Great Performances
Season 47
TV-14
"You Can't Take It With You" is hailed one of the greatest revivals and filmed plays for PBS television. David Woods brought stunning charm, humor, and time to this Moss Hart masterpiece. Jason Robards, Jr. gave the collective performance of his career. Colleen Dewhurst perfection, Elizabeth Wilson superior, a joyous ensemble.
Where to Watch Season 47
30 Episodes
- Now Hear This “Vivaldi: Something Completely Different”
E1Episode 1Now Hear This “Vivaldi: Something Completely Different”Join Scott Yoo, renowned violinist and conductor of the Mexico City Philharmonic, in Now Hear This, a new four-part documentary miniseries presented by Great Performances that merges music, storytelling, travel and culture, as he chases the secret histories of some of the greatest music ever written. - Now Hear This “The Riddle of Bach”
E2Episode 2Now Hear This “The Riddle of Bach”Scott Yoo goes to Germany to learn Bach’s sonatas and partitas, widely considered among the greatest works ever written for solo violin. There, Yoo discovers a riddle Bach left behind in his portrait. In trying to solve it, Yoo and his wife, leading flutist Alice Dade, discover that Bach based his melodic style on Vivaldi and his rhythms on the music of the French court. - Now Hear This “Scarlatti: Man Out of Time”
E3Episode 3Now Hear This “Scarlatti: Man Out of Time”Join Scott Yoo in Spain and Morocco to discover the greatest composer you’ve never heard of: Domenico Scarlatti. He was the finest keyboard player in Europe, hired by the Queen of Spain as her personal instructor. Into Vivaldi’s melodies and Bach’s fugues, Scarlatti incorporated the sounds of Spain – Moorish, Jewish, Gypsy, folk, dance and guitar – to create a new musical language. - Now Hear This “Handel: Italian Style”
E4Episode 4Now Hear This “Handel: Italian Style”Before becoming the most famous composer of his time, Handel gained a lifetime of experience in Italy. Welcomed by wealthy patrons, he traveled with the Scarlatti family and learned from Corelli and the masters of the Italian Style. Yoo returns to Italy to follow in Handel’s footsteps, taking in the art, architecture, fashion, food, wine, light and landscape. - GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends® 2019
E5Episode 5GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends® 2019In collaboration with the Recording Academy™, Great Performances presents GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends®, the fourth annual all-star concert offering a primetime spotlight for the Recording Academy’s 2019 Special Merit Awards recipients. - 42nd Street
E6Episode 642nd StreetThe 1981 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, 42nd Street is the song-and-dance, American dream fable of Broadway, featuring the iconic songs “42nd Street,” “We’re In the Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Shuffle Off To Buffalo,” “I Only Have Eyes For You” and many more. - Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I
E7Episode 7Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and IKelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe star in a Tony Award-winning revival of the beloved musical about a British schoolteacher instructing the royal children of the King of Siam, featuring classic songs including “Shall We Dance?" and “Hello, Young Lovers.” - Red
E8Episode 8RedUnder the watchful gaze of his young assistant—and the growing competitive presence of a new generation of artists—Rothko takes on his greatest career challenge yet: to create a definitive series of paintings for the Philip Johnson-designed Four Seasons restaurant in architect Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Seagram Building. - Much Ado About Nothing
E9Episode 9Much Ado About NothingFor the first time in over four decades, Great Performances presents a Public Theater production recorded live at Free Shakespeare in the Park. After a highly successful, critically acclaimed run at the outdoor Delacorte Theater in New York City’s Central Park, "Much Ado About Nothing" is a bold interpretation of Shakespeare’s comedic masterpiece featuring Danielle Brooks as Beatrice. - An Intimate Evening with David Foster
E12Episode 12An Intimate Evening with David FosterEnjoy a star-studded concert with celebrated 16-time GRAMMY Award winner David Foster as he explores the music of his career with guest artists Loren Allred, Pia Toscano, Fernando Varela, Sheléa, Katharine McPhee and more. - From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2020
E13Episode 13From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2020Celebrate 2020 with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Musikverein. Under the baton of guest conductor Andris Nelsons and featuring the Vienna State Ballet, the orchestra will play the waltzes of Strauss. PBS favorite Hugh Bonneville returns as host. - Movies for Grownups Awards 2020 with AARP The Magazine
E15Episode 15Movies for Grownups Awards 2020 with AARP The MagazineWatch actors and filmmakers as they are honored for creating films that resonate with older viewers in this star-studded awards ceremony. Celebrating movies that matter, the Awards champion movies for grownups, by grownups. - Great Performances at the Met: Madama Butterfly
E16Episode 16Great Performances at the Met: Madama ButterflySoprano Hui He plays the tragic title role with tenor Bruce Sledge as the naval officer who abandons her in Puccini’s classic masterpiece. Pier Giorgio Morandi conducts Anthony Minghella’s sweeping production. - Great Performances at the Met: Akhnaten
E18Episode 18Great Performances at the Met: AkhnatenExperience composer Philip Glass’ visionary masterpiece portraying the impact of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhnaten as he rises to the throne. Stars Anthony Roth Costanzo in the title role. Karen Kamensek conducts. - Andrea Bocelli: Music for Hope, A Great Performances Special
E19Episode 19Andrea Bocelli: Music for Hope, A Great Performances SpecialExperience iconic Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli in an Easter Sunday concert from Milan’s historic cathedral. With the city under lockdown due to COVID-19, the singer performs “Ave Maria,” “Amazing Grace” and more accompanied only by an organist. - Great Performances at the Met: Wozzeck
E20Episode 20Great Performances at the Met: WozzeckExperience artist William Kentridge’s interpretation of Berg’s tragic opera set in an apocalyptic pre-World War I environment. Peter Mattei stars in the title role. Met music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts. - Great Performances at the Met: Der Fliegende Holländer
E26Episode 26Great Performances at the Met: Der Fliegende HolländerExperience Wagner’s eerie early masterpiece telling the tale of the sea captain cursed to sail for eternity. François Girard’s new production stars Evgeny Nikitin in the title role opposite Anja Kampe in her Met debut. Valery Gergiev conducts. - Great Performances at the Met: The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
E27Episode 27Great Performances at the Met: The Gershwins' Porgy and BessEnjoy this classic American folk opera that brings 1920s Charleston to life with a beloved score from George Gershwin in a new production directed by James Robinson. Eric Owens and Angel Blue star in the title roles and David Robertson conducts. - Great Performances at the Met: Tosca
E28Episode 28Great Performances at the Met: ToscaSir David McVicar’s new production of Puccini’s classic stars Sonya Yoncheva, Vittorio Grigolo and Željko Lučić. Opera diva Tosca must rescue her revolutionary lover Cavaradossi from the depraved police chief Scarpia. Isabel Leonard hosts. - Great Performances at the Met: Maria Stuarda
E29Episode 29Great Performances at the Met: Maria StuardaThe first-ever Met production of Donizetti’s opera stars Joyce DiDonato as Mary, Queen of Scots with South African soprano Elza van den Heever as Elizabeth I, Mary’s formidable rival, and Matthew Polenzani as the Earl of Leicester. - Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2020
E30Episode 30Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2020Enjoy the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance of selections by Strauss, Wagner, Offenbach, Puccini and more from the Schönbrunn Palace Gardens under the baton of conductor Valery Gergiev featuring Metropolitan Opera tenor Jonas Kaufmann.
