Classical Music for Summer: A Selection of Cool and Refreshing Masterpieces

Dance of the Hours from Act III of the opera La GiocondaAmilcare Ponchielli

Dance of the Hours / Amilcare Ponchielli from Act 3 of the opera La Gioconda - Ryukoku University Wind Ensemble

Composed by the 19th-century Italian opera master Amilcare Ponchielli, this piece is a refreshing work that helps you forget the summer heat.

Written as ballet music for a scene in the opera La Gioconda, it features an elegant melody that evokes the transition from day to night.

Its lively rhythms and brilliant colors conjure up a cool, breezy landscape.

Known for its use in Disney’s Fantasia, this work is also recommended for classical music beginners.

It’s lovely to listen to on a summer night, sitting by the window and gazing at the stars.

A perfect piece for summer that showcases Ponchielli’s talent.

Symphony No. 9, Movement IIIAnton Bruckner

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, WAB 109: I. Feierlich, misterioso (Live)

Work on the piece began in August 1887, following the completion of the Eighth Symphony, but was interrupted by revisions to earlier works, and only in 1891 was he finally able to concentrate on it.

Pushing on through repeated illnesses and striving to complete it until just before his death, he left the symphony in three movements, lacking the fourth movement.

Pastoral for Large Orchestra: In the Summer BreezeAnton Webern

Webern: Im Sommerwind

This is a piece called “Im Sommerwind (In the Summer Wind)” by the Austrian composer Anton Webern, who was active in the first half of the 20th century.

When people think of classical music, they often imagine something gentle, but this work is quite avant-garde and has an intense atmosphere.

It’s a track I’d love people to hear if they want to enjoy a different kind of summer.

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Yoimachi Jēn

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Overture “Carnival”Antonín Dvořák

Dvořák: Carnival Overture — Kyoto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Junichi Hirokami

Dvořák composed this “Carnival” in a short span from July 28 to September 12, 1891, when he was 50 years old.

It is the second piece in the triptych “Nature, Life, and Love,” but it is often performed on its own.

Carnival is a festival held before Easter, where people feast and make merry in a grand celebration.

Symphony No. 3 “With Organ,” Movement II, Part 2Camille Saint-Saëns

Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3, Movement II, Part 2 — Konzerthausorchester Berlin conducted by Flohr

Symphony No.

3 is a work that was begun in 1885, when the composer separated from his wife and took refuge with his mother.

In the summer of that year, he received a commission from London’s Royal Philharmonic Society for a new piece for the following season, and composed it accordingly.

While symphonies are usually in four movements, this symphony has an unusual structure of two movements, each of which is divided into two parts—an early and a latter half.

Little Symphony in B-flat major, 1st movementCharles Francois Gounod

Gounod: Petite Symphony in B-flat major, 1st movement — Michiyoshi Inoue conducting the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa

Composed in 1885 for wind instruments, this piece is actually better known than Gounod’s two symphonies for orchestra when people refer to “Gounod’s Symphony.” Scored as a chamber work for nine players—two each of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn—it is a simple yet elegant and refreshing composition.

“Fireworks,” No. 12 from Préludes, Book IIClaude Debussy

Fireworks (Debussy) – Debussy: Feux d’artifice – pianomaedaful

Many people associate summer with fireworks, but are you familiar with any classical pieces themed around fireworks? One such work is Fireworks (Feux d’artifice), included in Book II of the Préludes for piano by the renowned French composer Claude Debussy.

This piece depicts the scenes of July 14, Bastille Day, a date of great importance to the French.

With quotations from the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, the music strongly conveys a sense of pride in being French.

It is a highly virtuosic piano work that brilliantly captures the spectacle of dazzling fireworks.

If you’re interested in French culture and history, why not give it a listen on July 14?

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KOH-1

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