Purlie Victorious Leslie Odom Jr and cast

Great Performances

Arts and Music Series / 6 Seasons

Great Performances brings the best in the performing arts from across America and around the world to a US television audience. It presents a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.

Watch Latest: S52 E3

1h 23m / TV-PG

Falstaff's Plan and Pistol's Revenge

3m 1s

Falstaff (Jacob Ming-Trent) tells Pistol (Joshua Echebiri) about his plan to woo Madam Ford and Madam Page by sending them identical love letters. Pistol, feeling long overlooked by Falstaff, sees his opportunity to enact his revenge.

Anything Goes Preview

30s

Enjoy this London production of Cole Porter’s classic musical led by Sutton Foster who reprises her Tony-winning role as Reno Sweeney directed by Kathleen Marshall with favorite songs like “I Get A Kick Out of You” and “You’re the Top.”

Great Performances at the Met: Cinderella Preview

29s

Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard stars as the rags-to-riches princess in Laurent Pelly’s storybook staging of Massenet’s “Cendrillon.” Featuring an all-new English translation by Kelley Rourke and conducted by Maestro Emmanuel Villaume, the cast also includes mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo as Cinderella’s Prince Charming, soprano Jessica Pratt as her Fairy Godmother, and more.

You Are My Charming Prince from "Cinderella"

1m 43s

Mezzo-Sopranos Isabel Leonard and Emily D'Angelo perform as Cinderella and Prince Charming in the Metropolitan Opera's production of "Cinderella." In this aria, the Prince and Cinderella profess their love for one another, only to be torn apart when the clock strikes midnight in this classic tale.

Breaking Down Classical Indian Music: Raga and Tala

5m 39s

Composer Reena Esmail breaks down the difference between raga and tala in Indian classical music, and how their function compares to scales and rhythms in Western classical music. Host Scott Yoo then gets treated to a performance to illustrate how this works.

Samba and Brazilian Maxixe with Sergio Assad

4m 15s

Scott Yoo travels to Chicago to learn about the music that shaped Brazilian composer Sergio Assad. Assad explains the history of samba, and how it was musically influenced by Portugal, Africa, and Brazil.

The Jewish Tune That Inspired Composer Aaron Copland

4m 22s

Host Scott Yoo and Cantor Daniel Mutlu discuss how Aaron Copland may have drawn inspiration from his Jewish roots and Cantor Mutlu performs "Mipnei Ma," the source material for Copland's "Vitebsk."

Aaron Copland's Ideas on Film Scores

5m 14s

Host Scott Yoo and pianist John Novacek discuss Copland's career as a film composer. Copland was a firm believer in "less is more" in terms of scoring, an idea that can be heard in scores today. To demonstrate this, Novacek and the student orchestra at the Colorado College Music festival perform Copland's "Grover's Corner" from the film "Our Town."

The Jewish Tune That Inspired Composer Aaron Copland's Piano

4m 22s

Host Scott Yoo and Cantor Daniel Mutlu discuss how Aaron Copland may have drawn inspiration from his Jewish roots and Cantor Mutlu performs "Mipnei Ma," the source material for Copland's "Vitebsk."

5 Facts About Florence Price

1m 35s

Learn five facts about American composer Florence Price. Although she won a handful of awards for her work, Price struggled to find greater success, fighting against the twin issues of racism and sexism in the classical music industry. After dozens of her manuscripts were rediscovered in 2009, Florence Price has finally started to gain the success that eluded her during her lifetime.

5 Facts about Florence Price

1m 35s

Learn five facts about American composer Florence Price. Although she won a handful of awards for her work, Price struggled to find greater success, fighting against the twin issues of racism and sexism in the classical music industry. After dozens of her manuscripts were rediscovered in 2009, Florence Price has finally started to gain the success that eluded her during her lifetime.

The Lost Manuscripts of Composer Florence Price

4m 15s

Host Scott Yoo travels to the University of Arkansas with violinist Er-Gene Kahng and pianist Karen Walwyn to get an up-close look at classical music composer Florence Price's previously lost manuscripts.

Supported by