Performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Giordano Bellincampi
Beethoven's walk in nature, by Julius Schmid. Photo: Public Domain
Beethoven was a lover of nature. Long daily walks were a feature of his life. His diary records his wonder in the outdoors: "Almighty in the forest! I am happy, blissful in the forest: every tree speaks through you … In such a wooded scene in the heights there is calm, calm in which to serve Him."
The 6th Symphony holds several novelties: descriptive titles, a programmatic element, and pictorial details like the bird calls in the slow movement and the village band in the scherzo. Beethoven, though, believed that beyond these features the work could generally speak for itself. He prefaced his one and only set of movement titles with the tempered heading: "Pastoral Symphony, more an expression of feeling than painting."
His headers continued:
"1st piece: pleasant feelings which awaken in men on arriving in the countryside. 2nd piece: scene by the brook. 3rd piece: merry gathering of country people, interrupted by 4th piece: thunder and storm, into which breaks 5th piece: salutary feelings combined with thanks to the Deity."
Programme Note: Kevin Keys
Recorded by RNZ Concert in Auckland Town Hall, 29 July 2021
Engineer: Adrian Hollay; Producer: Tim Dodd
