George Jellinek, RIP

Our Robert Croan writes a personal remembrance of George Jellinek, who, like pianist Earl Wild, also died last Saturday:


“Music is my only hobby, and vocal music and recordings have been my lifelong passion,” George Jellinek wrote in his memoir, “My Road to Radio and The Vocal Scene.” As music director of New York classical radio station WQXR and creator of syndicated programs “The Vocal Scene” and “First Hearing,” this congenial yet erudite critic and commentator filled a gap in the lives of music lovers – and particularly opera aficionados – until his retirement, for reasons of health, in 2004.
It is with a personal sense of loss that I note that my longtime colleague and also a valuable mentor died Saturday [1/23] near his home in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. He was 90, and had enjoyed a long, productive career, but his passing marks a distinct shortfall in the classical musical world. I can think of no one in the field today with a comparable sense for quality and musical taste. Music was not only his hobby; it was his mission.
Born in Hungary, Jewish, Jellinek escaped to Cuba and then the United States just before the Third Reich took over. His parents died in Auschwitz. That part of his life story reads like a thriller-adventure novel, but it happens to be truth, not fiction. He became a familiar voice on the airwaves. While he retained a charming European inflection in his speech, he spoke with impeccable grammar and wrote with more style and elegance than most of his native English-speaking associates. In addition to his work in WQXR, Jellinek was a frequent contributor to Opera News and guest panelist on the Opera Quiz, a delightful intermission feature of the Metropolitan Opera’s Saturday afternoon broadcasts.
I was deeply honored when, at a time when I was less established in the music business, Jellinek recognized me and invited me to be a regular on “First Hearing,” a lively show in which a panel of critics listened to a new recording without knowing who the artists were, then gave an instant verbal review. Working with Jellinek and other distinguished WQXR personalities, including announcer and host Lloyd Moss, proved to be an invaluable professional experience.
I have long believed that the test of a good critic is his or her ability to find the right descriptive words to make the reader envision something without having seen or heard it. Jellinek’s terse lines about his favorite singer, the late soprano Victoria de los Angeles, are a prime example:
“Her voice was not large but always full and pure…and the winning smile that was her trademark was unmistakably present in the richness of her tones.” Only the actual sound of her recordings can tell you any more.