin; Che-Yen Chen, viola; Jacob Braun, cello.
More info about the quartet at http://www.formosaquartet.com/

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on September 19th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Mark Kroll plays François Couperin - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:22:14 -0400

François Couperin, "organist to the King", liked to describe scenes and characters in his harpsichord music. It must have been fun to listen along with Louis XIV and his court, to these little gems.
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Couperin, François: Quatriême Ordre (La Marche des Gris-vètus, Les Baccanales, La Pateline, La Réveil-matin).
Mark Kroll, harpsichord.
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More info about Mark at http://markkroll.com/

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on September 9th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Sergei Antonov plays Reger and Tchaikovsky - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:14:42 -0400

Max Reger was a great admirer of J.S. Bach's music. He was one of the leading Bach interpreters of his time, and strove to maintain Bach's conventions of harmony, counterpoint and structure. Like Bach, Reger was an organist, and like Bach, he composed beautifully for the solo cello. Sergei Antonov plays a movement from one of Reger's Solo Suites, and then the beautiful "Melodie" by Tchaikovsky.
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Reger: Prelude from 2nd Suite for Solo Cello, Op. 131c; and
Tchaikovsky (arr. Antonov): Melodie, Op.42.
Sergey Antonov, cello; Fedor Veselov, piano
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More information about Sergey is at his website: http://sergeyantonov.com/

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on July 9th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Hung-Kuan Chen plays Brahms - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:05:25 -0400

Brahms was just one of many composers who were inspired by the captivating melody in Caprice No.24 for Violin by Nicolo Paganini. Hung-Kuan Chen performs the variations in a different order from the original, retaining all the emotional depth, but giving it a slightly more exciting ending.
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Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 35
Hung-Kuan Chen, piano
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Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on August 14th, 2008.

Irina Muresanu plays Brahms - WGBH Classical Performance Podcast

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:02:28 -0400

Brahms's Third Violin Sonata is as wild and virtuosic as the musicians it was written for - the great violinist Joseph Joachim, and the brilliant pianist and conductor, Hans von Bülow. We hear it played by the Boston virtuosa Irina Muresanu and the Romanian pianist Dana Ciocarlie.
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Brahms: Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano in D minor, Op. 108
Irina Muresanu, violin; Dana Ciocarlie, piano
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More info:
Irina - http://www.irinamuresanu.com
Dana - http://www.andoverchambermusic.org/biodanacarlie.html

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on February 14th, 2008.

Pianist Helene Wickett tackles Beethoven

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:08:17 -0400

Helene Wickett is tackling all the piano sonatas of Beethoven, and she's
come to the second last one, Op. 110 in A flat. Helene thinks the piece may
have been intended for Antoni Brentano, Beethoven's "Immortal Beloved" - He marked it "con amabilita", "with affection, warmth, softness". She played
it live on Cathy Fuller's "Classics in the Morning".
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Beethoven: Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110
Helene Wickett, piano
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More info: Look up "Helene Wickett", at http://www.promusicis.org/
Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on March
25th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Newton Baroque plays Mancini - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:10:16 -0400

No, no, not THAT Mancini! I'm talking about Francesco Mancini, the early 18th century Italian, not Henry Mancini, the Academy-award-winning 20th century American. Francesco's music was featured in Newton Baroque's live performance of music written for orphans.
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Mancini, Francesco: Concerto in F major
Newton Baroque
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Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on June 24th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Rockport Chamber Musicians play Richard Strauss - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:00:20 -0400

Strauss was only twenty years old when he wrote this Piano Quartet, so you can hear all the evidence of his early influences: Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms. But you can also hear the beginning of an original talent. We hear it played by performers from the Rockport Chamber Music Festival.
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Strauss, Richard: Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 13 (1884)
David Deveau, piano; Irina Muresanu, violin; Yinzi Kong, viola; Emmanuel Feldman, cello
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More information about the Rockport Chamber Music Festival is at their website: http://rcmf.org/

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on June 4th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Sergey Antonov and Fedor Veselov play Franck - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:39:11 -0400

Last year's Tchaikovsky Competition Gold Medal winner, celllist Sergey Antonov, stopped by the Fraser Performance Studio the other day. He played Franck, together with a colleague from the Moscow Conservatory, pianist Fedor Veselov.
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Franck: Sonata in A major (1886)
Sergey Antonov, cello; Fedor Veselov, piano
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More information about Sergey is at his website: http://sergeyantonov.com/

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on July 9th, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Newton Baroque plays Vivaldi - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:56:07 -0400

In Antonio Vivaldi's Venice, the orphanage was more than just an orphanage. It was a convent, a school and a conservatory of music as well. As the master violin tutor and chief composer from 1713 to 1740, Vivaldi taught and wrote music for some of the finest young players in the city. Here are two of the pieces he composed, played by Newton Baroque.
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Vivaldi: Concerto for recorder in C minor, RV 441 and Concerto for violin in F major, Op. 4 No. 9
Newton Baroque
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Sarah Cantor, recorder; Lisa Brook, violin, Sarah Darling, violin; Jason Fisher, viola; Daniel Rowe, cello; Andrus Madsen, harpsichord

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on June 24, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Ensemble Schumann plays Mozart - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:03:05 -0400

Mozart had a busy social life. He loved to spend evenings with his friends, Gottfried and Fanziska von Jacquin - making music together, having discussions, and playing games like skittles, or "Kegelstatt". One of the pieces he wrote to be performed at the Jacquin house was this Trio, originally for clarinet, viola and piano, with the composer himself playing the viola. In Ensemble Schumann's performance, the clarinet is replaced by an oboe.
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Mozart: Trio in E-flat major, K.498, "Kegelstatt"
Ensemble Schumann
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Tom Gallant, oboe; Steve Larson, viola; Sally Pinkas, piano

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on June 10, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Mimi Stillman plays Bach and Gill - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:20:27 -0400

J.S. Bach's Flute Sonata in G minor is one of the best-loved works for the flute. But it turns out he wasn't even the composer of this piece! It was probably written by his son, C.P.E. Bach, harpsichordist in the court of the flutist and king, Frederic the Great. Our second work, "Parabasis", is very clearly identified as the work of Jeremy Gill, the pianist on this program.
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Bach, C.P.E. (attrib. J.S. Bach): Sonata in G minor for flute and continuo (BWV.1020), and Jeremy Gill: Three Dances from "Parabasis".
Mimi Stillman, flute; Jeremy Gill, piano
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More info: http://www.mimistillman.org/

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on June 9, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

The Parker String Quartet Plays Dvorak - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:07:36 -0400

Dvorak's radiant String Quartet in E-flat exudes joy, coming from the pen of a contented composer. Things were going well for the Czech master in 1851: his daughter was born that year, and he had just had great success with his first set of Slavonic Dances. There's a Slavonic feel to this quartet too, and the Parker Quartet captured it perfectly in this performance.
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Dvorak: String Quartet in E-flat major, Op.51
The Parker String Quartet
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I. Allegro ma non troppo;
II. Dumka: Andante con moto - Vivace
III. Romanze: Andante con moto;
IV. Finale: Allegro assai

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on June 6, 2008.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org

Nicolas Dautricourt and Michael Mizrahi play Schubert - WGBH Classical Performance

Fri, 30 May 2008 16:22:16 -0400

Schubert wrote his C major violin Fantasy for a young Bohemian virtuoso, Josef Slavik, who became one of his most trusted chamber music partners. We'll hear it played by the modern-day French virtuoso Nicolas Dautricourt, with Michael Mizrahi at the piano.
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Schubert: Fantasia in C major for violin and piano, D.934
Nicolas Dautricourt, violin; Michael Mizrahi, piano
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I. Andante molto;
II. Allegretto;
III. Andantino;
IV. Tempo I;
V. Allegro vivace;
VI. Allegretto;
VII. Presto;

Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Studio One on January 13th, 2004.
©2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
http://www.wgbh.org/classical email: classical@wgbh.org