Classics Explained: BEETHOVEN - Symphony No. 6, 'Pastoral' (Siepmann)

Jeremy Siepmann

125 SONGS • 2 HOURS AND 33 MINUTES • JUL 05 2002

77

Second Movement: Scene by the Brook: Recap. and transformation: key and material are right, but what a change of presentation!

01:29

78

Second Movement: Scene by the Brook: Just when we know what's coming, Beethoven changes the rules (or at least the harmony)

00:53

79

Second Movement: Scene by the Brook: Transformation by reorchestration; switch to long sustained chords; then everything stops

01:20

80

Second Movement: Scene by the Brook: The silence is broken by voices of nightingale (flute), quail (oboe) and cuckoo (clarinet)

00:40

81

Second Movement: Scene by the Brook: First violins bring back motto theme

00:12

82

Second Movement: Scene by the Brook: Cue to complete movement on CD 2

00:33

83

Second Movement: Scene by the Brook: Second movement (complete)

12:03

84

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": III. Merry Gathering of Country Folk: Beethoven and the Scherzo: an introduction; Part One of opening phrase taken by the strings

01:31

85

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": III. Merry Gathering of Country Folk: Immediate response; Part One is answered by a march more singing, continuous legato

00:23

86

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": III. Merry Gathering of Country Folk: Entire orchestra gives out opening theme, this time fortissimo and with powerful accents

01:06

87

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": III. Merry Gathering of Country Folk: A mustical ball game. The contrast of this and the first two movements could hardly be greater

00:33

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Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": III. Merry Gathering of Country Folk: After quietly teasing suspense, Beethoven mocks village band, first the oboe, then the bassoon

01:18

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Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": III. Merry Gathering of Country Folk: Clarinet joins in, then horn takes the tune - the dance no longer boisterous but lyrical

00:48

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Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": III. Merry Gathering of Country Folk: Strings sweep the village musicians aside and hurtle us into the new, boisterous 'Trio' section

00:46

91

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": III. Merry Gathering of Country Folk: The air is alive with the sound of (mock) bagpipes, tambourines and fifes

01:00

92

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": III. Merry Gathering of Country Folk: Coda; begins as the movement itself begins, but soon diverges in harmony and instrumentation

01:18

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Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": III. Merry Gathering of Country Folk: Original layout compressed; order of events is changed nd Beethoven springs a big surprise

00:42

94

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": III. Merry Gathering of Country Folk: Third movement (complete)

05:14

95

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": IV. Thunderstorm: Unparalled portrait of nature's power over humanity, with some stupendous orchestration

03:05

96

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": IV. Thunderstorm: Self-generating form and terror of total unpredictability; 'anxiety motif' from the violins

01:34

97

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": IV. Thunderstorm: The 'lashing rain' motif - downward-driving arpeggios from the first violins and violas

00:36

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Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": IV. Thunderstorm: The 'lightning' motif, and its recurrnece later in the movement

00:22

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Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": IV. Thunderstorm: 'Rain' motif, derived from descending scale pattern from the violins at the outest

00:13

100

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": IV. Thunderstorm: Shivering tremolandos from the strings and increasingly eerie harmonies from the wind

00:18

101

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": IV. Thunderstorm: Steady crescendo in strings; terrifying, downward spelling-out of chords in the violins

01:37

102

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": IV. Thunderstorm: Extremes of dynamic contrasts; the unsettling, disturbing, undermining effects of chromaticism

01:02

103

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": IV. Thunderstorm: Abandonment of melody, and most traces even of rhythm; sustained, discordant harmony

00:20

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Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": IV. Thunderstorm: Storm dispersed, the sun reappears, bathing sodden earth below with its life-giving rays

01:52

105

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": IV. Thunderstorm: Cue to complete preformance of Fourth Movement

00:09

106

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": IV. Thunderstorm: Fourth movement (complete)

03:55

107

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: 'Yodelling' figure from clarinet, then horn, the violins, who introduce the main theme

00:59

108

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Details of instrumental magic in the interplay of horns, cellos, clarinets and bassoons

01:06

109

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Main theme heard three times in a row - and yet never the same way twice

01:06

110

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Now we get the whole orchestra, playing full out, with violins all double-stopping

00:36

111

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Transition to the next section, based on the last two notes of the main theme

00:43

112

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: The rhythmic basis of new transition theme, first in violas, then takes up by first violins

00:38

113

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Another rhythmic details of extended transition comes increasingly into the foreground

00:29

114

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: ...and is then heard in expanded version, taken in sequence by the strings, from the top down

00:52

115

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: New phrase, introduced by violins, brings us resoundingly back to the opening material

01:13

116

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Main theme, re-orchestrated; unexpected drift into another key and a new, gently flowing theme

02:15

117

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Hints of a return to main theme; long 'pedal point'; running commentary from the violins

00:58

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Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Main theme returns, but significantly altered, and not entirely intact

00:37

119

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Running commentary now heard in the middle, with alternating pizzicatos both above and below

00:24

120

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Part Three of main theme given to entire orchestra, leading to final appearance of Theme two

01:21

121

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Extended coda; overlapping variations of main theme, rather in the manner of a round

02:09

122

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Suddenly the scene changes. A variation of the 'running commentary' cited in Tracks 34 and 36

00:51

123

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: The crowning glory, as the Shepherd's Song of Thanksgiving takes on a 'heavenly' magnificence

02:11

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Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Cue into complete performance of Fifth Movement through the 'gateway' of the Fourth

01:09

125

Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Fourth and Fifth movements (complete)

13:47

℗© 2002 Naxos