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/.