Many of the selections heard on Simply Summer were inspired by the season and its rich atmosphere, from “Summertime” from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Legrand’s haunting “The Summer Knows” (Theme from Summer of ’42) to English composer Frederick Delius’s beautiful but rarely heard tone-poem In a Summer Garden. Familiar music abounds including, Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, the Nocturne from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream music and the “Summer” concerto from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. The performers include such classical greats as Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Wynton Marsalis, Jean-Pierre Rampal and Guiliano Carmignola with the Venice Baroque Orchestra, as well as conductors Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Ormandy, George Szell and Michael Tilson Thomas. (See the following page for a complete track listing.)

So sit back, slide your feet into the warm sand, and let these peaceful classical melodies set the right summer mood. Blissful Brahms. Delightful Debussy. Gorgeous Gershwin. At the beach, in the car, at an evening get-together with friends, or for quiet afternoon on your own – this disc is the perfect musical companion to the gentle pleasures of summertime relaxation. Simply serene. Simply splendid. Simply Summer.

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