That is a line from a hymn. Jay says it must apply to Bach’s Cello Suites, which players of that instrument get to live with all life long — through good times and (maybe most important) bad. Of course, all of the pieces on this program may be called “great companions”: from the pens of composers famous and obscure. An appetizing, companionable episode.

Bach, Allegro assai, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
Bach-Rachmaninoff, Preludio, Violin Partita in E major
Tchaikovsky-Wild, Pas de quatre, “Swan Lake”
Bach, Sarabande, Cello Suite in C minor
Mancini, “Quanto dolce è quell’ardore”
Dalza, “Calata ala spagnola”
Monteverdi, “Quel sguardo sdegnosetto”
Price, F., “Down a Southern Lane”
Trad., arr. F. Price, “My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord”

Music for a While #33: ‘Great are companions such as these’

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The Friends of The New Criterion recently gathered for an evening in celebration of Peter Vertacnik, whose “The Nature of Things Fragile” won the magazine’s twenty-third poetry prize. Listen to hear Peter read a number of poems from this new collection.

Peter Vertacnik reads from “The Nature of Things Fragile”

Jay has assembled a little celebration of spring: songs, arias, a symphony, a sonata. Who doesn’t want to sing spring?

Argento, “Spring,” from “Six Elizabethan Songs”
Sinding, “Rustle of Spring”
Wagner, “Du bist der Lenz,” from “Die Walküre”
Beethoven, “Spring” Sonata, Rondo
Strauss, “Herr Lenz”
Saint-Saëns, “Printemps qui commence,” from “Samson et Dalila”
Schumann, “Er ist’s”
Hoiby, “Always It’s Spring”
Wolf, “Er ist’s”
Schumann, “Spring” Symphony, first movement
Warlock, “Pretty Ring Time”

Music for a While #87: Spring forward

On March 14, the Friends and Young Friends of The New Criterion gathered at the magazine’s headquarters to hear remarks from Dr. Alexander Chula on his new book, “Goodbye, Dr. Banda: Lessons for the West From a Small African Country.”

Goodbye, Dr. Banda

Recently, Carnegie Hall hosted a John Williams gala. The program was all-Williams and the composer himself conducted most of the concert. In this episode, Jay hosts his own little Williams gala.

All by John Williams:
“The Mission”
Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”
Olympic Fanfare and Theme
Main Title from “Catch Me If You Can”
Raiders March from “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”
Flying Theme from “E.T.”
The Imperial March, a.k.a. Darth Vader’s Theme, from “Star Wars”

Music for a While #86: A Williams gala

On February 29, the Galliard Society joined the Friends and Young Friends of The New Criterion at The Players in New York for remarks delivered by Dominic Green.

Music for a While #33: ‘Great are companions such as these’

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