COMING UP ON NPR's WEEKEND PT  FEBRUARY 6 AND FEBRUARY 7, 1999

Saturday, FEBRUARY 6

Hour 1-- Milestones of the Millennium--The Evolution of the Piano:  Today
we continue our countdown to the year 2001 with the third installment of
PT's "Milestones of the Millennium," a two-year series of essays that will
create a picture in sound of the pivotal events, places, movements, artists
and musical works of the past 1000 years.  Today, host Martin Goldsmith and
our guest commentator, eminent pianist and music historian Charles Rosen,
are on location at the Hall of Instruments at the National Museum of
American History in Washington, DC.  Using the Museum's keyboard
instruments for demonstrations, Rosen explains how the piano was adapted
over time to meet the musical needs of composers and performers.

Hour 2-- The National Symphony Orchestra in the Great Hall of the People:
Martin checks in with PT commentator and conductor Leonard Slatkin in the
middle of the National Symphony's Asian tour.  Slatkin describes what it
was like to play in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, which seats 10,000
and is under renovation.  And we'll hear a performance of the work that was
the favorite of the NSO's Chinese audience--the haunting Adagio for Strings
by American composer Samuel Barber.

Sunday, FEBRUARY 7

Hour 1-- From a Simple Tune to a Simple Symphony:  In 1921, eight-year-old
Benjamin Britten composed a short tune.  And it stayed with him--twelve
years later, he used it as the basis for his Simple Symphony.  We'll hear
it performed by conductor Ian Hobson and the Sinfonia da Camera, from a
recent concert at the University of Illinois.

hour 2-- Basic Janacek:  Critic Ted Libbey joins Martin for a visit to the
PT Basic Record Library.  Today Ted recommends recordings of the bright and
brash Sinfonietta, written in 1926 by Czech composer Leos Janacek.

COMING UP ON NPR's PERFORMANCE TODAY  FEBRUARY 8--FEBRUARY 15, 1999

Monday, FEBRUARY 8

Hour 1--Nielsen in New York--Violinist Adele Anthony joins the New York
Scandia Symphony and conductor Dorrit Matson to play the Violin Concerto
by Danish composer Carl Nielsen.

Hour 2-- Peter Schickele and the Lark Quartet Live in Studio 4A--Peter
Schickele is probably best known for his alter-ego P.D.Q.  Bach, a
long-forgotten relative of the illustrious family of composers, but he
writes classical concert music as well.  Schickele is at the piano in
Studio 4-A with the Lark Quartet to perform his Quintet No.  2 for Piano
and Strings, a serious piece with some not-so serious moments.

Tuesday, FEBRUARY 9

Hour 1-- Was composer Richard Strauss a Nazi collaborator or a hero? In
"Richard Strauss:  Man, Musician, Enigma" (Cambridge University Press),
biographer and London Telegraph columnist Michael Kennedy says that the
composer's actions during the 1930s have been misunderstood.  He talks with
Martin about why he believes that Strauss and his music have been unfairly
judged by history.

Hour 2--Coming to terms with coloratura:  In today's edition of "Coming to
Terms," PT commentator Miles Hoffman joins Martin to tackle a listener's
question about coloratura, a term that's used to describe the voices of
singers like Cecilia Bartoli.

Wednesday, FEBRUARY 10

Hour 1-- Milestones of the Millennium--Jazz:  We continue our countdown
to the year 2001 with the seventh installment of PT's "Milestones of the
Millennium." To find out how jazz has influenced classical music, Martin
talks with David Baker, one of America's leading jazz thinkers who's the
Chairman of the Jazz Studies Department at Indiana University.  Baker is
also a composer and the conductor of the Smithsonian Masterworks Orchestra.
And we'll hear examples of jazz-infused classical music including the
ballet "The Creation of the World" by Darius Milhaud, "Music for the
Theatre" by Aaron Copland, the Concerto in F by George Gershwin, the Ebony
Concerto by Igor Stravinsky and "Prelude, Fugue and Riffs" by Leonard
Bernstein.

Hour 2-- Hilary Hahn on disc:  Eighteen year-old American violinist Hilary
Hahn, whose first CD of Bach's solo partitas and sonatas was praised by
critics, has just made her concerto recording debut with her hometown
orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony.  PT critic Katrine Ames reviews the new
CD, which features performances of Beethoven's Violin Concerto and the
Serenade by Leonard Bernstein.  (Sony Classical 60584)

Thursday, FEBRUARY 11

Hour 1-- Richter on film:  Martin talks with director Bruno Monsaingeon,
the director of the new biographical film "Richter:  The Enigma," which
has just been released on video.  Sviatoslav Richter was one of the finest
pianists of the century, but he spent much of his career in the Soviet
Union and didn't seek out the publicity and attention that other major
artists crave.  Monsaingeon explains how he persuaded the reclusive pianist
to agree to the project in 1995, two years before he died, and how he
uncovered rare and astounding concert footage of the pianist.

Hour 2-- Basic Record Library 1999: PT critic Ted Libbey joins Martin for
a visit to the PT Basic Record Library to recommend recordings of another
important composition of this century.

Friday, FEBRUARY 12

Hour 1-- The Birth of "Rhapsody in Blue":  Seventy-five years ago today,
George Gershwin premiered his "Rhapsody in Blue" with band-leader Paul
Whiteman and his Palais Royal Orchestra at Aeolian Hall in New York.
Commentator Jan Swafford takes us back to the early weeks of 1924, when
Gershwin was suddenly reminded he had promised to write a significant new
work for the concert.  How could he have known the Rhapsody would become
one of the most beloved pieces of American music?

Hour 2-- In this hour, we'll feature music from a recent orchestra or
chamber music concert.

Monday, FEBRUARY 15, 1999

Hour 1-- The Power of the Music Critic:  Some of the most important people
in music have never lifted a baton.  Martin discusses the role of the music
critic with Mark N.  Grant, the author of "Maestros of the Pen:  A History
of Classical Music Criticism in America." (Northeastern University Press)

Hour 2-- American Orchestras: In this hour, we'll hear an outstanding
performance by a US orchestra.

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