On January 22, Friends of The New Criterion gathered at the offices of the magazine to celebrate the publication of Brooke Allen’s “Good Bones: Glorious Relics from the Age of Reading.”

“Chronological order is not the only order,” says Jay in this episode, but “it’s not a bad” one. The episode starts in the sixteenth century—“Gaudete, Christus est natus.” It stays there for a while and then goes to Bach, spirituals, Reger, Berlin (Irving), jazz, and more. A beautiful and diverse seasonal outpouring. A gift from composers, poets, and musical performers.

Trad., “Gaudete, Christus est natus”

Trad., “Ding Dong Merrily on High”

Walton, “What cheer?”

Bach, “Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen,” from the Christmas Oratorio

Trad., “I Saw Three Ships”

Reger, “Mariae Wiegenlied”

Martin/Blane, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

Brahe/Taylor, “Bless This House”

Berlin, “White Christmas”

Pierpont, “Jingle Bells”

Trad., “What Month Was Jesus Born In?”

Coots/Gillespie, “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”

Trad., “Jerusalem in the Morning”

On October 22, Friends of The New Criterion gathered at a private New York club to hear Andrew Jones discuss his latest book, “The London Club: Architecture, Interiors, Art.”

This episode is about songs of the heart. There is one from Russia, performed two different ways. (That song is by a man named Tolstoy, although not the author of those great novels.) There is one from Samoa. This episode contains assorted treasures—not the least of them by J. S. Bach.

Bellini, Excerpt from “La sonnambula”

Bellini, Excerpt from “La sonnambula”

Bach, Fugue in G major, BWV 577

Bach, “Liebster Jesu,” BWV 731

Tolstoy-Lim, “On This Quiet Summer Night”

Tolstoy, “On This Quiet Summer Night”

Trad., “La’u Lupe”

This episode begins with a Tchaikovsky work, Souvenir de Florence, heard at the Salzburg Festival this summer. There are other “souvenirs” from the festival too—by Mozart, Scriabin, et al. And the variety of performers is gratifying.

Tchaikovsky, Sextet in D minor (“Souvenir de Florence”)

Handel, “Vivi, tiranno! Io t’ho scampato,” from “Rodelinda”

Scriabin, Poème in F-sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 1

Mozart, “Dalla sua pace,” from “Don Giovanni”

Mompou, “Secret Bird” from “Intimate Impressions”

Huang Tzu, “Flower in the Mist”

Mozart, “Chi in Dio solo spera,” from “David penitente”

Jay offers a personal appreciation of Rodion Shchedrin (1932–2025).

Bizet-Shchedrin, “Changing of the Guard,” from “Carmen Suite”

Bizet-Shchedrin, “Bolero,” from “Carmen Suite”

Rachmaninoff, Prelude in G-sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12

Shchedrin, “Humoresque”

Shchedrin, Piano Concerto No. 1, Scherzo-toccata

Tchaikovsky, “Miniature overture,” from “The Nutcracker”

Shchedrin, Chamber Suite, Finale

In recent days, the music world—classical and popular—has lost Alfred Brendel and Brian Wilson. Jay pays due tribute. He has other selections as well—beginning with a summer song, refreshing on a hot day, or any.

Berlioz, “Villanelle,” from “Les nuits d’été”

Mozart, Piano Sonata in E flat, K. 282, third movement

Schubert, “Moments musicaux” No. 3

Liszt, “Eclogue,” from “Years of Pilgrimage: Year One: Switzerland”

Trad., “Do, Lawd, Oh, Do, Lawd”

Trad., “Walk Together, Children”

Wilson-Love, arr., Chilcott, “Good Vibrations”

Ricky Ian Gordon has written a cycle of songs about flowers. In this episode, we hear one of them. Rachmaninoff wrote a song called “Lilacs.” We hear that, too. Bach opens his Goldberg Variations with an aria (and closes the work with that same aria). Tchaikovsky’s wrote a couple of blockbuster arias in The Queen of Spades. And on we go.

Gordon, “We should not mind so small a flower”

Rachmaninoff, “Lilacs”

Bach, Goldberg Variations

Tchaikovsky, Lisa’s Aria from Act III of “The Queen of Spades”

Tchaikovsky, Prince Yeletsky’s Aria, Act II, “The Queen of Spades”

Tchaikovsky, “It was in early spring”

Shostakovich, Prelude in D-flat major

Bach-Kempff, Siciliano

Have you ever heard Contemplazione, a piece for orchestra by Catalani, the composer of La Wally? Have you ever heard “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”—but arranged for piano? These are two of the offerings in this eclectic, stimulating program.

Catalani, “Contemplazione”

Catalani, “Ebben? Ne andró lontana,” from “La Wally”

Stravinsky, “Le Baiser de la fée”

Shchedrin, “Changing of the Guard” from “Carmen Suite”

Fauré, Pavane

Churchill-Walford, “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”

Tveitt, “Sonata etere”

Sibelius, “Was It a Dream?”

Weill, “My Ship”

This year marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Maurice Ravel’s birth. So we have been hearing a lot of him. Jay plays two pieces by him—two of his best, and most typical. There are also Spanish songs, by Obradors and Rodrigo. Some Schumann, some Vaughan Williams, and so on. Plus several stories—personal ones. An enriching, smile-making program.

Obradors, “Del cabello más sutil”

Rodrigo, “De ronda”

Bernstein, Sonata for Clarinet and Piano

Beethoven, “Leonore” Overture No. 3

Vaughan Williams, “Linden Lea”

Ravel, “Pavane for a Dead Princess”

Schumann, Sonata in D minor for Piano and Violin

Handel, “Son nata a lagrimar,” from “Giulio Cesare”

Ravel, “The Fairy Garden” from the “Mother Goose” Suite