Classical music is ideal for enhancing the summertime state of mind. Many of the compositions in our Endless Summer of Classical Music playlist capture the gentle, lazy, dreamy nature of the season.
Others celebrate the sights, sounds and sensations of being out of doors at this special time of year. Ubiquitous summer thunderstorms featured in works by Vivaldi and Haydn, while other selections idealize the special character of summer nights.
Perhaps most evocatively, summer memories are stirred by works such as Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” as well as themes from some memorable film scores. Whether encountering this music on WDAV, or listening to this playlist, we hope you’ll be refreshed and inspired by the selection and the season.
- Mendelssohn: Scherzo from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
- Grieg: Lyric Piece No. 2, Op. 71 “Summer Evening”
- Delius: “Summer Night on the River”
- Vivaldi: “Summer” Violin Concerto from “The Four Seasons”
- Alfven: Swedish Rhapsody No. 1 “Midsummer Vigil”
- Samuel Barber: “Knoxville: Summer of 1915”
- Mark O’Connor: “Summer” Concerto from “The American Seasons”
- Copland: “Midsummer Nocturne”
- Michel Legrand: Theme from “The Summer of ‘42”
- Edward MacDowell: “Summer Idyll”
- Emile Waldteufel: “Summer Evening” Waltz
- Frank Bridge: “Summer”
- Gershwin: “Summertime” from “Porgy and Bess”
- Robert Muczynski: “Serenade for Summer”
- Dmitri Tiomkin: “The Green Leaves of Summer” from “The Alamo”
- Prokofiev: “A Summer Day”
- Arnold Bax: “Summer Music”
- Arthur Honegger: “Summer Pastorale”
- Samuel Barber: “Summer Music”
- Leroy Anderson: “Summer Skies”
- Max Steiner: Theme from “A Summer Place”
- Astor Piazzolla: “Verano Porteño” (“Buenos Aires Summer”) from “Four Seasons in Buenos Aires”
- Berlioz: Villanelle from “Le nuit d’ete” (“Summer Nights”)
- Tchaikovsky: “June: Barcarolle” from “The Seasons”
- Haydn: “Summer” from “The Seasons” Oratorio
Be sure to listen for these selections throughout the summer on WDAV or find our playlist on Spotify.