Hot, hazy evenings, coastal breezes carrying cooling air tinged with the scent of sea salt — what could be better? Whether you’re on the water or traveling to imaginary coasts from the comfort of your balcony with a cool glass of lemonade, we’ve got the perfect soundtrack for you.
The 2024 additions to our Sounds of Summer playlist include a variety of odes to the spirit of the season, from works that sing memories of summer love on the Amalfi coast to fiery tangos evoking the heat of the blistering sun, meditations on the nostalgic feelings of rainfall in a heat wave, and more.
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
William Walton
Performed here by acclaimed violinist Thomas Bowes, William Walton’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra was written on commission in 1938 during a stay on the Amalfi coast with his love interest, Alice Wimborne. The piece is wrapped in an intensely personal realm, conveying a narrative summer love story that finally unfolds in an accompanied cadenza near the end of the work.
“Coming to this part of the Mediterranean clearly had a profound and lasting effect on Walton when he’d first left England with the Sitwell brothers in 1920, and its magical quality is telling in this work.”
Violinist Thomas Bowes
WALTON AND BARBER
Bowes’ breathtaking virtuosity is on full display throughout this release. With the violin at centerstage, WALTON & BARBER brings the full power of the orchestra to bear.
The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires: I. “Summer”
Astor Piazzolla
Traditionally performed as a set, Piazzolla’s Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas, or Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, were individually composed starting with Verano Porteño (“Summer”), written in 1965 for the play Melenita de Oro by Alberto Rodríquez Muñoz. Performed by Duo Cello E Basso on LET’S TANGO from Navona Records, “Summer” is a colorful, exhilarating, and evocative portrait of a summer day in Buenos Aires, heavily endowed with an infectious tango groove.
LET’S TANGO
On LET’S TANGO, Duo Cello e Basso with French double bassist Pascale Delache-Feldman and cellist Emmanuel Feldman invites listeners to experience some of the celebrated genre’s greatest masterpieces.
August Rose
Curt Cacioppo
Performed by award-winning pianist Bruce Leto, Jr., Curt Cacioppo’s August Rose is brimming with the many colorful qualities of summer, a piece described by Fanfare Magazine as “displaying both intimate and brisk, even firm, ideas highlighting the warm spirit.” The piece opens his 2021 Albany Records release SINGING STYLE, which received recognition in both the Global Music Awards and The American Prize.
SINGING STYLE
SINGING STYLE takes the listener through compositional passages, vocal/piano arrangements, and humanitarian calls to action.
Gentle Summer Rain
Margaret Brandman
Margaret Brandman’s Gentle Summer Rain captures the ethereal beauty and shimmering colors of the season’s often ill-regarded aspect.
With her signature style blending melodic richness, emotive harmonies, and subtle rhythms, Brandman paints a vivid musical portrait that transports listeners to an imaginary landscape where aspects of the natural world — flowing rivers, wind, thunder, sunshine, and gentle rain — are brought to life.
SYMPHONIC CHRONICLES VOL. II
With performances by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Brno Contemporary Orchestra, and Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, SYMPHONIC CHRONICLES VOL II offers listeners a variegated palette of new music.
Summertime Waltz
Florence Price
Florence Price’s love for waltzes is well documented throughout her oeuvre, spanning several works that musically reflect a range of moods. Her Summertime Waltz, performed here by Michael Clark on WALTZES AND CHARACTER PIECES OF FLORENCE PRICE, evokes a deeply nostalgic feeling of summer relaxation, riding out a heatwave with a calming breeze. Clark’s respect and intimate understanding of this elegant piano works is evident in his delicate treatment of each passage down to the single note.
“Above all I hope this album brings joy to listeners — and since most of the pieces are waltzes, I hope they’ll find themselves dancing along!”
Pianist Michael Clark
WALTZES AND CHARACTER PIECES OF FLORENCE PRICE
Clark hopes that the fragment of her vast repertoire showcased in WALTZES & CHARACTER PIECES OF FLORENCE PRICE will implore listeners to further explore her works, continuing to give Price her long overdue flowers.
