Beethoven's Pastoral

Written during Beethoven’s infatuation with his ‘Immortal Beloved’, the Fourth Piano Concerto flouts convention at virtually every turn. Tender and lyrical, it culminates in a jubilant finale that seems to suggest the composer, endlessly unlucky in matters of the heart, has discovered the joy of life itself.

The ‘Pastoral’ Symphony is his love letter to the spirit of nature. Again, wearing his heart on his sleeve, Beethoven fills five highly melodic movements with characteristic touches, a profusion of contrasting ideas following one after another. The movements all bear unambiguously bucolic titles and are (mostly) unashamedly sunny.