For many, the word “fall” is synonymous with chilly temperatures, sitting by the fireplace under warm blankets with a cup of tea or cocoa, and the foliage transforming into vibrant shades. Here at PARMA’s headquarters in New England, fall is an especially beautiful, albeit dark and cold, time of year, and we got into the spirit of the season with some of our favorite autumn pieces from past and present.
We found that autumn has a lot to offer for musical inspiration. Dive into this fresh musical leaf pile of classical music from Navona and Albany Records and see where it takes you!
Listen to the full playlist on your favorite streaming platform today.
California Romances: II. “Autumn Equinox”
Nancy Bachmann
Nancy Bachmann’s California Romances celebrates the beauty of nature; fields of California poppies and lupin; foggy redwood forests; and the many moods of the Pacific Ocean. Movement II, “Autumn Equinox,” evokes the final breaths of summer sun as they illuminate a cooling redwood forest enveloped in fog.
WILD SWANS
WILD SWANS takes flight through compositions for voice, woodwind quintet, trios, duos, and unaccompanied clarinet. The wings of Bachmann’s imaginative energy and Maltester’s interpretive virtuosity transport the listener to beautiful and exotic destinations.
Autumn
John Mitchell
Performed by the award winning Benda Quartet, the movements of John Mitchell’s SEASONS envelop the various characteristics and hallmarks of each time of year, capturing both their beauty and the emotions they evoke.
Autumn is met with a grandiose opening, contrasted by short bursts of pizzicato passages, exuding the subtle warmth left from summer, wrapped in the chilling autumn air. The mood shifts through each passage, signifying the visual and emotional changes of this season, and ultimately delivering a strong, punchy cadence at the ending.
SEASONS
Just as each season brings its own sensations and expressions, so does composer John Mitchell’s SEASONS from Navona Records.
COMPLETE SONGS OF CHARLES IVES, VOL. 1, 3, & 4
Charles Ives
The Charles Ives oeuvre is substantial, and his output in songs alone is richer and more fulsome by far than might be expected from any career, let alone a curtailed one.
This four volume set of the complete songs on Albany Records is a major contribution toward the understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of his work, featuring several fall-inspired compositions including In Autumn, September, and Yellow Leaves.
And the Snow Did Lie: I. “Ragged Earth”
Hilary Tann
Performed by Sirius Quartet, composer Hilary Tann’s AND THE SNOW DID LIE is a multimedia artwork to be appreciated by both the eyes and the ears. The first movement of the album’s titular composition, “Ragged Earth,” evokes the wasteland of late autumn with a murmuring drone pierced by the shrill voice of decay.
“Tann’s music is shimmering and weightless, effective and moving.”
Times Union
AND THE SNOW DID LIE
A Welsh-born composer living in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, Hilary Tann was inspired to write this commissioned work by a series of illustrations from the classic French-Canadian novel, Le Survenant. These images are included with the release of this digital single.
Eighteen Pieces on Poetry: XV. “The Breath of Autumn”
Carl Vollrath
Deeply in tune to nature and captured from the lens of the human experience, Carl Vollrath’s musical response to the poetic language on OLD AND NEW POETRY VOL. 2 shows his dedication to and passion for these works.
Performed by soprano Aliana de la Guardia, clarinetist Rane Moore, and pianist Yoko Hagino, XV. “The Breath of Autumn” musically explores the calming tone of fall, evoking imagery of the playful sway of warm-toned leaves and bright red apples in a mellow golden sun, rustled by soft October winds.
OLD AND NEW POETRY VOL. 2
Composer Carl Vollrath’s OLD & NEW POETRY VOL II is a compelling musical-literary experience featuring the works of seminal poet William Blake and contemporary writer John Gracen Brown.