Ludwig van Beethoven followed his percussive, brooding Fifth Symphony with an ode to nature. The piece bursts with idyllic passages, including sounds of a brook and a thunderstorm.
Yet Symphony No. 6 is more than a summer stroll. It shows off the composer's inventiveness, as well as his drive to write music that eclipsed the work of predecessors like Haydn and Handel.
Watch Paavo Jarvi conduct the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen performing Beethoven's Sixth Symphony:
Some of CPR Classical's favorite recordings of Symphony No. 6:
Host Monika Vischer on Symphony No. 6:
Beethoven gave each movement a description:
- Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the countryside
- Scene by the Brook;
- Merry gathering of country folk
- Thunder; Storm
- Shepherd's song; cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm.
With his Sixth Symphony, Beethoven gave us a hymn to nature that set a new standard for those to come.
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The Beethoven 9 podcast offers an in-depth exploration of Ludwig van Beethoven's nine symphonies, featuring host Monika Vischer and Beethoven biographer Jan Swafford. Hear other episodes or subscribe to be notified when new installments are available.
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