Arts and Music

Great Performances

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.

Now Hear This “Old Friends”

53m 54s

Explore how virtuosos become maestros and discover their guiding principles through host Scott Yoo’s long friendships with Grammy winner Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Richard Kogan and violinist Lynn Chang.

Episodes

  • Now Hear This "Beethoven's Ghost": asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Now Hear This "Beethoven's Ghost"

    S49 E6 - 54m 25s

    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.

  • The Red Shoes: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Red Shoes

    S49 E3 - 1h 37m

    Experience Hans Christian Andersen’s dark fairytale from acclaimed director-choreographer Matthew Bourne with this Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation starring Ashley Shaw, Adam Cooper, Dominic North and Michaela Meazza.

  • Yannick – An Artist’s Journey: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Yannick – An Artist’s Journey

    S49 E1 - 1h 49m

    Experience the music director of the Metropolitan Opera’s meteoric rise to become one of the most acclaimed and sought-after music directors of his generation in this documentary from cinema verité filmmaker Susan Froemke.

Extras + Features

  • Great Performances at the Met: Boris Godunov Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Great Performances at the Met: Boris Godunov Preview

    S49 E17 - 30s

    Bass René Pape, the world’s reigning Boris, reprises his portrayal of the tortured tsar caught between ambition and paranoia. Conductor Sebastian Weigle leads Mussorgsky’s Russian masterwork in its original 1869 version. Stephen Wadsworth’s production captures the hope and suffering of the Russian people as well as the tsar himself. Met Opera soprano Angel Blue hosts.

  • Reopening: The Broadway Revival Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Reopening: The Broadway Revival Preview

    S49 E16 - 30s

    Go behind the scenes of Broadway as shows reunite, rehearse and re-stage for their long-awaited reopening nights while the theater industry learns how to turn the lights back on after its longest hiatus in history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Broadway Is...: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Broadway Is...

    S49 E16 - 1m 26s

    Listen to Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sara Bareilles, Adrienne Warren, Andrew Rannells, Kristin Chenoweth and others discuss what "Broadway" means to them.

  • Back to the Rehearsal Room: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Back to the Rehearsal Room

    S49 E16 - 5m 33s

    Adrienne Warren (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical), Michael James Scott (Aladdin), and Sara Bareilles (Waitress) discuss what it's like bringing their shows back into the rehearsal room.

  • Reopening "Wicked": asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Reopening "Wicked"

    S49 E16 - 3m 35s

    Go behind the scenes of the reopening night of "Wicked" as Kristin Chenoweth and the cast prepare to bring one of Broadway's biggest musicals back to the stage.

  • From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2022 Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2022 Preview

    S49 E15 - 30s

    Ring in the new year in Austria at the Musikverein with the Vienna Philharmonic and host Hugh Bonneville in this annual concert of waltzes by Strauss and more under the baton of guest conductor Daniel Barenboim.

  • To the Hunt!: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    To the Hunt!

    S49 E15 - 2m 12s

    Under the baton of Grammy-winning guest conductor Daniel Barenboim, the Vienna Philharmonic performs Johann Strauss Jr.'s "To the Hunt!"

  • Great Performances at the Met: New Year's Eve Gala Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Great Performances at the Met: New Year's Eve Gala Preview

    S49 E14 - 30s

    The Met rings in the new year with a gala performance featuring stars Angel Blue, Pretty Yende, Javier Camarena and Matthew Polenzani. Performing from the Parktheater in Kurhaus Göggingen in Augsburg, Germany, the program features arias, duets and ensembles from Donizetti to Puccini, as well as arrangements of operetta and Neapolitan songs.

  • Excerpts from Great Performances at the Met: New Year's Eve: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Excerpts from Great Performances at the Met: New Year's Eve

    S49 E14 - 5m 45s

    Watch Met stars Angel Blue, Pretty Yende, Javier Camarena and Matthew Polenzani sing highlights from Great Performances at the Met: New Year's Eve Gala. Performing from the Parktheater in Kurhaus Göggingen in Augsburg, Germany, the program features arias, duets and ensembles from Donizetti to Puccini, as well as arrangements of operetta and Neapolitan songs.

  • GP at the Met: Bryn Terfel & Friends in Concert Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    GP at the Met: Bryn Terfel & Friends in Concert Preview

    S49 E13 - 30s

    Recorded December 2020, the legendary bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel performs a holiday program accompanied by Jeff Howard on piano and the Welsh traditional folk group Calan from Brecon Cathedral in the singer’s native Wales.

  • Unforgettable With Love - Natalie Cole Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Unforgettable With Love - Natalie Cole Preview

    S49 E12 - 30s

    Enjoy this special encore of Natalie Cole’s Emmy-winning concert of her GRAMMY-winning album in Great Performances: Unforgettable With Love - Natalie Cole. Featuring classics such as “Mona Lisa,” “The Very Thought of You” and “For Sentimental Reasons,” the concert also features a special performance of Nat King Cole’s signature song “Unforgettable” sung as a duet by Natalie Cole and her father.

Schedule

  • Image
    Great Performances: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    The Composer Is Yoo

    Friday
    May 3

    1 Hour

    Scott Yoo's journey composing a piece of music for the first time; Yoo revisits his heritage in search of ideas, performs landmark pieces and tests his work in progress.
  • Image
    Great Performances: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    The Composer Is Yoo

    Friday
    May 3

    1 Hour

    Scott Yoo's journey composing a piece of music for the first time; Yoo revisits his heritage in search of ideas, performs landmark pieces and tests his work in progress.
  • Image
    Great Performances: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    The Composer Is Yoo

    Saturday
    May 4

    1 Hour

    Scott Yoo's journey composing a piece of music for the first time; Yoo revisits his heritage in search of ideas, performs landmark pieces and tests his work in progress.
  • Image
    Great Performances: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    The Composer Is Yoo

    Sunday
    May 5

    1 Hour

    Scott Yoo's journey composing a piece of music for the first time; Yoo revisits his heritage in search of ideas, performs landmark pieces and tests his work in progress.
  • Image
    Great Performances: Hamlet: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    Hamlet

    Friday
    May 10

    3 Hours

    A present-day take on Shakespeare's "Hamlet" features Ato Blankson-Wood in the title role and Solea Pfeiffer as Ophelia.
  • Image
    Great Performances: Hamlet: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    Hamlet

    Friday
    May 10

    3 Hours

    A present-day take on Shakespeare's "Hamlet" features Ato Blankson-Wood in the title role and Solea Pfeiffer as Ophelia.
  • Image
    Great Performances: Hamlet: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    Hamlet

    Saturday
    May 11

    3 Hours

    A present-day take on Shakespeare's "Hamlet" features Ato Blankson-Wood in the title role and Solea Pfeiffer as Ophelia.
  • Image
    Great Performances: Hamlet: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    Hamlet

    Saturday
    May 11

    3 Hours

    A present-day take on Shakespeare's "Hamlet" features Ato Blankson-Wood in the title role and Solea Pfeiffer as Ophelia.
  • Image
    Great Performances: Hamlet: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    Hamlet

    Sunday
    May 12

    3 Hours

    A present-day take on Shakespeare's "Hamlet" features Ato Blankson-Wood in the title role and Solea Pfeiffer as Ophelia.
  • Image
    Great Performances: Audra McDonald at the London Palladium: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    Audra McDonald at the London Palladium

    Friday
    May 17

    1 Hour 30 Minutes

    Audra McDonald performs a repertoire of classic Broadway songs including "I Am What I Am," "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Will He Like Me?" and "Summertime."
  • Image
    Great Performances: Audra McDonald at the London Palladium: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    Audra McDonald at the London Palladium

    Friday
    May 17

    1 Hour 30 Minutes

    Audra McDonald performs a repertoire of classic Broadway songs including "I Am What I Am," "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Will He Like Me?" and "Summertime."
  • Image
    Great Performances: Audra McDonald at the London Palladium: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    Audra McDonald at the London Palladium

    Saturday
    May 18

    1 Hour 30 Minutes

    Audra McDonald performs a repertoire of classic Broadway songs including "I Am What I Am," "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Will He Like Me?" and "Summertime."
  • Image
    Great Performances: Audra McDonald at the London Palladium: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    Audra McDonald at the London Palladium

    Saturday
    May 18

    1 Hour 30 Minutes

    Audra McDonald performs a repertoire of classic Broadway songs including "I Am What I Am," "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Will He Like Me?" and "Summertime."
  • Image
    Great Performances: Now Hear This: Andy Akiho Found (his) Sound: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    Now Hear This: Andy Akiho Found (his) Sound

    Saturday
    May 18

    1 Hour

    Japanese American composer Andy Akiho creates music using found instruments; developing a music video.
  • Image
    Great Performances: Audra McDonald at the London Palladium: TVSS: Iconic

    Great Performances

    Audra McDonald at the London Palladium

    Sunday
    May 19

    1 Hour 30 Minutes

    Audra McDonald performs a repertoire of classic Broadway songs including "I Am What I Am," "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Will He Like Me?" and "Summertime."

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