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Recorded in Beethoven’s native city of Bonn, this concert from the 2014 Beethovenfest features two symphonies by the great German composer performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the flamboyant Andris Nelsons.

The Beethovenfest's motto is "Götterfunken", divine sparks, and it always boasts a spirited programme that reflects Ludwig van Beethoven’s revolutionary approach to music. This concert is no exception. The ground-breaking Symphony No 6, Pastoral it’s one of the first true examples of programme music. The composer conjures a sonic scene of natural bliss in what he describes as an 'awakening of pleasant feelings upon arriving in the country’. It’s his own tribute to the countryside where he would wander for inspiration as a young man in Bonn.

The first Beethovenfest was co-founded by Franz Liszt and Louis Spohr in Bonn back in 1845. The festival is still going strong today and is now an annual event. Join WFMT’s Rick Fulker for music, interviews with the artists and more.

(12) Beethoven Symphonies at Beethovenfest, Bonn

CBSO/Andris Nelsons

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No 6 in F Op 68, Pastoral; TCHAIKOVSKY: Hamlet, Fantasy Overture; BEETHOVEN: Symphony No 7 in A Op 92

Recorded at Beethoven House, Bonn by West German Radio/WFMT