Summer's Reign — June 26, 2020 * True Concord Voices & Orchestra

Summer’s Reign — June 26, 2020

Derived from a range of outstanding choral music, my themed Playlists are designed to be like concerts, of about an hour in length.

In observance of the official return of summer, this week’s Playlist revels in the splendor of the season with the “Summer” portion of Haydn’s The Seasons, R. Murray Schafer’s soundscape on words for “sun” in 36 languages, a musical depiction of a thunderstorm in Whitacre’s Cloudburst, and Sweden’s beloved Sommarpsalm.

Listen on YouTube:

Listen on Spotify:

PROGRAM

Click the links for information on the pieces and texts/translations.

“Summer” (from The Seasons) Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

In darkness shrouded
The wakeful herdsman
Behold the Sun!
The village lads and lasses
Exhausted Nature, fainting, sinks
How welcome now, ye shady groves!
How refreshing to the senses
Behold, arising through the sultry air
The storm approaches near!

Text

Performed by Gabrieli, National Forum of Music Choir & Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra, Conducted by Paul McCreesh

Sun (setting of words for “sun” in 36 languages)

R. Murray Schafer (b.1933)

Performed by Elmer Iseler Singers, conducted by Elmer Iseler

Waldemar Åhlén (1894-1982)

Sommarpsalm

Translation

Performed by St. Jacobs Chamber Choir, conducted by Gary Graden

Eric Whitacre (b.1970)

Cloudburst

Background and Translation

Performed by BYU Singers, conducted by Ronald Staheli