It’s 4:40 EDT.
Join the Sun Lion, the Moon Bull, and Mother Earth in welcoming summer with the ballet “Solstice” (1949) by American composer Lou Harrison. The actual music starts at the 2-minute mark. Before that is a brief spoken intro.
Tag: Summer Solstice
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Summer Solstice Heat Wave Mid-Atlantic
As our mega heat wave continues to intensify here in the mid-Atlantic, moronic sun-worshippers everywhere welcome the longest day. Summer arrives in the Northern Hemisphere at 4:40 p.m. EDT.
We can thank these cheery gnomes, with their wooden clogs and domesticated insects, for all of our woes. Hail, His Majesty, the Sun!
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First Day of Summer Longest Day Lou Harrison Solstice
The first day of summer. Only three months to go until autumn! That’s the good news. The bad news is that the sun won’t set now until 8:30 p.m. That’s an awful lot of sun.
Hey, man! It’s Lou Harrison’s “Solstice!”
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Summer Solstice Lou Harrison’s Solstice
The first day of summer. Only three months to go until autumn! That’s the good news. The bad news is the sun won’t set tonight until 8:30. That’s an awful lot of sun.
Hey, man! It’s Lou Harrison’s “Solstice!”
Solstice (1950) 26:57
Part 1:
- Garden of the Sun 4:22
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOPcPia_jvc - Entrance of the Moon Bull 3:51
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6j1vZz5-2M - Battle 2:31
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMimlKMlrIw - Earth’s Invitation 2:57
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDXh4ElaS5Q - Vernal Dance 2:38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYYSNGG4BXo
Part 2:
- Saturnalia 1:47
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Rekindling of the Fire 2:59
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Turning of the Wheel 2:58
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Blaze of Day 2:54
Leta Miller, flute; Yvonne Powers, oboe; Adam Gordon, trumpet; Nohema Fernández, celesta; Emily Wong George, tack piano; Stephen Tramontozzi, string bass; Peter Shelton, Lee Duckles, cellos; Dennis Russell Davies, conductor
- Garden of the Sun 4:22
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Summer Solstice Sadness and a Lapland Escape
The summer solstice took place this morning at 6:51 ET. For me, it is the saddest day of the year.
Coming as it does at the end of a week which brought with it the first seasonal heat wave (and therefore the installation of my window units) and my first summer cold, it portends three months of humidity and humanity, as every weekend, cities, parks and beaches teem with people who lack the good sense to stay home. (Of course I only know this because I wind up going to these places myself.)
The second saddest day of the year is the winter solstice, since from that time forward the days only start to get longer. The happiest day of the year is the first day of autumn. Lots to look forward to then, even though someone tried to ruin the best stretch of the year with the creation of New Year’s Eve and Day. It’s all downhill from March 1. In my heart, may it always be Hallowe’en.
That said, today appears to be as lovely a summer day as can be – under the circumstances. Perhaps I should look into buying a home in Lapland.
Here’s Wilhelm Peterson-Berger’s “Lapland Symphony.” Keep it handy for the next heat wave.
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