Classical Music for Summer: A Selection of Cool and Refreshing Masterpieces
What scenes come to mind when you think of summer?
A sparkling blue sea, dazzling white sands under the blazing sun, mountains dressed in vivid green…
Even in sticky, sweltering heat, doesn’t picturing a refreshing landscape make the heat feel just a little more bearable?
In this article, we’ll introduce classic works that are perfect for summer and will help expand those images even further.
Let’s spend this summer feeling refreshed, accompanied by exquisite classical music that creates a cool, breezy atmosphere.
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Classical Music for Summer: A Selection of Cool and Refreshing Masterpieces (71–80)
String Quartet No. 7, ‘Summer Eaves’: IV. AdagioJohn McCabe
This is the piece “String Quartet No.
7, ‘Summer Eaves’: IV.
Adagio” by the British contemporary composer John McCabe.
It’s included on the album Into The Ravine.
The strings play ominous harmonies, don’t they? It’s a work whose damp, gloomy atmosphere becomes oddly addictive.
Romance No. 2 in F major, Op. 50, for Violin and OrchestraLudwig van Beethoven
This piece, with its striking violin melody, was composed by Beethoven.
It’s said to have been written when he was around 28 years old.
Even if you don’t know the title, many people have probably heard it.
While it has Beethoven’s characteristic, crisp, earnest construction, it’s also a refreshing piece that conjures up images of landscapes vibrant with green.
Put this on for a drive or a trip, and it feels like the journey would become all the more enjoyable—such is this song.
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven’s masterpiece, Symphony No.
2 in D major, Op.
36.
Though he continued to compose wonderful symphonies, this one is particularly perfect for summer.
Its charm lies in how it shifts through various moods like a story.
The opening evokes a sweltering, quintessentially summery atmosphere; the middle section is elegant yet austere; and the finale surges forward with intensity, conjuring the heat and sense of liberation that summer brings.
Be sure to give it a listen.
Play of WaterMaurice Ravel
Composed in 1901 by French composer Maurice Ravel, this piano piece is a cool, refreshing work that makes you forget the summer heat.
It is characterized by delicate expressions that depict the movement of water and the reflection of light through music.
Ravel prefaced the piece with a line of poetry about “a river god tickled by water, laughing,” aiming to fuse natural imagery with musical expression.
It includes innovative elements for its time, such as complex harmonies and the use of seventh and ninth chords.
Portraying flowing water, dripping, and the motion of waves, this piece is perfect as background music for a summer drive or reading.
Enjoy its refreshing sonorities.
Memories of summer nights in MadridMikhail Glinka
Mikhail Glinka, who left behind numerous masterpieces and is even hailed as the “father of modern Russian music.” The work he composed while envisioning the refreshing summer scenes of Madrid is A Night in Madrid in the Summer.
This piece corresponds to the Second Spanish Overture and is notable for its powerful sound.
Its structure is also a major attraction: the first half features deep, resonant tones centered on the strings, while the second half brings in percussion and accelerates the tempo.
En sommerdag paa landet (A Summer’s Day in the Country), Op. 55: I. Early: Allegro vivoNiels Gade
This is the piece “En sommerdag paa landet (A Summer’s Day in the Country), Op.
55: I.
Early: Allegro vivo” by the Danish composer Niels Gade, who was active from the mid to late 19th century.
It is a serene work, yet it also carries a certain shadow, rather like the changeable weather of summer.
2 Nocturnes: Sommers sovn (Summer Sleep)Per Nørgård
“Sommers sovn,” composed by Danish contemporary composer Per Nørgård.
He developed his own compositional technique called the Infinity Series and focused primarily on symphonies.
The distinctive atmosphere of this piece is largely due to his method.
Be sure to pay attention to the mixed choir Ars Nova’s vocals as well!
