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. FOR MORE PROGRAM INFORMATION, COME AND BROWSE PERFORMANCE TODAY'S WEB PAGE: http://www.npr.org/programs/pt ***NOTE: SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. FOR EXACT BROADCAST TIMES, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC RADIO STATION OR CALL PERFORMANCE TODAY AT (202) 414-2370.