Jay begins with a toast from “La rondine,” Puccini’s opera; he ends with “The Lord’s Prayer,” sung by Leontyne Price on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Lots in between, of course: including tributes to the jazz pianist and composer Claude Bolling; the jazz guitarist Pat Metheny; and the organist John Weaver. A delicious program.

Puccini, “Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso,” from “La rondine”

Fauré, “Reflets dans l’eau”

Bolling, “Baroque and Blue,” from Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano

Prokofiev, Piano Sonata No. 7

Metheny, “Have You Heard”

Weaver, Variation on “Sine Nomine”

Malotte, “The Lord’s Prayer”

What a strange title. What could it mean? That Jay addresses “The Well-Tempered Clavier” (both books), that masterpiece by Bach. And that he addresses music by Catalan composers. A successful mixture, we think you will find.

Bach, Prelude and Fugue in C major, “The Well-Tempered Clavier,” Book II

Montsalvatge, two songs from “Cinco canciones negras”

Mompou, “Secreto,” from “Impresiones íntimas”

Mompou, “Damunt de tu només les flors,” from “Combat del somni”

Fábregas, Elisenda, “Pluja brodada,” from “Imitació del foc”

Bach, Prelude and Fugue in F-sharp minor, “The Well-Tempered Clavier,” Book I

Bach, “Gigue” Fugue in G major

James Panero, the Executive Editor of The New Criterion, sits down with Isaac Sligh, the 2020–21 Hilton Kramer Fellow, to discuss Isaac’s travels in the Russian Arctic and in the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia.

Roger Kimball, the Editor and Publisher of The New Criterion, discusses highlights of the February 2021 issue and reads from its opening pages.

James Panero, the Executive Editor of The New Criterion, discusses the history of Pennsylvania Station and the new Moynihan Train Hall in Manhattan.

In 1913, Vachel Lindsay wrote “General William Booth Enters into Heaven.” It speaks of the founder of the Salvation Army. Peggy Noonan cited this poem in a recent column. In 1914, Charles Ives set the poem to music. You will hear it in this episode. Also a Beatles concerto (yes), a rag by an early Metropolitan Opera soprano (yes), some American standards, and, at the end, transcendent Mahler. Jay plays off a good amount of reader mail. An amazingly eclectic, interesting episode.

Shchedrin, Piano Concerto No. 1

Robison, “Think Well of Me”

Rutter, “Beatles Concerto,” first movement

Pinkard-Alexander-Mitchell, “Sugar”

Ives, “General William Booth Enters into Heaven”

Pinkard-Bernie-Casey, “Sweet Georgia Brown”

Case, “Metropolitan Rag”

Handel, “Rejoice greatly,” from “Messiah”

Mahler, Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection”

Roger Kimball, the Editor and Publisher of The New Criterion, discusses highlights of the January 2021 issue and reads from its opening pages.

Jay has an assortment for you—some Bach, some jazz, some Russian, some French, a spiritual . . . It all ends with a thrilling “First Nowell.”

Bach, “Jauchzet, frohlocket,” Christmas Oratorio

Berlin, “White Christmas”

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

Gauntlett, “Once in Royal David’s City”

Trad., “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”

Chesnokov, “Gabriel Appeared”

Trad., “Il est né, le divin Enfant”

Trad., “Somebody Talkin’ ’bout Jesus”

Trad., “The First Nowell”

James Panero, Benjamin Riley & Andrew L. Shea discuss the 2020 art issue and look ahead to 2021.

Read “Albert Pinkham Ryder: isolato of the brush,” by Andrew L. Shea:

https://newcriterion.com/issues/2020/12/albert-pinkham-ryder-isolato-of-the-brush

Read Benjamin Riley’s interview with Clive Aslet & Dylan Thomas:

https://newcriterion.com/issues/2020/12/an-interview-with-clive-aslet-dylan-thomas

Read “Unmaking the met,” by James Panero:

https://newcriterion.com/issues/2020/12/unmaking-the-met

This episode is a real smorgasbord—works, mainly short, by Domenico Scarlatti, Rachmaninoff, Duparc, Stravinsky, Jonathan Dove, and Jerome Kern, among others. A tasty, diverse spread. You may well want it all.

Scarlatti, D., Sonata in G, K. 14

Rachmaninoff, Andante, Cello Sonata

Duparc, Lento, Cello Sonata

Lachenmann, “Five Variations on a Theme by Franz Schubert”

Stravinsky, Piece for Solo Clarinet

Shostakovich, Impromptu (for viola and piano)

Dove, “Fair Ship,” from “Under Alter’d Skies”

Kern-Tatum, “The Way You Look Tonight”