Music For Autumn

Here in the Washington D.C. area

the weather has turned.

It is beautiful...

brisk & invigorating.

This is one of my favorite times of the year

and for some reason, for me it seems to marry 

perfectly with a couple composers' works.

If you are not already familiar with the piano music of 

Deodat de Severac

you should run to your local store and grab up copies of his works. 

His spirited & colorful depictions of his native Languedoc 

in pieces like - 

En Languedoc,

Baigneuses au Soleil,

and Cerdana

epitomize 

the fresh, crisp beauty 

that is 

Autumn.

Canteloube's 

Songs from the Auvergne 

seem perfect for this time of year as well. 

"Chants d'Auvergne (French pronunciation: ​[ʃɑ̃ dovɛːʁɲ]; English: Songs from the Auvergne) is a collection of folk songs from the Auvergne region of France arranged for soprano voice and orchestra or piano by Joseph Canteloube between 1923 and 1930. The songs are in the local language, Occitan. The best known of the songs is the "Baïlèro", which has been frequently recorded and performed in slight variations of Canteloube's arrangement, such as for choir or instrumental instead of the original soprano solo." -  Wiki

There are many great performances of 

Songs of the Auvergne.

I have fine recordings by 

Netania Davrath, Arleen Auger, Victoria de los Angeles, and Dawn Upshaw.

Step outside into the changed, dimming light,

and breath some of this fresh air into your lungs. 

Be sure to accompany this with 

some of this brilliant, colorful,

glorious music!