My first idea for today was to go with something from the soundtrack of the film Glory, but I ran into trouble finding a live performance.
So instead I give you Quatuor pour la fin du temps by French pianist and composer Olivier Messiaen. He composed this piece while he was at a German POW camp during World War II, and the unusual combination of instruments is due to being imprisoned with several other musicians--who played clarinet, violin, and cello. The piece had its premiere in January 1941 in the Stalag VIII-A camp, with an audience of about 400 prisoners and German guards.
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The fact that this piece exists is unreal.
A fascinating bit of background has to do with the role of German prison guard Karl-Albert Brüll in giving Messaien paper and pencils as well as a quiet space in which to work. There's a little more about his role in the "Prisoner of War" section here.
One of my most favorite pieces of music.
First heard it in St. Paul by the Sartory Quartet, then again at the Bakken Museum (Burt Hara on clarinet). The trick for the performance is keeping the audience from applauding between the eight movements.