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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 E5

1h 25m / TV-G

Behind the Curtain | Coppelia

2m 59s

Go behind the curtain on the set of "Coppelia" with Michaela DePrince as she talks about what the role of Swan means to her and how this production reimagines "Coppelia" for a modern audience through the use of green-screen technology.

San Francisco Symphony Performs with esperanza spalding

3m 40s

Watch esperanza spalding and the San Francisco Symphony perform Wayne Shorter's "Gaia." Originally commissioned specifically for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, "Gaia" was created to spotlight esperanza spalding, who also wrote the libretto for the piece. The word "Gaia" is a reference to the Greek goddess of Earth.

San Francisco Symphony Reopening Night Preview

30s

Celebrate opening night of San Francisco Symphony’s 110th season as it welcomes its new GRAMMY-winning music director Esa-Pekka Salonen, featuring music by John Adams, esperanza spalding & Wayne Shorter and performances by Alonzo King LINES Ballet.

Collaborating on San Francisco Symphony's Reopening Night

3m 5s

Alonzo King, esperanza spalding & Esa-Pekka Salonen discuss the role of collaboration while creating San Francisco Reopening Night along with its empowering and creative nature.

A John Williams Premiere at Tanglewood Preview

30s

Experience a concert of works by legendary composer John Williams from Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home at Tanglewood including Williams’ new violin concerto performed by virtuoso Anne-Sophie Mutter and other works conducted by Andris Nelsons.

John Williams & Anne-Sophie Mutter Talk Composing and More

25m 55s

Watch legendary composer John Williams' and famed violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter discuss how Williams' new concerto came about, the power of music during the pandemic, and their special relationship with Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood.

5 Fabulous Facts: John Williams

1m 13s

Learn five facts about the Oscar-winning composer, John Williams. Learn how Williams' music career began in the U.S. Air Force, how he got his start in Hollywood, and how his chance meeting with Steven Spielberg led to one of the most iconic partnerships in film history.

Wagnerians in Concert Preview

30s

Recorded in May, a quartet of some of opera’s most powerful and dramatic singers comes together at the Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden, Germany. Sopranos Christine Goerke and Elza van den Heever, tenor Andreas Schager, and baritone Michael Volle perform a program of selections by Wagner and Strauss.

Now Hear This "Beethoven's Ghost" Official Preview

30s

Go inside the mind of a genius as host Scott Yoo and fellow musicians undertake a recording of Beethoven's most personal music at a historic Berkshires manor to explore the composer’s brilliant career—where they are visited by some unexpected guests.

Beethoven Interrupts His "Kreutzer" Sonata

1m 20s

As host and violinist Scott Yoo and pianist Anna Polonsky attempt to record Beethoven's "Kreutzer" Sonata, the increasingly irritated composer reminisces about his own history with the piece.

Behind the Scenes | Three Divas at Versailles

47s

Get an inside look at the magic behind Three Divas at Versailles with PBS and Great Performances. Listen to Isabel Leonard as she explains what this program means to her, and why the arts are more important than ever.

Three Divas at Versailles Preview

30s

Three-time GRAMMY winner Isabel Leonard joins Nadine Sierra and Ailyn Pérez to perform timeless selections by Mozart, Offenbach and Bizet including “Voi che sapete” and “Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour” along with beloved songs like “Bésame Mucho” and “Cielito Lindo.” The concert was recorded in May at the Royal Opera of Versailles in France and Met Opera soprano Christine Goerke hosts.

Sondra Radvanovsky and Piotr Beczala in Concert Preview

30s

From the historic Stadthalle in Wuppertal, Germany, recorded in January, this world-famous soprano-tenor pair perform arias and duets from some of their many performances at the Met including Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier,” Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino,” “Luisa Miller” and Dvořák’s “Rusalka," accompanied by Vincenzo Scalera on piano.

The Red Shoes: From Film to Stage

3m 33s

Listen to director Matthew Bourne as he explains how he incorporated dance into this stage adaptation of "The Red Shoes." Based on the iconic film by the same name, Bourne chose to fully immerse the audience into the world of the dancers by integrating dance into every aspect of the show.

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