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They’ve talked about it for several weeks, and they’ve finally done it: Mona and Jay have made a music podcast. They take you on a musical tour, starting with Thomas Tallis, looking in on Mozart and Beethoven, visiting Verdi and Wagner, whooping it up with Gershwin, and ending with two composers of today. You get some Renaissance music, some Baroque, some Classical, some Romantic, a dose of French Impressionism, Schoenberg’s “air of different planets,” and so on. This is a sampler. Mona and Jay have some conversation, but mainly they give you music: less talk, more rock. Enjoy.
Note: We (meaning Blue Yeti, not Mona and Jay) struggled with some audio issues during the recording and post-production of this episode. We thought about scrapping the whole thing, but decided to put it out even though it’s below our standards. We apologize in advance and promise to do better next time.
Update: The playlist for this show may be viewed and downloaded here.
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Wonderful podcast. Mona’s passion and Jay’s encyclopedic knowledge (and passion) make for a great musical podcast.
It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if they did this periodically.
Dear Mona and Jay, thank you so much for the podcast.
Yes, that was lovely. I’m a little disappointed by some composers who were left out (Haydn! Mahler! Stravinsky!), but hey, that was inevitable: even in a 90 minute music-fest someone won’t make the cut.
No Handel? No Haydn? No Monteverdi? Quel outrage!
I jest. Thank you, Jay and Mona, for setting aside 90 minutes for this classical music podcast. We need occasional respite from politics.
It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if they did this periodically.
Second that!
I enjoyed it, too. I’m a big fan of Tallis (and Byrd, Palestrina, etc.). Which group performed the Tallis piece in the podcast? It didn’t sound like the recordings I have.
Thank you for doing this! Lots of fun. Next time, maybe a little love for the seventeenth century?
More of these please!
Jay, Mona, great podcast. Please do this again.
Mona and Jay,
Thank you so much for this podcast. It lightened my spirits. Recently I’ve suffered loss; 3/5 my grandmother passed away and 3/16 my dog passed away. Needless to say, I’ve had more emotional darkness than light the past few weeks. The opening piece by Talus made me stop what I was doing and just listen. It brought tears to my eyes, but they were of joy for the beauty of the music. Thank you for introducing me to Talus.
Jay’s question: Bach or Shakespeare, who the greatest genius mankind has ever created?
My answer: As much as I love and revere Shakespeare I have to say Bach. To truly appreciate Shakespeare one must be familiar with the English language. One must merely possess a soul to be touched by Bach.
Good stuff (says this jazz lover). Feels a little like I grew up on spareribs and you just served me a filet. I cannot possibly be appreciating it as I should be.
Can we get a play list?
By the way, I say short-liv-ed but long-live-d. So am I only half barbaric?
I loved this podcast! Thank you.
I’m glad you finally did this, although for me music is generally something that comes in 3-minute chunks and you sing along with in the car. I was a teenager in the 70’s and that’s the music I know by heart.
Most was ok, but opera is painful. Listening to that is like getting poked with a stick over and over. And the minimalist stuff toward the end? The first 15 seconds were promising, but then – dismay. They did that on purpose??
I could listen to more from the guy who wrote the “kill the wabbit” music.
Loved the podcast! But no Liszt on the musical tribute list?
Liszt and Beethoven were soulmates
He had an impressionist imprint on Edouard Manet wife Suzanne Leenhoff who he praised on hearing her play and advised her to go to Paris and study
Going Home was the performed in Anatole Litvak’s great movie drama The Snake Pit
Liszt was a great supporter of Wagner and Daniel Barenboim writes an interesting piece on Wagner War and Ideology. Barenboim also plays Liszt wonderfully.
And here is the full 1960 Franz Liszt movie in glorious color A Song Without End Enjoy!!
Oh, you make it so hard to write comments, so much here to talk about, and only 200 characters. I may have to listen again and just spam the chat window.
I’d like to echo Palestrina; if anyone knows the performance of the Tallis peace, I’d very much appreciate it. Also, a playlist does seem to be a no-brainer for this podcast.
For those that are asking, here is the list of all the music played in this show and their corresponding YouTube links.
Thank you for the music list, Blue Yeti!
Mona and Jay, I just love listening to your podcasts, but I especially applaud you for taking the time to assemble and present material such as this. In giving these pieces to us with your stories and insights, my heart was tuned to hear them as if they were new.
It’s common to complain about the rot spreading in our culture–the only way I know to stop the decay is to devote the energy and attention necessary for preserving and presenting its masterworks. In that appreciation is born the desire to create one’s own art, and ultimately, to comprehend all of Creation.
If the urge should arise to produce another music episode, it will be most welcome.
Mona and Jay:
What a breath of fresh air! I think you should do a musical journey podcast once a season.
The revelation to me was the Schoenberg. I’ve tried him many a time, but heard along with all the others, he seemed to to fit right in, and was quite compelling.
You guys are always great, but broadening out the subject matter to things that really matter, well that’s something!!!
Thanks,
Gil Martin
Thanks Blue Yeti!
The playlist can be viewed and downloaded here.
Can we get a play list?
By the way, I say short-liv-ed but long-live-d. So am I only half barbaric? ·April 2, 2013 at 10:54pm
Yes, to this podcast giving me a greater understanding of, and appreciation for classical music. Please provide podcasts like this quarterly or semi-annually.
A big second to NewRabble’s call for ‘a copy of the play list.’ If the playlist can be obtained I plan using it to create a Classical Pandora station on my iPhone.·1 hour ago
For many weeks now, I have had it in the back of my mind that I must comment on how much I enjoy Mona and Jay in their weekly podcast. In addition to their opinions and rapport with each other, I appreciate their dedication. With the exception of the main Ricochet podcast, Mona and Jay are the only podcast team that consistently put out a podcast each week. They are obviously cut from the same cloth as my parents, who admonished me to follow through with the commitments that I make. I hate to load these two up with another commitment, but the musical tour was delightful, and would make a weekly podcast that I would certainly look forward to with anticipation.
Very nice of you to say, Jonathan. Ironically, they are taking this week off because Mona is a bit under the weather.
Can we get a play list?
By the way, I say short-liv-ed but long-live-d. So am I only half barbaric? ·April 2, 2013 at 10:54pm
Yes, to this podcast giving me a greater understanding of, and appreciation for classical music. Please provide podcasts like this quarterly or semi-annually.
A big second to NewRabble’s call for ‘a copy of the play list.’ If the playlist can be obtained I plan using it to create a Classical Pandora station on my iPhone.
Blue Yeti, Thanks for the link. Based on this list I’ve created a custom classical Pandora station. I’m listening to it at this moment.
Appreciate the find work you do on Ricochet.
Can we get a play list?
By the way, I say short-liv-ed but long-live-d. So am I only half barbaric? ·April 2, 2013 at 10:54pm
Yes, to this podcast giving me a greater understanding of, and appreciation for classical music. Please provide podcasts like this quarterly or semi-annually.
A big second to NewRabble’s call for ‘a copy of the play list.’ If the playlist can be obtained I plan using it to create a Classical Pandora station on my iPhone.·1 hour ago
Edited on April 4, 2013 at 11:29pm
Fantastic podcast, Jay and Mona. Thank you!
I recently began singing with a Latin Mass choir and have recently been introduced to greats like Palestrina and Byrd. I am about to sing the Tallis piece at a Vocations Rosary. Another one to add to the list for surprising vocal compositions is Elgar. While most are familiar with him because of his cello concerto, he has some simple, yet beautiful choral comps.
My oldest son is currently working his way through Bach’s cello suite and my 13 year old son is studying Saint-Saens’ Concerto No. 1 in A minor. I must say that part of the experience of cello is watching the cellist perform. My 13 year old is transported to a world all his own when he plays. You can actually see when he leaves reality here and when he returns. Quite fascinating.
I second (or third) the calls for another music-themed podcast.
Thank you Mona and Jay for this beautiful podcast. I must have listened to it four times already. The selections were so thoughtful. More of this please!Also thanks to Blue Yeti.