Poster Peteris Vasks
Peteris Vasks' 'Music for a Summer Evening' is featured on this episode of 'Extra Eclectic.'
Jānis Porietis
Extra Eclectic

Music for the summer solstice

Extra Eclectic - June 22, 2026

However you measure the beginning of summer (Memorial Day weekend? June 1? The solstice?), one thing’s certain: summer is now officially underway. Steve Seel features contemporary classical sounds for summer on this episode of Extra Eclectic, including Jonathan Bailey Holland’s Halcyon Sun, Peteris Vasks’ Music for a Summer Evening, and the late Michael Tilson Thomas’ Sunset Soliloquy. In the second hour, it’s works specifically for a summer night, including pieces by Elena Ruehr, Aaron Jay Kernis and others. Listen now!

Playlist

Midsummer Song
Composer: Arturs Maskats
Conductor: Maris Sirmais
Orchestra/Ensemble: Kamer Choir
Soloists: Rihards Zalupe, percussion
Quartz 2065

Music for a Summer Evening
Composer: Peteris Vasks
Soloists: Ieva Jokubaviciute, piano
Dorian 92251

Upon Further Reflection: Sunset Soliloquy
Composer: Michael Tilson Thomas
Soloists: John Wilson, piano
Pentatone 7355

Halcyon Sun
Composer: Jonathan Bailey Holland
Conductor: Paavo Jarvi
Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
CSOM 945

Akhnaten: Hymn to the Sun
Composer: Philip Glass
Conductor: Jonathan Cohen
Orchestra/Ensemble: The King’s Violins
Soloists: Anthony Roth Costanzo, countertenor
London/Decca 28648

String Quartet No. 10 “Long Pond”: Moonrise
Composer: Elena Ruehr
Orchestra/Ensemble: Quartet ES
Avie 2798

Sandhiprakash
Composer: Reena Esmail
Soloists: Yolanda Kondonassis, harp
Azica 71392

Horizon: True Horizon
Composer: John Luther Adams
Conductor: Richard Tognetti
Orchestra/Ensemble: Australian Chamber Orchestra
Cold Blue 71

Moonlight Sonata: Adagio
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Soloists: Maya Beiser, cello
Islandia 1

Musica Celestis
Composer: Aaron Jay Kernis
Conductor: Eiji Oue
Orchestra/Ensemble: Minnesota Orchestra
Virgin 45464

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

Jazz influences

Jazz influences

A performance of Wynton Marsalis’ Concerto for Orchestra recorded at the 2026 BBC Proms offers a look at modern classical works inspired by jazz on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ which also showcases works by Jon Batiste, Earl Louis Stewart and Jeff Scott. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:59:00
A brass celebration

A brass celebration

Brass instruments are the focus on episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ in solo, duo and ensemble settings. Selections include Valerie Coleman’s ‘Fanfare for Uncommon Times,’ Olivier Messiaen’s ‘Apparition du Christ Glorieux’ and more. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:58
Earth sounds

Earth sounds

The Earth is our one home, and on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ contemporary composers pay tribute in their music, including Erland Cooper, whose ‘Carve the Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ incorporates the Earth as a collaborator. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:59
Moments and eternities

Moments and eternities

On this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ we hear considering both fleeting moments and the vastness of eternity, including Chris Rogerson’s ‘Thirty Thousand Days’ and Steve Reich’s ‘Proverb.’ Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:59
Questions and answers

Questions and answers

Host Steve Seel poses a lot of musical questions on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ and you’ll have to decide if you hear any answers. Charles Ives’ ‘The Unanswered Question’ is “answered” by Laurie Spiegel’s work ‘The Unquestioned Answer.’

1:58:58
Eternity and beyond

Eternity and beyond

While classical music can sometimes be about frivolous things, this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic’ is concerned strictly with ideas on a higher plane. Host Steve Seel brings us Olivia Belli’s ‘Limina Luminis,’ Arvo Pärt’s ‘Tabula Rasa’ and more. Listen now!

1:58:59
The American Vanguard

The American Vanguard

On the latest episode of Extra Eclectic, host Steve Seel showcases the music of giants such as Philip Glass, Meredith Monk and Steve Reich: composers who introduced fresh thinking into the genre and opened the concert hall to new audiences. Listen now!

1:58:59
Folk music inspirations

Folk music inspirations

We continue our month-long celebration of American music on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic’ by looking at how contemporary composers reference American folk idioms in their works, including bluegrass, hymns and lullabies. Selections include music by Daron Hagen, Jennifer Higdon and more. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:58
Elements of jazz

Elements of jazz

Steve Seel presents another week of purely American sounds on the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ and this time, it’s works written by musicians associated primarily with jazz. We hear works by Wynton Marsalis, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, Pat Metheny and more.

1:58:58
An American Mirror

An American Mirror

On this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ host Steve Seel extends the 250th anniversary celebrations with two hours of works by contemporary American composers, including Derrick Skye, Jennifer Higdon, Jessie Montgomery, Shelley Washington, Curtis Stewart and more. Listen now!

1:58:59
VIEW ALL EPISODES
YourClassical Radio
00:00
Infinity:NaN