The New Criterion

Jay offers tracks of various types—appropriate to the season. From William Byrd on through spirituals and George Shearing. Merry Christmas. Bach, Christmas Oratorio Handel, “Messiah” Byrd, “This Day Christ Was Born” Niles, “I Wonder as I Wander” “Ding Dong! Merrily on High,” with George Shearing and his quintet Gounod, “Noël” Leontovych, “Carol of the Bells” Trad.?, “Long Ago in Bethlehem” Rutter, “Shepherd Pipe’s Carol” Adam, “O Holy Night” A medley of spirituals, from Chanticleer

Mussorgsky was inspired by some pictures at an exhibition. Mendelssohn, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky, among others, were inspired by their sojourns in Italy. In this podcast, Jay leads an enjoyable and enriching tour. Mussorgsky, “Pictures at an Exhibition” Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4, Saltarello Strauss, “Aus Italien,” “Neapolitan Folk Life” Tchaikovsky, “Capriccio italien” Verdi, “Va, pensiero,” from “Nabucco” Mozart, “Ave verum corpus” Sibelius, “The Swan of Tuonela” Mozart, “Alleluia” from “Exsultate, jubilate”

Executive Editor James Panero sits down with Visiting Critic Wilfred M. McClay to discuss “The burden of the humanities,” the fifth annual Circle Lecture of The New Criterion. The full text of the speech will be available in the November 2023 issue. For more information about the Circle of The New Criterion, visit newcriterion.com/circle.

A phrase has crept up into our political discussion: “to know what time it is.” Jay begins this episode with a Rodgers & Hart song: “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was.” Then we have Mozart, Boccherini, Rachmaninoff, Donizetti—a slew of interesting items. The episode ends with Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five. Rodgers & Hart, arr. Riddle, “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” Mozart, String Quartet in C, K. 465, first movement Boccherini, Quintet No. 4, “Fandango” movement Rachmaninoff, Serenade in B-flat minor, Op. 3, No. 5 Donizetti, excerpt from “Poliuto” Rachmaninoff, “Lilacs,” arranged by the composer for piano Rachmaninoff, “Lilacs” (song) Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Quintet in F major, Op. 143, first movement Atkins, “Heebie Jeebies”

Frederica von Stade—known all over as “Flicka”—is an American mezzo-soprano and one of the greatest singers of our time, or any. Last month, Jay recorded a podcast with her, a “Q&A”: here. She is one of the most versatile singers. What Jay presents here is a sampler. Mozart, “Ah, perdona al primo affetto,” from “La clemenza di Tito” Fauré, “La rose” Trad., arr. Britten, “O Waly, Waly,” “Come You Not from Newcastle?,” “Oliver Cromwell” Rossini, “Bel raggio lusinghier,” from “Semiramide” Trad., arr. Canteloube, “Baïlèro,” from “Chants d’Auvergne” Hall, “Jenny Rebecca” Berlioz, “L’île inconnu,” from “Les nuits d’été” Mahler, Symphony No. 4, last movement

Several composers have written “moments musicaux,” or “musical moments,” including Schubert and Rachmaninoff. So has a contemporary American, Joshua Nichols. Jay plays a “moment” from each composer. (Actually, Rachmaninoff gets two.) He also plays music from Brazil, etc. The episode ends with a souvenir of the late André Watts. Rachmaninoff, Moment musical in C major, Op. 16, No. 6 Villa-Lobos, Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 Villa-Lobos, “A prole do bebê” (complete) Oswald, Elegy Nichols, Joshua, Moment musical, “A great slide with a side of funk” Offenbach, Barcarolle from “The Tales of Hoffmann” Rachmaninoff, Moments musicaux, Op. 16 (complete) Verdi, “Non so le tetre immagini,” from “Il corsaro” Schubert, Moment musical in F minor, Op. 94, No. 3

A program of American, or American-ish, music, in honor of Independence Day. Trad., “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” Dvorak, String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, “American,” final movement Puccini, “ Dovunque al mondo ,” from “Madama Butterfly” Joplin, “Gladiolus Rag” Gershwin, “Summertime,” from “Porgy and Bess” Gershwin-Wild, Virtuoso Étude on “Liza” Copland, “Going to Heaven!” Wheeler, “Isolation Rag” Bernstein, “Mambo,” from “West Side Story” Harbison, “Standards” Lowry-Copland, “At the River”

Yes, June is bustin’ out, and so is a new episode. Jay plays that song and several others, known and less known. There’s also piano music, a violin piece—a tasty musical meal. Rodgers & Hammerstein, “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over,” from “Carousel” Kern & Harbach, “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” from “Roberta” Albéniz, “Evocación,” from “Iberia,” Book 1 Strauss, Adolf, “Ich weiß bestimmt, ich werd' dich wiedersehen” Bloch, “Nigun,” from “Baal Shem” Romberg & Hammerstein, “Stout-hearted Men,” from “The New Moon” Lehrer, “Alma” Respighi, “Notturno”

Roger Kimball, the Editor and Publisher of The New Criterion, discusses highlights of the June 2023 issue and reads from its opening pages.

“Zadok the Priest” is the musical hit of British coronations, and has been since the 1720s. “The Swan” is a hit too, and is never more magical than in Godowsky’s piano arrangement. These are two of the selections in this episode. Others are by Mozart, Leroy Anderson, and other worthies. An appetizing, eclectic menu. Handel, “Zadok the Priest” Mozart, Serenade from “Don Giovanni” Anderson, Piano Concerto in C Handel, “Ah, mio cor, schernito sei,” from “Alcina” Saint-Saëns-Godowsky, “The Swan” Bacewicz, String Quartet No. 4 Cilea, “Poveri fiori” from “Adriana Lecouvreur” Bach-Godowsky, Andante from the Violin Sonata No. 2 in A minor

On May 11, 2023, The New Criterion welcomed Lincoln Jones, the director of the American Contemporary Ballet, Los Angeles, alongside the dancer Hannah Barr for a discussion and demonstration of ballet at a Friends and Young Friends spring soirée in the editorial offices, with an introduction by Executive Editor James Panero. To become a Friend or Young Friend of The New Criterion, follow this link: https://newcriterion.com/friends.

Isaac Sligh & James Panero discuss the Republic of Georgia, Crusaders, travel writing, audiophiles & more. To read Isaac's article on Crusaders and the Caucasus in The Critic, visit https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/march-2023/land-of-ghosts-and-legends/. To learn more about the Ralston Listening Library, which Isaac used to curate, visit https://new.sewanee.edu/ralstonlisteninglibrary/.

Roger Kimball, the Editor and Publisher of The New Criterion, discusses highlights of the May 2023 issue and reads from its opening pages.

Jay concludes this episode with “Speak Low,” the Kurt Weill song (lyrics by Ogden Nash). Before that, you have any number of other interesting things. Well, a specific number: six. A very tasty menu of music. Handel, “The Harmonious Blacksmith” Strauss, “Malven” Boccherini-Berio, “Ritirata notturna di Madrid” García Lorca, “Sevillanas” Wagner, “Lohengrin,” Prelude to Act III Wolf, “Die Spröde” Weill & Nash, “Speak Low”

A program of music, by a slew of composers. Bach, “Preis und Dank,” from the Easter Oratorio Bach, “Mache dich, mein Herze, rein,” from the St. Matthew Passion Mascagni, Easter Hymn, from “Cavalleria rusticana” Trad., arr. Bonds, “You Can Tell the World” Handel, “I know that my Redeemer liveth,” from “Messiah” Rimsky-Korsakov, “Russian Easter Festival Overture” Fauré, Pie Jesu, from Requiem East, James H., “He’s So Wonderful” Mahler, Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection”

Adam Kirsch & James Panero discuss the April poetry issue, the New Criterion Poetry Prize, and more. Brian Brodeur reads selections from his winning book, Some Problems with Autobiography (Criterion Books).

Roger Kimball, the Editor and Publisher of The New Criterion, discusses highlights of the April 2023 issue and reads from its opening pages.

A smorgasbord of music, from the light and Viennesey to the angular and modern. Bacewicz, Overture for Orchestra Vustin, “Lamento” Sæverud, “Ballad of Revolt” Johnston/Burke, “Pennies from Heaven” Escaich, “Nun komm” Helmesberger, “Entr’acte Valse” Mussorgsky, Serenade, from “Songs and Dances of Death” Strauss, Eduard, “Mit Extrapost — Polka schnell” Giordano, “Amor ti vieta,” from “Fedora”

Roger Kimball, the Editor and Publisher of The New Criterion, discusses highlights of the March 2023 issue and reads from its opening pages.

Robert Erickson and James Panero discuss Plutarch, plays, pastrami, and more. The second of our podcasts on the Hilton Kramer Fellowship. The texts used in the New Criterion classics reading group are as follows: —Histories, Herodotus, Landmark Edition, tr. Andrea L. Purvis, ed. Robert B. Strassler —Persians, Aeschylus, tr. Janet Lembke & C. J. Herrington —Theogony and Works & Days, Hesiod, tr. M. L. West —Parallel Lives, Plutarch, tr. John Dryden, ed. Arthur Hugh Clough —Metamorphoses, Ovid, tr. Charles Martin —Aeneid, Vergil, tr. Sarah Ruden