Classical Music Perfect For Spring 音樂裡的春天

What does Spring sound like? Is it about rain, bees and birds? Well, I guess you could say that...but it's also about something more.

Now, close your eyes and listen. Let your mind wander and imagine how the music speak to you about Spring.

春天的聲音是什麼？是滴滴答答的雨聲？是小鳥吱吱喳喳的叫聲？

也許，還有更多更多⋯⋯

這一刻，閉上雙眼，在音樂中感受只屬於你的「春天」的聲音。

1. Antonio Vivaldi - Four Seasons: “Spring”, Concerto in E major, Op.8 No.1

最經典的春天：韋瓦第的「四季」

Vivaldi's Four Seasons is his most famous work. It consists of four violin concertos, one for each season. In this piece of music Vivaldi attempts to represent the essence of Spring. The sonnets that accompany the concertos describe birds, a murmuring stream and a thunderstorm. Vivaldi uses the violin to create vivid images of Spring.

韋瓦第的「四季」由四首小提琴協奏曲組成：分別為春、夏、秋、冬。「春天」協奏曲的每個樂章都有一首相對應的詩詞。韋瓦第運用小提琴的優美樂聲，用聲音描繪出詩詞中的鳥蹄、小河流和雷電，刻畫了一個生氣勃勃的春天。

2. Ludwig von Beethoven - Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24 “Spring”

最古典的春天：貝多芬小提琴奏嗚曲《春》

The Spring Sonata is a lyrical, gentle piece. Although the title of the sonata "Spring" was not given by the composer himself, legend has it that he was inspired to write the piece after a walk through a spring meadow. The violin melody feels just like a spring breeze, and the piano accompaniment adds a playful harmony that evokes the freshness of the season.

It's a beautiful way to capture the feeling of spring: fresh, light, and sweet.

貝多芬一共寫了十首小提琴奏嗚曲。第五首奏嗚曲「春天」旋律流暢，輕快活潑，小提琴和鋼琴經常互相呼應，你唱我和，像春日裡愉快歌唱的小鳥。

「春天」這個標題其實並不是貝多芬本人的意思。相傳貝多芬在一次春日散步後獲得靈感，寫下這首清新又愉快的奏嗚曲。

3. Edvard Grieg - Lyric Pieces Op.43 No.6 “To Spring”

挪威的冬末春初：葛利格《致春天》

Grieg's "To Spring", from his Lyric Pieces Op.43 for solo piano, is a beautiful description of the season of Spring. The piece is a meditation on the peaceful sense of new beginning that the season brings with its return to warm weather and nature waking up from the cold winter months. Its gentle melody and sweet harmony create a serene atmosphere in which we can all rest and take comfort.

挪威作曲家葛利格深深熱愛音樂與大自然。他的作品經常從挪威的大自然中獲取靈感，融入於音符中。鋼琴曲集《抒情小品集》中「致春天」便是例子。樂曲速度平緩，柔美的旋律與和聲隨著樂曲的推進慢慢變化，令人不難想像融雪之時，大地從寒冬中緩緩蘇醒的奧妙景像。

4. Felix Mendelssohn - Song Without Words, Op.62 No.6 “Spring Song”

傍晚寧靜的的春天：孟德爾頌的春之歌

This piece is a song that sounds like a peaceful, lyrical spring evening. The melody is light and smooth, the texture is thin, and the harmony is gentle and relaxed. While there are no words to this song, it is still graceful and beautiful.

《春之歌》是孟德爾頌的「無言曲集」中其中一首最受喜愛的鋼琴曲。孟德爾頌用優美流暢的旋律配以簡單的伴奏，以藝術歌曲的特色寫成鋼琴獨奏曲，樸素而優雅。樂曲所呈現的寧靜而平和的春日歌咏，雖然「無言」卻似有言。

5. Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring

春天的慶祝：柯普蘭《阿帕拉契之春》

Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring" is an orchestral suite that captures the simple, energetic spirit of an American celebration. The music was written for a ballet depicting a spring celebration, but it has become popular in its own right as a concert piece. It was originally composed for thirteen instruments, and Copland later converted the piece into a full-orchestra version.

《阿帕拉契之春》是美國近代作曲家柯普蘭的得意之作。樂曲本來是為了同名芭蕾舞劇而寫，後來因為大受歡迎，演變成經常單獨演出的管弦樂作品。樂曲雖為近代作品，但是結構分明、和聲亦不算複雜，因此廣為觀眾所接受。作品表現出美國鄉村的簡單純樸和春天慶祝的歡樂氣氛。

6. Johann Strauss II - "Frühlingsstimmen" Voices of Spring Waltz, Op. 410

春之圓舞曲：約翰.史特勞斯二世《春之聲》

Strauss's classic waltz, "Voices of Spring," is the perfect accompaniment to a spring dance. The vibrant and energetic melody evokes a Viennese spring, and Strauss himself said that he meant it to be a "poetical expression of the joyous mood of nature in springtime."

奧地利作曲家約翰.史特勞斯二世有「圓舞曲之王」的稱譽。他最著名的作品莫過於膾炙人口的管弦樂作品《藍色多瑙河》。約翰.史特勞斯的另一作品《春之聲圓舞曲》同樣帶經典維也納舞曲特色，節奏明快、氣氛歡樂，表現出大自然的生氣勃勃和春天的歡樂。

7. Franz Schubert - Im Frühling, D.882 “In Spring”

詩人的春天：舒伯特《在春天》

Im Frühling, or "In Spring," is an art song by Austrian composer Franz Schubert. The music is set on a poem by Ernst Schulze. The singer describes how beautiful everything looks in springtime, with its clear sky, green valley and flowers, but all that also reminds him of an unattainable love.

Schubert's music gives you exactly what you need to hear when you read Schulze's poem: beauty and sentimentality.

舒伯特的藝術歌曲《在春天》，歌詞取自德國浪漫派詩人舒爾茨的一首愛情詩。舒伯特的藝術歌曲經常運用繪詞法(word painting)，用音樂表達歌詞的含意及意境。《在春天》用音樂影容春天的美麗景色，卻也從春天的美景感性地聯想到一段難以獲得的愛情，輕柔的樂曲帶著淡淡的失落。

8. Jean Sibelius - Vårsång “Spring Song” Op.16

春天的交響詩：西貝流士《春之歌》

Jean Sibelius's "Spring Song" is a tone poem that showcases the composer's characteristic, signature orchestration: it is filled with the epic sound of nature, primarily through the use of brass. The piece is an atmospheric exploration of Finland's nature and its transformation in the springtime.

西貝流士的交響詩《春之歌》是比較小眾的一首交響詩作品。西貝流士以音色與富原始感的簡單旋律營造出大自然的氛圍。配器手法(orchestration)以銅管樂器為重，表現出大自然的偉大與空曠感。聽著這首樂曲，芬蘭的春天彷彿就在眼前。