Jellinek at MTR

My friend Rebecca Paller, a brilliant writer and a curator at New York's Museum of Television & Radio, has organized some of the city's finest cultural offerings in recent years: the Balanchine and Sammy Davis, Jr. retrospectives; screenings of classic NBC Opera Theater telecasts; and tonight's sold-out tribute to George Jellinek.

What a marvelous program it was, hosted by WQXR's Robert Sherman, with Mr. Jellinek holding forth in his typically courtly and gemütlich manner. There were excerpts from legendary broadcasts, including interviews of Renata Tebaldi, Marilyn Horne, Risë Stevens, and Patrice Munsel. Mme Munsel herself was in attendance, resplendent in a Russian fur hat (not one of those Bob Sacamano numbers, mind you). She regaled the crowd with memories of Jan Peerce and the "sexy" Ezio Pinza.

Two bits of news: Mr. Jellinek is at work on his memoirs; and broadcasts of classic "Vocal Scene" episodes *may* resume "after a decent interval." WQXR will make the call, apparently, so perhaps it would be helpful for us Jellinek fans to weigh in.

Alison Ames of 21C Media Group was one of many music professionals on hand. She mentioned how Mr. Jellinek's broadcasts and kind encouragement had inspired her to pursue a career in the arts. When I hosted "Great Singers of the Century" oh-so-many years ago on WHRB, I modeled my humble efforts on Mr. Jellinek's program. I offer audio clips at vilaine fille in part to help fill the void left by his retirement—nel mio piccolo, to be sure.

The program ended with "Au mont Ida" from Offenbach's La Belle Hélène, the buoyant 1938 recording by Jussi Bjoerling, whom Mr. Jellinek praised for his "eternally youthful and boundlessly optimistic" sound. Recalling the time and effort he devoted to "The Vocal Scene," Mr. Jellinek said, "It didn't seem like work." Listening to Mr. Jellinek was certainly nothing but joy. He is missed… and his many fans look forward to hearing and reading him soon.