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

An exploration of Beethoven's Symphony no. 6 narrated by Jeremy Siepmann

Jeremy Siepmann (reader)

  • Catalogue No: 8558034-35
  • Label: Naxos
  • Series: Educational, Classics Explained
  • Length: 2 hours 33 minutes

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Contents

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 ‘Pastoral' - I. Allegro ma non troppo

Work length51:46
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  • Jeremy Siepmann (reader)

On Beethoven's Openings

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Opening phrase of the 'Pastoral': ood, Symbolism and Musical Function

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Musical Acorns: the outline of melody; the shape of a question

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The 'question' in the 'Pastoral' repeated...

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...and answered

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The opening phrase ends on a note full of pregnant expectation

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Starting with a stop

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The rhythmic profile of the opening phrase; a two-part construction

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Phrase One, Part One

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Phrase One, Part Two

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The properties of rhythmic ambiguity; the 'question' of Phrase One answered

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Phrase Two: from meander to march

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The makings of a conversation: contrast and variation

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Repetition as a major factor, but it's never mere repetition; each time something new is added

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From soft to loud and back again; instrumental enrichment from horns and double-basses

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Mega-repetition: violins play exactly the same little fragment ten times in a row

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But no two repetitions are quite the same; varieties of contrast

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More variation: pitch rises; violins joined frist by the clarinet, then by the oboe

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Return to opening idea, but with new instrumentation and articulation

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Clarinets, horns, bassoons and flutes now join expansive variation

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'New' insistent rhythm derived from the first four notes of the piece

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With the dawn chorus, a whole forest is waking up; feelings of rapture

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First violins play a derivative of the opening figure, joined by wind and strings

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Sudden change of key, from the home key (tonic) to the dominant

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Arrival at the hightly contrasting second main theme

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Unusual properties of second main theme

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Rhythmic clash between simultaneous groups of three beats and groups of two

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winds fall selent as the violins and violas interrupt with a new theme

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Winds answer with the same morse-like rhythm but at half the speed

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Crescendo leads to strings' acceleration of the pace with no increase in tempo

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Beginning of coda, directly based on morse-like rhythm of the main theme

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Strings reiterate small fragment of the new theme 13 times in a row

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A simple, rising violin phrase leads to a repeat of the Exposition

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The nature and function of the Development section in sonata form; 'harmonic' rhythm explained

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The nature of harmonic rhythm illustrated

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A typically Beethovenian exercise in the frustration of expectation

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Repetitiousness and magic effected largely through instrumental colour

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Then come four, almost identical bars

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Even greater magic, with sudden switch of key and tone colour

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Entire Development section up to this point

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The Development continued

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Increased unease and suspense as harmonic rhythm accelerates

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Arrival at the point of Recapitulation; back to the beginning, as a reminder

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Beginning of Recapitulation

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More Beethovenian frustrations of expectations which he himself has just set up

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Harmonic rhythm speeds up, giving the impression of an accent on every beat

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Prevailing mood restored; new theme from clarinets and bassoons

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Violins and violas take up theme; horns, cellos, double-basses accompany

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A hush falls, followed by a return of the movement's most familiar tag in strings

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Clarinet takes up the running triplet figures of the main closing theme

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First violins take up the opening phrase again, accompanied by double-basses

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Beethoven slips in one last surprise; cue to complete movement

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First movement (complete)

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Beethoven: Second Movement: Scene by the Brook

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  • Jeremy Siepmann (reader)

General introduction; the birth of a melody

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Brook music quickens; syncopated horns; theme changes hands; evocation of birdsong

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The 'motto' theme introduced by violins and treated to round-like overlappings

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Transitional 'bridge' theme sets off for new key group. But is it? And does it?

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Will he, or won't he? Beethoven keeps us guessing

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The run-up to the Second Group

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Arrival at the Second Group; but where is the actual Second Subject?

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A new tune is introduced by the bassoon

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Tune is repeated three times

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...which the full orchestra now takes up in varied form

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Theme carried by flutes and first violins in a charmingly waltz-like development

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A reminder of precedent

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Back to the prevailing triple-metre with violins, bassoons and flutes

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Another reminder of precedent...

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...and a cue to some unexpected departures

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The transformational magic of Beethoven's 'tone-painting' - and a new varation

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Conversation of clarinet, flute and oboe on the way to the Development

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Harmonic movement emphasised by violins; oboe takes up the First Subject

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Flute and oboe discuss the First Subject, before arriving together at the Transition

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Gains in volume and intensity lead to a new key-change

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More thematic transformation through the agency of tone-colour

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Harmonic fluideity - instability - as the central engine of the Development section

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Harmonic instability, thematic dissolution increase, then lessen with approach of Recapitulation

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Recap. and transformation: key and material are right, but what a change of presentation!

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Just when we know what's coming, Beethoven changes the rules (or at least the harmony)

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Transformation by reorchestration; switch to long sustained chords; then everything stops

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The silence is broken by voices of nightingale (flute), quail (oboe) and cuckoo (clarinet)

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First violins bring back motto theme

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Cue to complete movement on CD 2

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Second movement (complete)

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Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 ‘Pastoral' - III. Allegro

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  • Jeremy Siepmann (reader)

Beethoven and the Scherzo: an introduction; Part One of opening phrase taken by the strings

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Immediate response; Part One is answered by a march more singing, continuous legato

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Entire orchestra gives out opening theme, this time fortissimo and with powerful accents

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A mustical ball game. The contrast of this and the first two movements could hardly be greater

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After quietly teasing suspense, Beethoven mocks village band, first the oboe, then the bassoon

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Clarinet joins in, then horn takes the tune - the dance no longer boisterous but lyrical

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Strings sweep the village musicians aside and hurtle us into the new, boisterous 'Trio' section

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The air is alive with the sound of (mock) bagpipes, tambourines and fifes

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Coda; begins as the movement itself begins, but soon diverges in harmony and instrumentation

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Original layout compressed; order of events is changed nd Beethoven springs a big surprise

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Third movement (complete)

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Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 ‘Pastoral' - IV. Allegro (Sturm)

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  • Jeremy Siepmann (reader)

Unparalled portrait of nature's power over humanity, with some stupendous orchestration

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Self-generating form and terror of total unpredictability; 'anxiety motif' from the violins

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The 'lashing rain' motif - downward-driving arpeggios from the first violins and violas

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The 'lightning' motif, and its recurrnece later in the movement

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'Rain' motif, derived from descending scale pattern from the violins at the outest

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Shivering tremolandos from the strings and increasingly eerie harmonies from the wind

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Steady crescendo in strings; terrifying, downward spelling-out of chords in the violins

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Extremes of dynamic contrasts; the unsettling, disturbing, undermining effects of chromaticism

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Abandonment of melody, and most traces even of rhythm; sustained, discordant harmony

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Storm dispersed, the sun reappears, bathing sodden earth below with its life-giving rays

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Cue to complete preformance of Fourth Movement

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Fourth movement (complete)

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Beethoven: Fifth Movement: Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm

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  • Jeremy Siepmann (reader)

'Yodelling' figure from clarinet, then horn, the violins, who introduce the main theme

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Details of instrumental magic in the interplay of horns, cellos, clarinets and bassoons

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Main theme heard three times in a row - and yet never the same way twice

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Now we get the whole orchestra, playing full out, with violins all double-stopping

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Transition to the next section, based on the last two notes of the main theme

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The rhythmic basis of new transition theme, first in violas, then takes up by first violins

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Another rhythmic details of extended transition comes increasingly into the foreground

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...and is then heard in expanded version, taken in sequence by the strings, from the top down

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New phrase, introduced by violins, brings us resoundingly back to the opening material

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Main theme, re-orchestrated; unexpected drift into another key and a new, gently flowing theme

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Hints of a return to main theme; long 'pedal point'; running commentary from the violins

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Main theme returns, but significantly altered, and not entirely intact

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Running commentary now heard in the middle, with alternating pizzicatos both above and below

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Part Three of main theme given to entire orchestra, leading to final appearance of Theme two

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Extended coda; overlapping variations of main theme, rather in the manner of a round

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Suddenly the scene changes. A variation of the 'running commentary' cited in Tracks 34 and 36

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The crowning glory, as the Shepherd's Song of Thanksgiving takes on a 'heavenly' magnificence

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Cue into complete performance of Fifth Movement through the 'gateway' of the Fourth

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Fourth and Fifth movements (complete)

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