The New Criterion

This episode begins with a liturgical piece by James MacMillan—a living composer—and ends with another liturgical piece by Wynton Marsalis—another living composer. In between, you’ve got some Saint-Saëns, some Sibelius, and some other music. Jay says some provocative—possibly offensive—things about a couple of cello concertos. Otherwise, it’s sweetness and light, mainly. A good show. Tracks played: James Macmillan, Miserere Saint-Saëns, Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor Bach, Sarabande in E flat Sibelius, Scherzo from Symphony No. 1 in E minor Marsalis, Gloria Patri from “The Abyssinian Mass”

The Editor and Publisher of The New Criterion discusses highlights in this month’s issue and remembers the life and work of Peter Collier.

James Panero discusses the architectural virtues and vices of the American home, and culls a few examples of past styles from the city of Portland, Maine.

Jay ends with “Rustle of Spring,” the piano piece by Christian Sinding. It used to be universally known. It deserved to be. Jay also plays Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Shostakovich, Amy Beach, Havergal Brian, and Jörg Widmann. He tells some stories, makes some points. A rich and diverse world, music. Tracks played: Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1 Brian, Double Fugue in E flat Widmann, “Con brio” Brahms, Violin Concerto Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 (Bernstein, New York Philharmonic) Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 (Maazel, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra) Beach, “Ah, Love, but a Day” Sinding, “Rustle of Spring”

James Panero recounts a recent trip to Mystic, Connecticut, and offers his thoughts on “J. M. W. Turner: Watercolors from Tate” and other developments at the Mystic Seaport Museum.

Roger Kimball, the Editor and Publisher of The New Criterion, discusses highlights in this month’s issue and reads from its opening pages.

When Harriet Cohen finishes playing her arrangement of Bach’s “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier,” Jay says, “Holy stuff.” There is other stuff too in this episode: including “Tain’t What You Do (It’s How You Do It).” There may also be a little Beach Boys, classically performed. Jay likes that opening Bach piece so much, he ends with it, too: in a different version. Bach-Cohen, “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier” Gluck, “Che farò senza Euridice?” Oliver and Young, “Tain’t What You Do (It’s How You Do It)” Feinberg, Piano Sonata No. 3 Bernstein, Sonata for Clarinet and Piano Wilson and Love, “Good Vibrations” (sung by the King’s Singers) Grieg-Ginzburg, “In the Hall of the Mountain King” Bach–Swingle Singers, “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier”

Remarks occasioned by Criterion Books’ release of “Old House of Fear” by Russell Kirk, with a new introduction by James Panero. https://newcriterion.com/bookstore?mode=criterion

Gary Saul Morson, the Lawrence B. Dumas Professor of the Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University, delivers the inaugural Circle Lecture on the pernicious legacy of Vladimir Lenin.

Someone asked Jay to name one composer whose music he would take with him to a desert island. He names him (Bach). He also says farewell to Marcello Giordani, the Italian tenor, and Jessye Norman, the American soprano. We also get an opera overture, a Beethoven overture, some Gershwin—and “Take This Job and Shove It.” Quite a menu, quite a program. Tracks played: Bach, Prelude in C major, Book I, “The Well-Tempered Clavier” Chopin, Etude in C major, Op. 10, No. 1 Nicolai, Overture to “The Merry Wives of Windsor” Gershwin, “I Loves You, Porgy” from “Porgy and Bess” Beethoven, Triple Concerto Coe, David Allan, “Take This Job and Shove It” Betta, Marco, “Amuri mancatu” Trad., “Give Me Jesus”

Gary Saul Morson, the Lawrence B. Dumas Professor of the Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University and the author of “Leninthink,” joins James Panero to discuss the pernicious legacy of Vladimir Lenin.

Roger Kimball, the Editor and Publisher of The New Criterion, discusses highlights in this month’s issue and reads from its opening pages.

That’s what Jay calls a Bach piece arranged for organ by Jean Guillou: pure joy. There is some more pure joy in this episode too—including the final movement of Brahms’s Horn Trio, which Jay plays to honor Myron Bloom, the great French-horn player who died on September 26. He also honors, at the end, Christopher Rouse, the American composer, who died on September 21. Music, said Rouse, in a statement to be issued after his passing, “has given me life and a reason for living.” Jay also plays some Ella Fitzgerald, some Leontyne Price, and more. There is also a tale from opera lore: about Rudolf Bing and George Szell, who were too big for the same town. Tracks played: Bach-Guillou, Sinfonia Beethoven, “Pastoral” Symphony Brahms, Horn Trio Gershwin, “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” Chopin, “Winter Wind” Etude Barber, “Knoxville: Summer of 1915” Rouse, Symphony No. 3

Jay does, and you will too. “Who Cares?” is a Gershwin song, which Gershwin arranged for piano (alone). Jay has André Watts play this. He later has Ella Fitzgerald sing the song, accompanied by another André, Previn. In between, he talks about Gabriel Fauré, and plays him. He talks about Arcadi Volodos, than whom there is no better pianist in the world, Jay says. We hear Volodos in Bach—Bach arranged by Samuil Feinberg, an earlier Russian pianist. We hear more Bach, played by Feinberg himself. And some Callas. And some Offenbach. A wonderful menu of music, with tasty comments to go with it. Tracks played: Gershwin, “Who Cares?,” arranged for piano by the composer Fauré, Violin and Piano Sonata No. 2, third movement Bach-Feinberg, Largo from Bach’s Trio Sonata No. 5, BWV 529, for organ Bach, Prelude and Fugue in C major, Book II, “The Well-Tempered Clavier” Cherubini, “Dei tuoi figli la madre,” from “Medea” Offenbach, “Galop infernal” (“Can-Can”), from “Orpheus in the Underworld” Gershwin, “Who Cares?,

Roger Kimball, the editor and publisher of The New Criterion, accepts the 2019 Thomas L. Phillips Career Achievement Award from the Fund for American Studies at the twenty-sixth annual TFAS Journalism Awards Dinner on September 12.

As Jay tells us at the beginning, he has been reviewing from two summer festivals: the Mostly Mozart Festival (New York) and the Salzburg Festival, in Mozart’s hometown. He discusses and plays a variety of music performed at these festivals: Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Enescu – and Mozart, for sure. Tracks played: Mozart, Overture to “The Magic Flute” Mendelssohn, “Variations sérieuses” Beethoven, Violin Concerto Enescu, Octet Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat, K. 595 Handel, “Tornami a vagheggiar,” from “Alcina” Handel, “Verdi prati,” from “Alcina” Haydn, Symphony No. 88

James Panero on the beginning and end of the Most Serene Republic, occasioned by "Venice's last judgment" from the September 2019 issue.

Roger Kimball, the Editor and Publisher of The New Criterion, discusses highlights in this month’s issue and reads from its opening pages.

Jay revisits some old favorites and hails at least one new favorite. Tracks played: Tchaikovsky, Waltz from “The Sleeping Beauty” Mozart, Sonata for Violin and Piano in B flat, K. 454 Steve Reich, “It’s Gonna Rain” McHugh/Koehler, “Spreadin’ Rhythm Around” Arvo Pärt, Symphony No. 4 Arensky, Piano Trio in D minor Scriabin, Prelude in C major, Op. 13, No. 1 Robby Dupree, “Steal Away”

A conversation on cultural politics, occasioned by the resignation of Warren B. Kanders from the board of the Whitney Museum of American Art.