The Hairy Moth

I discovered one my favorite museums last year during winter, the Musée du Prieuré in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, France. It’s also called Musée Maurice Denis: it was his house, and it today houses a lot of his wonderful work and works of his Nabis colleagues. The house in itself is incredibly beautiful, relaxing. The art inside is a matter of taste, of course, but it touched me very deeply, and I can now say Maurice Denis and his entourage (Sérusier, Vuillard, Bonnard, Vallotton, and more than anybody else Van Rysselberghe) are in my favorite lists of artists. I’m quite of obsessed with Van Rysselberghe really, I’m searching for his pieces in every museum I come across…

Having first visited the museum during winter, I didn’t bother visiting the gardens as well. Three days ago, I gave it a try. I was all alone in the museum (which is a bit remote from Paris, but easily accessible really) on a friday afternoon. The gardens were lovely.

I usually visit places of interest with music in my ears, accorded to the place. That’s what I did in Saint-Germain. It was a charming experience. So I decided to create a classical playlist especially to visit gardens, and to share it. (It was a longgg introduction, wasn’t it?)

1. Prokofiev — Five Poems of Anna Akhmatova, Op. 27 “Sunlight has filled the chamber”
2. Villa-Lobos — Evocação
3. Sibelius — Karelia Suite, Op. 11: II. Ballade (Tempo di menuetto)
4. Turina — Cuentos de España, Op. 20 No. 4 “En los jardines de Murcia”
5. Telemann — Wilkommen, schöner Freudentag, TWV 12:3: Chorus “Wilkommen, schöner Freudentag”
6. Debussy — Images, Livre 1, Set 1: Reflets dans l’eau
7. Villa-Lobos — Suite Floral, Op. 97: II. Uma Camponeza Cantadeira (A Singing Country Girl)
8. Milhaud — Sonata For Flute, Oboe, Clarinet And Piano: Tranquille
9. Martinů — Butterflies and Birds of Paradise H.127: Butterflies in Flowers
10. Dowland — Nocturnal: “In this trembling shadow cast”
11. Ravel — Miroirs: I. Noctuelles
12. Glazunov — Vremena Goda (The Seasons), Op. 67: XV. Autumn: Adagio
13. Delibes — Sylvia: Acte I. Faunes Et Dryades (Scherzo)
14. Tchaikovsky — Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41: XI. Epiclesis
15. Bartók — No. 107: Melody in the Mist
16. Ravel — Le cygnet
17. Britten — Holiday Diary, Op. 5: II. Sailing
18. Britten — The Sally Gardens: The Sally Gardens
19. Bach (JS)  — Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major BWV 1047: I. Allegro
20. Schnittke — Voices of Nature, for 10 Women’s Voices and Vibraphone
21. Dutilleux — Concerto For Cello & Orchestra “Tout Un Monde Lointain…”: I. Énigme
22. Rorem — Picnic On The Marne: II. A Bend In The River
23. Liszt — 3 Concert Studies: Un sospiro
24. Trebor — Chanson: Passerose de Beauté

Listen to this playlist in Spotify by clicking the button. Enjoy!