Hot, hazy evenings, coastal breezes carrying cooling air tinged with the scent of sea salt – what could be better? Whether you’re near the beach or traveling to imaginary coasts from the comfort of your balcony, we’ve got the perfect soundtrack for you. From soft and soothing classical numbers from Navona Records, to the rousing Cuban rhythms of the Ansonica Records catalog, this music will carry you through your summertime activities no matter where you are or what you’re up to.
Listen to the full playlist on your favorite streaming platform today.
Recuerdos Estivos (Summer Memories) III. Despapaye
José Elizondo
Composer José Elizondo wrote this piece for Orlando Cela, conductor of the Lowell Chamber Orchestra, who, along with two other colleagues, Carlos Prieto and Sefika Kutluer, he says are an inspiration because of their artistic excellence.
Despapaye, according to the composer, “is a very playful and colorful word used in Mexican Spanish to refer to something that is a bit messy but in a fun and endearing sort of way.” He uses this feeling to mirror and celebrate Cela’s virtuosity and sense of humor, beginning the piece with standard Baroque instrumentation and letting it grow into a mix with Latin elements.
“I just hope that Green’s and Elizondo’s works will be heard with the same seriousness as audiences usually listen to Bach and Telemann. Our living composers are living treasures, and their artistry is just, if not more important, than the other established composers in the album.” -Orlando Cela
The Inside Story: Orlando Cela and THE SUITE
No-Man’s-Land Lullaby for Violin and Piano
Eleanor Alberga OBE
Composer Eleanor Alberga visited central Europe during the summer of 1996, setting out to write a lightweight and upbeat piece, but ended up with No-man’s-land Lullaby, which the composer says has neither of these qualities.
“Visiting parts of central Europe over that summer of 1996, I was struck by the almost unreal beauty of the landscapes; yet, I received a heavy sadness in the atmosphere that took me back to the events of half a century ago, some of which had been played out against this very scenery. At the same time I was visited by a melody. It arrived unbidden and would not leave me alone. It seemed, however, to offer comfort.”
More on Alberga and her musical journey in her 2019 Inside Story:
Composer Conversations: Eleanor Alberga and STRING QUARTETS 1, 2 & 3
Avian Telemetry: Transliteration 2 Ecologies of Sound in Nature Cultures
Matthew Burtner, Omar Carmenates, and the Furman University Percussion Ensemble
Avian Telemetry is an interdepartmental collaboration between the biology, English literature, and percussion departments at Furman University, bringing together science and art to express awareness of ecology and natural sound, through timestamps in summer and winter.
According to composer Matthew Burtner, “The musical composition brings together current research on avian biology, soundscape ecology, romantic-period British poetry, ecoacoustic music, and avant-garde percussion performance. The piece uses various forms of measurement procedures and transliteration devices to explore human-nature interaction through a focus on birdsong… In this way the musical composition brings diverse disciplines into counterpoint through live percussion performance on stage, creating an evocative space for the contemplation of avian habitat and conservation through music.”
