Now that we are well into April, it is definitely officially springtime. Leaves are starting to sprout on the trees, the weather is slowly warming up; summer is just around the corner! Let’s celebrate the season by listening to some classical music inspired by spring.
Spring, Op. 34 by Alexander Glazunov
Glazunov (1865-1936) composed Spring, Op. 34 in 1891 and this “musical picture for orchestra” is just that: a “musical picture” of springtime. The music slowly unfolds in power and texture like a flower blooming, capturing all of the joy and wonder of the new season. You can almost feel the gentle breeze as blossoms fill the air with fresh colors and scents while the birds sing in the treetops.
Edvard Grieg’s To Spring, Op. 43 No. 5
Greig (1843-1907) was the master at painting images of nature in his music. His 66 Lyric Pieces especially deal with subjects of nature, and To Spring – one of his more popular piano pieces – perfectly captures the essence of the season. Composed in 1886, To Spring opens with the soft, impressionist flutter of notes that foreshadows Debussy. The theme dances and swells, building in tension before releasing into a flowing waterfall of notes.
And here’s an awesome recording of Grieg playing it himself almost 120 years ago on a piano roll:
Sergei Prokofiev’s Spring Fairy
During the first half of the 1940s, Prokofiev (1981-1953) composed and premiered his ballet Cinderella. As part of the first act, Cinderella’s fairy godmother summons the fairies of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter to help her turn Cinderella into a princess so she can go to the ball. Spring Fairy is a short burst of cheerful energy. Check out the other fairies’ dances here:
Prokofiev also turned his ballet into a set of piano pieces. Here’s the piano rendition of Spring Fairy:
Siren (Lilacs) Op. 21 No. 5 by Sergei Rachmaninoff
In April 1902, Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) got married. To help pay for his honeymoon, he composed a set of 11 songs that became his Op. 21. Lilacs
| Russian Text | English Translation |
| По утру, на заре, По росистой траве, Я пойду свежим утром дышать; И в душистую тень, Где теснится сирень, Я пойду своё счастье искать… | In the morning, at daybreak, over the dewy grass, I will go to breathe the crisp dawn; and in the fragrant shades, where the lilac crowds, I will go to seek my happiness… |
| В жизни счастье одно Мне найти суждено, И то счастье в сирени живёт; На зелёных ветвях, На душистых кистях Моё бедное счастье цветёт… | In life, only one happiness it was fated for me to discover, and that happiness in the green boughs, in the fragrant bunches, my poor happiness blossoms… |
Around 1913, Rachmaninoff transcribed the song into a piano solo:
For more classical music inspired by spring, check out part one here and part two here.
