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Jay Nordlinger

Jay Nordlinger has written about music for The New Criterion since 2000. He is a senior editor of National Review and a fellow of the National Review Institute. He does two podcasts: Music for a While and Q&A. Since 2002, he has hosted a series of public interviews at the Salzburg Festival.

Nordlinger is the author of two books from Encounter: Peace, They Say: A History of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Most Famous and Controversial Prize in the World and Children of Monsters: An Inquiry into the Sons and Daughters of Dictators. National Review Books has published two collections of his journalism: Here, There & Everywhere and Digging In.

A native of Michigan, Nordlinger has long lived in New York.

September 13, 2023

Music for a While #80: Telling the time

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

August 29, 2023

Music for a While #79: Flicka-fest

The New Criterion · Music for a While #79: Flicka-fest

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

July 18, 2023

Music for a While #78: Musical moments

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


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