The BEST episodes of Great Performances season 48

#1 - Great Performances at the Met: Lise Davidsen in Concert

Season 48 - Episode 19 - Aired 5/7/2021

The soprano performs arias and songs that brought her success around the world including selections from Wagner’s “Tannhäuser,” Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos,” Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” and more from Oslo’s Oscarshall Palace in Norway.

#2 - Romeo & Juliet

Season 48 - Episode 17 - Aired 4/23/2021

An original film for television by the National Theatre. Shakespeare Theatre Company Artistic Director Simon Godwin directs a film interpretation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" set in modern-day Italy. Starring Josh O’Connor as Romeo and Jessie Buckley as Juliet.

#3 - From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2021

Season 48 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/1/2021

As the world eagerly bids farewell to 2020, Great Performances continues its beloved tradition of ringing in the New Year with the Vienna Philharmonic at the world-famous Musikverein. PBS favorite Hugh Bonneville (Masterpiece: Downton Abbey) returns as host for a fourth year with Riccardo Muti as guest conductor for the sixth time. The Vienna Philharmonic orchestra performs favorite waltzes by Strauss, and the celebration features the Vienna State Ballet dancing on location from notable Vienna landmarks. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Bonneville will host the concert remotely from England on location at Goodwood House, the country estate of the Duke and Duchess of Richmond and Gordon, located north of Chichester.

#4 - Romeo and Juliet

Season 48 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/11/2020

Experience a ballet of Shakespeare’s classic from choreographer Kenneth MacMillan performed by dancers from The Royal Ballet set to a score by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev filmed on atmospheric locations throughout Budapest.

#5 - Now Hear This “Haydn: King of Strings”

Season 48 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/18/2020

Explore the work of famed composer Joseph Haydn’s career with host Scott Yoo and featured guest artists as he discovers how Haydn borrowed folk music from Scotland, Hungary and Austria to create his famous “Emperor Quartet.”

#6 - Now Hear This “The Schubert Generation”

Season 48 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/25/2020

Celebrate the work of Franz Schubert with host Scott Yoo as he plays with young musicians establishing themselves in North America's musical capitals by attempting to master the composer’s music.

#7 - Now Hear This “Becoming Mozart”

Season 48 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/2/2020

Travel with host Scott Yoo and pianist Stewart Goodyear as they visit Yoo’s Festival Mozaic where Goodyear learns to direct an orchestra from the piano while improvising the solos of Mozart’s twentieth piano concerto.

#8 - GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends 2020

Season 48 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/16/2020

A spotlight to the winners of the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, including Iggy Pop, Roberta Flack, Chicago, John Prine, and more.

#9 - Lea Salonga in Concert

Season 48 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/27/2020

Captured in peak performance with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tony Award-winner Lea Salonga performs the beloved songs she made famous throughout her Broadway career, as well as her signature songs from the animated movie blockbusters “Aladdin” and “Mulan” from the Sydney Opera House.

#10 - The Magic of Horowitz

Season 48 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/22/2021

Experience legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz’s 1986 Russian homecoming for a sold-out concert of personal favorites, featuring commentary from former manager Peter Gelb and virtuoso pianists Martha Argerich and Daniil Trifonov.

#11 - Great Performances at the Met: Jonas Kaufmann in Concert

Season 48 - Episode 15 - Aired 4/2/2021

The superstar tenor sings a program of classic arias from the Baroque interior of the historic Polling Abbey located in the Bavarian countryside outside Munich, Germany. Selections from this performance include “Nessun dorma” from “Turandot,” “E lucevan le stelle” from “Tosca,” “Ah! lève-toi, soleil” from “Roméo et Juliette,” “La fleur que tu m’avais jetée” and many more.

#12 - One Man, Two Guvnors

Season 48 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/6/2020

Featuring a Tony Award-winning performance by CBS Late Late Show host James Corden, the hilarious West End and Broadway hit One Man, Two Guvnors by playwright Richard Bean delighted critics and audiences alike during its West End and Broadway productions in 2011 and 2012.

#13 - Great Performances at the Met: Renée Fleming in Concert

Season 48 - Episode 13 - Aired 3/19/2021

Experience the beloved American soprano perform arias by Puccini and Massenet to selections by Handel and Korngold from the intimate music salon of Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.

#14 - Mick Fleetwood & Friends

Season 48 - Episode 23 - Aired 6/5/2021

Experience an all-star concert honoring the early years of Fleetwood Mac and founding member Peter Green at the London Palladium featuring artists including Pete Townshend, Steven Tyler, David Gilmour, Noel Gallagher, Christine McVie and more.

#15 - Uncle Vanya

Season 48 - Episode 18 - Aired 5/7/2021

#16 - Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles

Season 48 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/13/2020

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles is the first documentary to chronicle the complete story of the international Broadway blockbuster musical “Fiddler on the Roof” by exploring the unexpected richness of its themes as well as its extensive reach across time and cultures. “Fiddler on the Roof” is the tale of Jewish immigrants coming to America, of immigrants and refugees trying to escape persecution in their homeland, of the fraying of tradition, generational tension and the loss of roots. Featuring rare archival footage, the documentary also includes personal experiences and insights into the show’s timeless impact from “Fiddler on the Roof” composer and lyricist Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick as well commentary from former cast and creative members along with famous fans impacted by the musical, including Joel Grey, Topol, Harvey Fierstein, Harold Prince, Itzhak Perlman, Stephen Sondheim, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and many others.

#17 - The Magic of Callas

Season 48 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/15/2021

Explore the legacy of superstar Maria Callas in this documentary detailing her 1964 comeback at London’s Royal Opera House in “Tosca,” featuring insights from fans including Rufus Wainwright and opera stars Thomas Hampson and Kristine Opolais.

#18 - Beethoven in Beijing

Season 48 - Episode 16 - Aired 4/16/2021

#19 - The Arts Interrupted

Season 48 - Episode 20 - Aired 5/14/2021

#20 - Andrea Bocelli: Believe

Season 48 - Episode 22 - Aired 6/5/2021

Enjoy the songs of the internationally beloved tenor’s 2020 album recorded on location in Malta. Selections performed include “Gratia Plena,” a duet with Cecilia Bartoli, and new interpretations of “Ave Maria” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

#21 - Great Performances at the Met: Aleksandra Kurzak & Roberto Alagna in Concert

Season 48 - Episode 21 - Aired 6/4/2021

Recorded in August, the married tenor and soprano duo perform arias and duets from the Château de la Chèvre d’Or perched on a cliff in the South of France. selections performed include the love duet from “Madama Butterfly,” the hilarious “Caro elisir” from “L’Elisir d’Amore,” and the Mexican favorite “Cielito Lindo.”

#22 - Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn

Season 48 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/24/2020

Roundabout Theatre Company’s festive production of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn – The Broadway Musical returns to GREAT PERFORMANCES for a special seasonal encore. Inspired by the 1942 Academy Award-winning film starring Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby, Holiday Inn tells the story of Jim, a song & dance man who decides to leave Broadway’s bright lights to settle down at a Connecticut farmhouse. But country life isn’t quite what he expects until he meets Linda, the schoolteacher next door with talent to spare. Together, they turn his farmhouse into a seasonal inn with show-stopping performances to celebrate each holiday. But when Jim’s best friend Ted tries to lure Linda away to be his new Hollywood dance partner, will Jim be able to salvage another chance at love? Starring Bryce Pinkham, Lora Lee Gayer and Corbin Bleu, the score’s back-to-back Irving Berlin hits include “Cheek to Cheek,” “Easter Parade,” “White Christmas” and many more.

#23 - Movies for Grownups® Awards 2021 with AARP The Magazine

Season 48 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/28/2021

#24 - Gloria Estefan: Sangre Yoruba

Season 48 - Episode 26 - Aired 7/9/2021

#25 - Roots of Latin Jazz

Season 48 - Episode 27 - Aired 7/16/2021