Nothing is scarier for a young musician than being confronted with the idea of playing one of the most difficult works for violin and piano on national radio... I imagine that someday I'll listen back to Thursday's performance of Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata and roll my eyes at our youthfully driven and energetic interpretation. For now, I can at least step back and admire the roller coaster-ride of a performance that you'll hear on Thursday's Performance Today broadcast.

Fred Child called the Kreisler pieces Tim and I played on Friday "little bon-bons" and I couldn't agree more. Though on manuscript paper they seem simple, these show pieces are actually some of the most challenging to play as a pianist because of the element of freedom they require and how closely one has to stick to the marvelously whimsical improvisational style of the violinist's interpretation. Tim and I enjoy leading each other astray when we play these - tricking each other into falling for misdirection and surprise! In short, they're a blast to play and a pleasure to listen to. Enjoy!

Click here for the IU press release of our week-long residency!

Today's Performance Today broadcast features one of W.A. Mozart's most profoundly emotional works - the E minor Violin Sonata K. 304, a work the composer wrote at age 22 in response to his mother's death. Enjoy our interpretation of this monumentally beautiful sonata here: http://performancetoday.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/05/20/timothy-kantor-young-artist-in-residence

Kreutzer Sonata tomorrow! Tune in!

It's Day 1 of my week-long residence with violinist Timothy Kantor as part of Performance Today's Young Artist in Residence program. Tim was selected early last year to be featured for a week of music making and interviewing and I had the distinct honor of collaborating with Tim on some of classical music's most exciting violin and piano repertoire! Broadcasts of our playing will be added to the Performance Today website (http://performancetoday.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/05/20/timothy-kantor-young-artist-in-residence) everyday this week. Today's performance gives you a taste with a performance of Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Sonata in F Major (1st movement), a work that is highly overlooked in the world of violin repertoire and thus a great pleasure to perform and shed some light on, if you will, on National Public Radio.

To listen, tune in to your local NPR Classical station at 11am PST/1pm CT/2pm ET or listen to the stream online at the aforementioned link. Thank you for your continued support!

Please join me tomorrow, Sunday, May 12, 2013 at 3pm, for some classical music as I perform works by J.S. Bach, Franz Schubert, Fréderic Chopin, and Béla Bartók! Bring your mother, grandmother, daughter (and husband and sons, for that matter!) to the Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church in Minneapolis (2020 West Lake of the Isles Parkway) and give them the gift of classical music for Mother's Day! 

Looking forward to seeing you there!