Dr. Scott Stewart’s Summer Music Playlist Of Classical Melodies

But there are other perspectives represented, too. Stewart said, “When you scan music about the season of vacations, you might expect to find a lot of upbeat, celebratory music; it’s warm, it’s sunny, the school’s out, and everyone’s headed to the beach. But there is certainly a lot of inward-looking about summer as well. These are pieces that reflect the beauty of nature, the vitality of being near or on the water, relaxing at night after a fun vacation day, and even contending with the hot, muggy weather.”

Italian baroque master Antonio Vivaldi’s “Summer” concerto from the “Four Seasons” is included. It’s a piece reflecting Italy’s intense heat, humidity and thunderstorms, as well as its flora and fauna. In the recording chosen, violinist Nicola Benedetti’s part suggests the characteristic birds local to the Italian countryside—cuckoos, turtledoves and goldfinches, specifically. Another selection explores a more magical interpretation of the season—Felix Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” overture, which he wrote to accompany performances of Shakespeare’s fantastical comic play of the same name.

The romantic side of summer must be represented, and such Romantic era composers as the Russian Mikhail Glinka, the French Maurice Ravel and the British Frederick Delius do the trick nicely. Their pieces paint pictures of sultry moonlit evenings and lapping water waves, offering a moodier chapter to our journey. 

The playlist gives a nod to contemporary classical imaginings of summer as well, including Atlanta’s own Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon and her piece “Summer’s Eve,” performed by the Prism Quartet.

“Higdon imagines this idyllic summer evening, where maybe you’re out on your porch swing, you’re on a rocking chair, you’re surrounded by crickets and kids playing outside in your neighborhood,” said Stewart. “She achieves this idea of a relaxing summer night with these really expansive melodic lines that I would say have a pretty far reach, and also with this continually restless and churning rhythmic idea … It’s really lovely summer porch music.”

Another contemporary composer featured is Gao Hong, with the selection “Summer Cicadas,” giving the impression of a swarm of cicadas with the pipa—a traditional Chinese pear-shaped lute.

“Whatever your take is on the season of sun and quiet nights, I hope some of this music will be a good companion,” said Stewart.

Stewart’s Playlist: