I paused yesterday before playing a St. Louis Symphony Orchestra recording of Serenade No. 2 by Johannes Brahms. The CD cover was a painting of trees with red leaves. For a second, I thought, "Maybe I should wait until Autumn to play this."
Then, however, I reasoned, "This cover painting is a suggestion, not a mandate. Nothing says I can't play a Christmas carol in Summer or the national anthem in Winter, so why should this be any different?"
The second serenade it was, then. I was pleased not to wait three months to hear it.
