Purlie Victorious Leslie Odom Jr and cast

Great Performances

Arts and Music Series / 5 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 E15

2h 9m / TV-14

Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy Preview

30s

This film explores the unique role of Jewish composers and lyricists in the creation of the modern American musical. Featuring interviews and conversations with some of the greatest composers and writers of the Broadway stage. "Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy " premieres March 11 at 8 p.m. on PBS. (Check local listings.)

From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013 Preview

30s

We continue the cherished tradition of ringing in the New Year with special host Julie Andrews and the Vienna Philharmonic at the opulent Musikverein, under the baton of guest conductor Franz Welser-Möst and featuring everyone’s favorite Strauss Family waltzes accompanied by the beautiful dancing of the Vienna City Ballet. "From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration" premieres January 1 at 8 p.m.

Fiddler's Tradition

5m 10s

The surprising universality of the 1964 Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick musical Fiddler on the Roof—a show about a small, tight-knit Jewish community living in early 20th-century Tsarist Russia. Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy airs January 1, 2013 at 9:30 PM (check local listings).

The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour Preview

30s

The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour -- the controversial surreal film made by The Beatles and broadcast by the BBC in 1967 and unavailable for decades – comes to THIRTEEN’s Great Performances, Friday, December 14 at 10 p.m. on PBS. (Check local listings.)

Magical Mystery Tour Revisited Preview

30s

Magical Mystery Tour was chock-full of thinly veiled references to psychedelia, anarchy and fantasy, all in the setting of a traditional British sightseeing bus outing to the seaside. The story behind the Beatles film – Magical Mystery Tour – is revealed on Magical Mystery Tour Revisited on THIRTEEN’S Great Performances, Friday, December 14 at 9 p.m. on PBS. (Check local listings.)

Rod Stewart: Merry Christmas, Baby Preview

30s

Grammy Award®-winning, two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Rod Stewart, hosts his first holiday special featuring Mary J. Blige, Cee-Lo Green, and Chris Botti beginning this December on PBS (Check local listings.).

Wagner's Ring Cycle Preview

30s

Robert Lepage’s acclaimed new production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, will air on Great Performances at the Met, September 11-14 in prime time each night on PBS stations (check local listings), as a major television event.

"I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter"

2m 54s

Paul McCartney performs the Fred E. Ahlert and Joe Young classic "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter." Paul McCartney's Live Kisses airs Friday, September 7 at 9 p.m. (check local listings).

Paul McCartney's Live Kisses Preview

30s

Paul McCartney’s Live Kisses captures the magical night of February 9 in the City of Angels when Paul McCartney decided to bring Kisses On The Bottom, his newly released collection of pop standards and two originals, to life. The very special event will air on Great Performances, Friday, September 7 at 9 p.m. on PBS. (Check local listings.)

Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night 2012 Preview

30s

Distinguished conductor Gustavo Dudamel leads the fourth annual Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night 2012 concert to be telecast on Great Performances, Friday, August 31, at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).

Libiamo from La Traviata

3m 20s

Natalie Dessay and Matthew Polenzani perform "Libiamo" from La Traviata. Acclaimed French soprano Natalie Dessay makes her Met role debut as Violetta, the fallen woman who sacrifices her last chance for love, in Verdi’s La Traviata airing on THIRTEEN’s Great Performances at the Met Sunday, August 26 at 12 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).

GP at the Met: La Traviata

30s

Acclaimed French soprano Natalie Dessay makes her Met role debut as Violetta, the fallen woman who sacrifices her last chance for love, in Verdi’s La Traviata airing on THIRTEEN’s Great Performances at the Met Sunday, August 26 at 12 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).

Jackie Evancho: Music of the Movies

30s

THIRTEEN’s Great Performances will present 12-year-old classical crossover prodigy Jackie Evancho’s second television special Jackie Evancho: Music of the Movies, in August on PBS (check local listings).

The Boston Pops Performs "Times Square: 1944"

1m 39s

The Boston Pops, under the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart, performs Leonard Bernstein's "Times Square: 1944" from “On the Town” at the “Tanglewood 75th Anniversary Celebration.” The program, featuring many of the iconic artists identified with the fete, will air on THIRTEEN’S Great Performances Friday, August 10 at 9 p.m. ET as part of the PBS Arts Summer Festival (check local listings).

James Taylor Performs "Shall We Dance?"

2m 5s

Acclaimed singer-songwriter James Taylor performs Rodger and Hammerstein's "Shall We Dance?" from “The King and I” at the “Tanglewood 75th Anniversary Celebration.” The program, featuring many of the iconic artists identified with the fete, will air on THIRTEEN’S Great Performances Friday, August 10 at 9 p.m. ET as part of the PBS Arts Summer Festival (check local listings).

Tanglewood 75th Anniversary Celebration Preview

30s

The concert features the BSO, Boston Pops Orchestra and Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, under the direction of conductors John Williams, Keith Lockhart and Andris Nelsons. Performances by pianists Emanuel Ax and Peter Serkin, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and vocalist James Taylor. Tanglewood 75th Anniversary Celebration premieres Friday, August 10 at 9pm(check local listings).

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