While heroism often seems to characterise his music, Beethoven was also a composer inspired by nature. In works such as the Violin Sonata, Op.24 (‘Spring’), we can hear traces of Beethoven’s wanderings in the rural areas around Vienna. This other side of Beethoven is perhaps most vividly manifested in his Sixth Symphony, the ‘Pastoral’. Beethoven started work on the symphony as early as 1803–4 and it was completed simultaneously with the promethean Fifth Symphony in 1807–8. Both works were premiered in the same concert at Theater an der Wien in 1808. The ‘Pastoral’ Symphony is one of the few works of Beethoven that contain an explicit programme or description. In contrast to the usual four-movement design, it is Beethoven’s only symphony that has five movements and programmatic titles.
Beethoven first invites us to experience the natural soundscape around Vienna together with the cheerful first movement. Titled ‘Awakening of Cheerful Feelings upon Arriving in the Countryside’, the movement opens by introducing us to the scenery of the countryside via the soothing sound of the strings. As the tutti first theme arrives, we begin to hear the sound of wildlife such as the bird calls on the flutes. After a moment of uncertainty, the tranquil second theme emerges, exalting the beauty of nature. Just when we venture further into the woods as the volume builds up, Beethoven gradually leads us back to where we started, showing what remains to be discovered in the countryside.
The second movement describes a ‘Scene by the Brook’. We are now near a small river, listening to the sound of the flowing water represented by the strings. While the first violins and the clarinets and bassoons enter into a dialogue on the picturesque surroundings, we continue to hear the chirps and whirrs of birds in the accompaniment. Towards the end, Beethoven draws our attention to the birds by matching different species with specific instruments: the nightingale (flute), quail (oboe) and cuckoo (clarinets) join forces to bring the movement to a close.
Halfway through our journey, we have arrived at a ‘Merry Gathering of Country Folk’. This lively third movement alternates between dancing rhythms and singing tunes, portraying the revels in rural villages. Here Beethoven often moves the accented beat in the music to effect the transition between dancing and singing. As the main theme returns for the final time in an ecstatic manner, the music ends hastily and rushes into the fourth movement without a break.
The sudden change of scenes signals the advent of ‘Tempest, Storm’. Foreshadowed by the uneasy stepwise movements on the strings, the storm quickly erupts with the entire orchestra playing at maximum volume. After subsequent waves of rain, winds and lightning, the storm gradually passes as the sound of thunder becomes distant. This paves the way for the resurgence of the pastoral over the woodwinds and strings at the end, which leads us to the final movement.
Titled ‘Shepherd’s Song. Cheerful and Thankful Feelings after the Storm’, the finale depicts the shepherds’ expression of gratitude and relief after the storm. Over the course of 10 minutes, we hear constant reappearances of the shepherds’ singing theme that conveys a sense of thankfulness. The symphony concludes with a chorale, which serves to attribute the splendour of nature to the creation of God.
Concerts notes originally commissioned for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony, conducted by Yutaka Sado. Thursday 11 and Friday 12 November 2021, City Halls, Glasgow.
© Kelvin H. F. Lee