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”

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

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