Rustle of Spring: Christian Sinding is Here

As beautiful weather takes hold in Central Ohio (at least for a few days) music of Spring has been on WOSU all week, leading to the vernal equinox on Saturday. Of course, there's Spring from the "Four Seasons" by Vivaldi, "Voices of Spring" from Strauss, a Spring Symphony by Schumann, and a Spring Sonata by Beethoven. There's plenty more music out there about Spring, including oratorios and ballets. One charming short piano piece that exists in numerous arrangements is "Rustle of Spring" by Norwegian composer Christian Sinding. Sinding was born in 1856 and lived a long life, and today he is remembered primarily for this one composition. There are four symphonies, three violin concertos, a piano concerto, chamber works, songs and choral pieces, and an opera called The Holy Mountain But it's this one piece people remember, if they remember his name at all. He was overshadowed by his more popular countryman Edvard Grieg, yet he wrote some fine music in a similar vein. One critic said Sinding was "too Norwegian" after hearing his first piano sonata. (Apparently Grieg was just Norwegian enough.) Be that as it may, I found this video with delightful images of nature blooming and Christian Sinding's music in full flight in this orchestral arrangement. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vOhKIEKUrI