00:50] NARVAEZ: Song of the Emperor and Variations on a Spanish Tune
[07:20] BACH: Prelude (from Cello Suite No.1)
[10:25] D. SCARLATTI: Sonata in A Major, K.322
[13:41] WEISS: Allegretto
[17:10] SOR: Minuet in A Major, Op. 11, No. 6
[21:16] TANSMAN: “Berceuse d’Orient;” “Mazurka”
[28:29] CRESPO: “Norteña”
[31:58] TCHAIKOVSKY: “Mazurka,” from Album for the Young
[34:19] TORROBA: Sonatina
[48:10] VILLA-LOBOS: Prelude No. 1
[54:19] Encores

Recorded March 10, 1980 at 92nd Street Y.

Andrés Segovia: Solo Guitar Recital at 92Y, 1980

Recorded March 31, 1983 at 92nd Street Y.

Italo Calvino reading from Invisible Cities, Mr. Palomar and other collections | 92Y Readings

In this episode of 92NY Talks, join Walter Isaacson - the bestselling author of biographies of Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein - as he sits down with bestselling author Michael Lewis to discuss Issacson’s latest, Elon Musk. It's an astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era, a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence. Oh, and he took over Twitter.
 
The conversation was recorded on September 13, 2023 in front of a live audience at The 92nd Street Y, New York.

Walter Isaacson in Conversation with Michael Lewis: Elon Musk

Christopher Hitchens sits down with Salman Rushdie to discuss Hitchens’ searing memoir, Hitch 22, that lays bare the many contradictions in his life and affirms his conviction that all personal is also political. This was recorded June 8, 2010 at 92nd Street Y.

Christopher Hitchens with Salman Rushdie: 92Y Talks Podcast Episode 3

Renowned British ethologist, Richard Dawkins, discusses science and religion with physicist and World Science Festival co-founder Brian Greene. Recorded September 24, 2013 at 92nd Street Y.

Richard Dawkins with Brian Greene: 92Y Talks Episode 4

Elizabeth Bowen was often in America, teaching and lecturing, in the 1950s and 1960s, and was a regular at the 92nd Street Y, where she was treated like the undoubted star she was then, a major writer on a level with George Eliot, Jane Austen, Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf. For readers familiar with the edgy, dark, intense modernity of those novels, Bowen’s voice in this recording will come as a shock. She sounds old-school posh, in the Anglo-Irish tradition, with grandly archaic upper-crust intonations. The effect is compounded by a stately rate of speech, evidently a technique for controlling her pronounced stammer while lecturing. But quite often the stammer intrudes, catching her on a wildly rolling “r” or a sibilant “s.” Stylish, measured composure is drastically subverted from within, which is also what is going on in her novels, and relates to what she is saying about fiction in these talks.

This 1950 lecture, The Poetic Element in Fiction, tracks a (debatable) history of the novel from bardic, “primitive” story-telling and poetic language; to the Age of Reason, when it became “more firmly rooted to earth” and committed to facts and social realities; to the period of “psychological overflow” (for instance the Russian novelists), when it opened up to “the irrational and unregimentable elements in humanity.” Admirer though she is of James and Proust, Bowen says the novel, by their time, was dragging along too much “heaviness.” The modern short story had a good influence and brought back poetry and simplicity into fiction. Now her anxiety is about the pressure of “mass production” and “mass opinion”—the domination of  “the generalized experience.” It is hard for the individual writer not to succumb without “withdrawing” entirely to the treatment of “internal scenery.”

Elizabeth Bowen - The Poetic Element in Fiction

Elizabeth Bowen was often in America, teaching and lecturing, in the 1950s and 1960s, and was a regular at the 92nd Street Y, where she was treated like the undoubted star she was then, a major writer on a level with George Eliot, Jane Austen, Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf. For readers familiar with the edgy, dark, intense modernity of those novels, Bowen’s voice in this recording will come as a shock. She sounds old-school posh, in the Anglo-Irish tradition, with grandly archaic upper-crust intonations. The effect is compounded by a stately rate of speech, evidently a technique for controlling her pronounced stammer while lecturing. But quite often the stammer intrudes, catching her on a wildly rolling “r” or a sibilant “s.” Stylish, measured composure is drastically subverted from within, which is also what is going on in her novels, and relates to what she is saying about fiction in these talks.

In this 1954 talk, The Problems of Contemporary Literature, she pursues the pressures on the contemporary writer, of whom it’s demanded that “he” (as she mostly says) must be “of  his time.” But the essential condition for creating fiction is that one should be unconscious and intuitive, like a child playing. The current demand that writers should “express” the state of the world they live in—be a “mouthpiece for their generation”—forces them to be “self-conscious.” Shakespeare, she maintains, stood in a “totally unconscious” relation to his age. Now there are thousands of people in a state of disturbed, “semi-confused” consciousness—especially in big cities like New York—not knowing how to deal with the “stupefying” advance “of technical things, of scientific things,” feeling “obliterated” as individuals. They look to the writer to express their incoherent state of mind. But the writer must be able to be free from that sense of obligation, to be “primarily original, unaccommodating,” an “advance-guard” for the unknown future.

Elizabeth Bowen - The Problems of Contemporary Literature

Amid a popular debate over whether today’s young women embrace or reject the word feminist, bestselling author and trans women’s rights activist Janet Mock, Joy Reid, host of MSNBC’s The Reid Report, and Lizz Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show and head of Lady Parts Justice, join Mic senior editor Elizabeth Plank for a look at women, advocacy and the millennial generation. What constitutes modern feminism and how is it changing the world? Is celebrity feminism helping or hindering the cause? How has social media shaped the movement into a more equal and democratic space for young women to express themselves? Recorded December 10, 2014 at 92nd Street Y.

Pass the Mic - Millennial Feminism: 92Y Talks Episode 26

In this episode of 92NY Talks, join award-winning host of the hit podcast Here’s Where It Gets Interesting and “America’s Government Teacher” Sharon McMahon with Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns for a discussion on the ordinary Americans who form the backbone of our society — and her new book, The Small and the Mighty.

The conversation was recorded on September 25 , 2024 in front of a live audience at The 92nd Street Y, New York.

Sharon McMahon in Conversation with Ken Burns: The Small and the Mighty

In this episode of 92NY talks, join #1 New York Times-bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell with New Yorker Editor-in-Chief David Remnick, discussing Gladwell’s latest book, Revenge of the Tipping Point; a fresh look at his breakthrough book, The Tipping Point.

The conversation was recorded on Tue, Oct 1, 2024, at the 92nd Street Y, New York.

Malcolm Gladwell in Conversation with David Remnick: Revenge of the Tipping Point

In this episode of 92NY talks, join social psychologist and New York Times-bestselling author Jonathan Haidt and renowned clinical psychologist and parenting expert Dr. Becky Kennedy with Stephanie Ruhle on the epidemic of anxiety in American children and the solutions that will bring back the play-based childhood.

The conversation was recorded in front of a live audience on October 1st, 2024 at The 92nd Street Y, New York.

Jonathan Haidt and Dr. Becky Kennedy with Stephanie Ruhle: The Anxious Generation

In this episode of 92NY talks, Reel Pieces moderator Annette Insdorf interviews Saoirse Ronan after a screening of her new film, The Outrun.

Even before reaching 30, Saoirse Ronan received 4 Oscar nominations, beginning with Atonement (2007) at the age of 13, and continuing with Brooklyn (2015), followed by Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird and Little Women. Her other notable credits include Hanna (2011), Mary Queen of Scots (2018), Ammonite (2020), and Steve McQueen’s historical drama, Blitz, the closing-night selection of the 2024 NY Film Festival.

The conversation was recorded on Oct 1st 2024, at The 92nd Street Y, New York.

Saoirse Ronan with Annette Insdorf: Reel Pieces

In this episode of 92NY talks, Join acclaimed actor Josh Brolin for a deeply personal conversation with Griffin Dunne about his life on and offscreen — and his new memoir, From Under the Truck.
Josh Brolin brings unmistakable gravity and grit to all his films, and From Under the Truck shows where it comes from. In this deeply candid conversation, hear him discuss the inspiration behind his work, how he prepares for a roll, his personal challenges, how his family has shaped him, stories from the set, and much more.

The conversation was recorded on Nov 19, 2024 in front of a live audience at The 92nd Street Y, New York.

Josh Brolin in Conversation with Griffin Dunne: From Under the Truck

In this episode of 92NY talks, join Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning actor and singer Ben Platt with host Busy Phillips on becoming one of his generation’s foremost entertainers — and his new album, Honeymind.

The conversation was recorded on Oct 9, 2024, in front of a live audience at The 92nd Street Y, New York.

Ben Platt in Conversation with Busy Philipps

In this episode of 92NY talks, join Brett Goldstein and Jason Segel, co-creators of Apple TV+s Shrinking, as they share behind-the-scenes stories and insights into the second season of the show.

The conversation was recorded on Oct 15, 2024, in front of a live audience at The 92nd Street Y, New York.

Jason Segel and Brett Goldstein in Conversation with NPR’s Linda Holmes: Apple TV+'s Shrinking

In this episode of 92NY talks, join American astrophysicist, bestselling author, and science icon Neil deGrasse Tyson with journalist and author Fareed Zakaria as they revisit his very first book, Merlin’s Tour of the Universe. This new, updated and revised edition takes his readers on an entertaining and edifying journey, answering questions big and small with authentic science.
 
The conversation was recorded on January 5th, 2025, at The 92nd Street Y, New York.

Neil deGrasse Tyson: Merlin’s Tour of the Universe

Ethan Hawke takes the director's chair for his new documentary about Seymour Bernstein, an accomplished musician who became equally extraordinary as a music educator. Hawke and Bernstein sit down with 92Y Reel Pieces moderator Annette Insdorf to discuss the film and the genius of creativity. Recorded on March 7, 2015 at 92nd Street Y.

Ethan Hawke and Seymour Bernstein: 92Y Talks Episode 37

In this episode of 92NY Talks, join Emmy Award-winning Susan Lucci as she celebrates the 55th anniversary of All My Children with cast members Kelly Ripa, Jill Larson, Eden Riegel, Jennifer Bassey, and Francesca James, plus insights from Head Writer Lorraine Broderick and Casting Director Judy Blye Wilson—all moderated by TV legend Andy Cohen.

The conversation was recorded on Jan 14, 2025 at 92nd Street Y, New York.

All My Children Cast: Susan Lucci, Kelly Ripa, Jill Larson, Eden Riegel, Jennifer Bassey, Francesca James, Lorraine Broderick and Judy Blye Wilson with Andy Cohen

 In this episode of 92NY Talks, join LinkedIn co-founder, bestselling author, and Institute of Global Politics Carnegie Distinguished Fellow, Reid Hoffman, and former U.S. Secretary of State and IGP Faculty Advisory Board Chair Hillary Rodham Clinton as they have a conversation about our AI future. Drawing from his new book Superagency, Hoffman explores how AI can amplify human potential and agency, be it through personalized education that helps every child excel; medical breakthroughs in the fight against Alzheimer’s and cancer; and much more.

Secretary Clinton brings her unique perspective on how transformative technologies can be leveraged to advance human rights and strengthen democratic institutions. Together, they’ll explore what policies and partnerships can help us realize AI’s benefits while mitigating risk, ensuring we shape an AI future that works for everyone.

The conversation was recorded on January 28th, 2025, at The 92nd Street Y, New York.

Hillary Rodham Clinton with Reid Hoffman — Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future

In this episode of 92NY Talks, join Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award-winning journalist Trymaine Lee and Kellogg Foundation President and CEO La June Montgomery Tabron on the power of reconciliation and confronting social inequity. They'll illustrate how simple conversation can help heal our society — and ourselves.
 
The conversation was recorded on February 12th, 2025, at The 92nd Street Y, New York.

La June Montgomery Tabron and Trymaine Lee in Conversation: How We Heal

On October 26, 2014, 92Y’s Unterberg Poetry Center celebrated Dylan Thomas’s centenary by turning Kaufmann Concert Hall into a studio for a reading of Under Milk Wood broadcast live on BBC Radio Wales. The Poetry Center presented the premiere of this “play for voices” on May 14, 1953 with Thomas himself leading the cast. Starting in 2015, May 14 will be known as Dylan Day - http://www.literaturewales.org/dylan-day/ - an annual celebration of the poet’s life and work.

Michael Sheen, who directed the centenary reading and led a cast of all Welsh actors (Kate Burton, Karl Johnson, Mark Lewis Jones, Francine Morgan and Matthew Aubrey), said “it’s a real honor and an absolute thrill to be able to perform Under Milk Wood in this very special year and on the stage that it first found its voice. The live radio broadcast is an opportunity to celebrate him and his work in both New York—a city that became so important to Dylan—and, at the same time, in Wales, his inspiration and home.”

View 92Y’s Dylan Thomas in America—A Centennial Exhibition.
http://www.92y.org/Unterberg-Poetry-Center/Events/Dylan-Thomas.aspx

Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood: BBC Radio Wales Reading at 92Y

Screen favorite Alan Rickman directs and stars in a new period film about Louis XIV, co-starring Oscar winner Kate Winslet. In this episode of 92Y Talks, he discusses A Little Chaos with Reel Pieces moderator Annette Insdorf. The conversation was recorded on June 18, 2015 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Alan Rickman with Annette Insdorf: 92Y Talks Episode 48

This conversation between John le Carré and George Plimpton, part of a collaboration between 92Y’s Unterberg Poetry Center and The Paris Review, was recorded live at 92Y on October 20, 1996. We are able to share this recording thanks to a generous gift in memory of Christopher Lightfoot Walker, longtime friend of the Poetry Center and The Paris Review. Here is an excerpt to the full interview [http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/1250/the-art-of-fiction-no-149-john-le-carre] that ran in The Paris Review as The Art of Fiction No. 149 in the summer of 1997.

92Y/The Paris Review Interview Series: John le Carré with George Plimpton - October 20, 1996

To mark Robert Lowell’s centenary, we share this recording of him reading with Adrienne Rich on April 22, 1968. The pair of poets had become friends in the late 1950s and often exchanged letters. Here is an excerpt from a letter that Lowell wrote to Rich in June 1964:
 
“I was thinking of something more personal yesterday as we sat at coffee, chatting about various people. . . . As we grow older, moments of pause come and we say, ‘This too is part of it, life is inescapably this too;’ and then somehow we feel it’s all rich and merciful. . . . Well, we are always failing and succeeding in different ways, and we are all constantly finding and not finding courses that will do for us. We walk our own roads more or less, but we all walk, make our different lines on the same surface. Yesterday I felt something of this shared by us, and something was lived together without invasion.
 
Affectionately,
Cal

Robert Lowell reads with Adrienne Rich, April 1968 at 92Y

John Cheever reading one of his most famous stories, “The Swimmer” at 92nd Street Y on December 19, 1977. “The story was made into a film some of you may have seen,” Cheever remarked before he began to read. “It still runs on late-night television. I know because people always call me and say, ‘Hey, you’re in the movies!’ It’s usually about half past 11. . . . Here again the story has had an international success, and the various interpretations have always interested me. It’s very popular in Russia, for example, where there are almost no swimming pools and where almost nobody swims.” 

Learn more about 92Y's Virtual Poetry Center: http://www.92Y.org/VPC

John Cheever: "The Swimmer" | 92Y Readings

http://www.92Y.org/VPC - Actor James Earl Jones reads passages from Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself."

Recorded October 21, 1973 at 92nd Street Y

James Earl Jones reads Walt Whitman | 92Y Readings

http://www.92Y.org/VPC - Poet Anne Carson and collaborators perform two works: Cassandra Float Can and a sonnet sequence.

Recorded March 26, 2008 at 92nd Street Y

Anne Carson: "Cassandra Float Can" and sonnet sequence | 92Y Readings

Recorded January 30, 2008 at 92nd Street Y

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and Christopher Hitchens: Does God Exist? | 92Y Talks

Mary Oliver reads from A Thousand Mornings, Oct 15, 2012 at 92nd Street Y.

Mary Oliver reads from A Thousand Mornings | Oct 15, 2012 at 92nd Street Y

http://www.92Y.org/VPC - Wallace Stevens reads from two of his longer poems, “Credences of Summer” and “An Ordinary Evening in New Haven.” Recorded January 25, 1951 at 92nd Street Y.

Wallace Stevens | 92Y Readings

Michael Pollan—bestselling author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food—discusses his latest book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence, with journalist and pharmacologist Hamilton Morris. The conversation was recorded on May 29, 2019 in front of a live audience at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Michael Pollan with Hamilton Morris: What if Psychedelics Could Heal?

J. D. McClatchy introduces John Ashbery: “[his] poems reach for themselves and for their readers through vagrant sympathy and a kind of immediate contact. They wander back to their sources of power, then sidle up to us. We recognize their accent as our own, but hear, too, the finer accommodation of speech to that vision.”  Ashbery reads from Three Poems and A Wave.

Recorded November 21, 1983 at 92nd Street Y.

John Ashbery: Three Poems and A Wave | 92Y Readings

Merwin opens with “After a Storm”—a poem that deals both with the evening’s ostensible theme (autobiographical poetry) and an earlier reference “to the program which some of us saw last night and that was an understatement of what we all expect.” He was referring to The Day After—an ABC-television film about the consequences of nuclear war—that aired on Sunday, November 20, and was viewed by more than 100 million Americans.
 
“Not the least sickening thing about that movie was the discussion that followed itMcClatchy. “It was the sound of [the politicians’] rhetoric that sickened; the sound, even, of language itself after such images. No poet is more sensitive to the ambivalence of language itself, at once our most delicate and our most imprecise instrument, than W. S. Merwin. The changes in his style over the years are a record of his wariness and of his devotion. A record, too, of the ferocious moral integrity that is the hallmark of Merwin’s work.”

Recorded November 21, 1983 at 92nd Street Y.

W. S. Merwin: "After a Storm" | 92Y Readings

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