Piano playing knows no season. However, any season has more
flavor when savored by playing a seasonal piano piece. Here are ten evocative
summery pieces to enjoy.
Benjamin Britten: Holiday Diary. An evocative seaside
holiday
Claude Debussy. “Voiles” from Preludes Book 1. A sensory
musical expression of breezy sails
Gabriel Fauré. Three Songs, Opus 18 No. 1 “Nell.”: an
art song with the sun as a recurring symbol
Edvard Grieg. Lyric Pieces, Book 10 Opus 71,
No. 2 “Summer Evening”: A quick sketch of a tranquil Norwegian summer evening
Ernest Moeran. Summer Valley: A pastoral sense of
Britain and Ireland
Francis Poulenc. Napoli: A three-movement suite that
captures the spirit of an Italian summer evening
Ned Rorem. End of Summer: A chamber piece for piano,
clarinet and violin that expresses the sensitivity of summer’s end
William Grant Still. “Summerland”: an almost mesmerizing summer
day on the plains
Joseph Suk. A Summer’s Tale, Opus 29: a tone poem of
a moody summer day
Pyotr Tchaikovsky. “June,” Barcarolle from The Seasons:
sixth of a 12-movement piano piece;it depicts a gondola ride
