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Summer is officially here! After the long wait, we’ve finally reached the solstice — the sunniest spot on the calendar. Friday, June 20 marked the longest day of the year, and here at Classic 107, we’re leaning into the light with a special hour of music that radiates the warmth, joy, and dreaminess of the season.
Join us this Saturday morning, June 21, at 9 a.m., as we bask in a glow of musical sunshine — from sultry songs and shimmery orchestral textures to breezy chamber works and festive finales. Here's what’s on the summery soundtrack:
9:00 a.m. – “Summertime” by George Gershwin
Performed by violinist Randall Goosby with pianist Zhu Wang
No summer playlist is complete without Gershwin’s iconic “Summertime.” Originally from Porgy and Bess, the song’s languid melody and bluesy harmony capture the heat and haze of a southern summer. In this instrumental arrangement, Goosby and Wang bring a lyrical, soulful touch that feels like the perfect sunrise to our summer celebration.
9:02 – Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Dreamy, magical, and bubbling with energy, Mendelssohn’s overture to Shakespeare’s woodland romp is a summer night fantasy in music. Composed when Mendelssohn was just 17, it’s full of fluttering fairy wings, mischief, and moonlight. This performance from Montreal brings all that magic to life.
9:14 – “Evening Mood” from Summer Impressions by Josef Suk
Performed by pianist Jonathan Plowright
Part of Suk’s Summer Impressions piano cycle, “Evening Mood” captures the gentle hush that falls over a summer’s day as it slips into dusk. There’s a warm, reflective melancholy in the music — the kind you feel after a long day in the sun, when the world slows and the sky begins to deepen.
9:21 – Final movement of Symphony No. 9 “In Summer” by Joachim Raff
Performed by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hans Stadlmair
Raff’s Ninth Symphony is an ode to summer in all its forms. The finale is exuberant and full of open-air joy — birdsong in the woodwinds, radiant strings, and a sweeping sense of motion. Think of this one as a symphonic sunbeam.
9:32 – “Laue Sommernacht” by Alma Mahler
Performed by soprano Iris Vermillion with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, conducted by Riccardo Chailly
“Laue Sommernacht” — or “Mild Summer Night” — is Alma Mahler’s setting of a poem by Otto Julius Bierbaum. The text describes a tender, whispering summer evening. Vermillion’s lush voice and the orchestra’s rich colours conjure a romantic twilight, heavy with perfume and memory.
9:36 – Summer Schemes by John Ireland
Performed by cellist Julian Lloyd Webber with pianist John Lenehan
A delicate, nostalgic piece for cello and piano, Summer Schemes feels like a lazy afternoon in an English garden. There’s a pastoral gentleness here, a kind of wistful warmth that invites reflection and ease.
9:36 – Summer Music by Samuel Barber
Performed by Pentaèdre
Written for wind quintet, Barber’s Summer Music captures the languid tempo and spontaneous energy of a hot summer day. There are bursts of activity, moments of stillness, and a breezy elegance throughout. Pentaèdre brings out the colour and character in this perfectly seasonal piece.
9:47 – “Peasant Festival” from Summer Life Suite by Louis Glass
Performed by Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, conducted by Daniel Raiskin
This joyful movement brings us to a bustling village celebration — complete with dancing, singing, and sunshine. Danish composer Louis Glass channels rustic charm and vibrant rhythms into this musical summer fair. It’s full of life, laughter, and community spirit.
9:55 – “The Summer Wind” performed by Madeleine Peyroux
We wrap things up with this sultry classic, reimagined by jazz vocalist Madeleine Peyroux. Originally made famous by Frank Sinatra, “The Summer Wind” drifts in with memories of love and seasons past. Peyroux’s warm, smoky tone adds just the right touch of nostalgic melancholy to close our sunlit hour.
Whether you're gardening, sipping your morning coffee, or simply soaking up the summer vibes, we hope you’ll tune in for this seasonal salute. That’s Saturday, June 21 at 9 a.m. on Classic 107.
Here’s to the season of light, warmth, and music that shimmers like sunshine.