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

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First Movement: Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arriving in the Country, 'Allegro ma non troppo' (more info)
Composed by: Ludwig van Beethoven Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann, narrator


1.   On Beethoven's Openings - 1:26
2.   Opening phrase of the 'Pastoral': ood, Symbolism and Musical Function - 1:44
3.   Musical Acorns: the outline of melody; the shape of a question - 0:42
4.   The 'question' in the 'Pastoral' repeated... - 0:04
5.   ...and answered - 0:12
6.   The opening phrase ends on a note full of pregnant expectation - 0:19
7.   Starting with a stop - 0:36
8.   The rhythmic profile of the opening phrase; a two-part construction - 0:52
9.   Phrase One, Part One - 0:09
10.   Phrase One, Part Two - 0:06
11.   The properties of rhythmic ambiguity; the 'question' of Phrase One answered - 1:03
12.   Phrase Two: from meander to march - 0:27
13.   The makings of a conversation: contrast and variation - 0:47
14.   Repetition as a major factor, but it's never mere repetition; each time something new is added - 0:33
15.   From soft to loud and back again; instrumental enrichment from horns and double-basses - 0:18
16.   Mega-repetition: violins play exactly the same little fragment ten times in a row - 0:29
17.   But no two repetitions are quite the same; varieties of contrast - 0:34
18.   More variation: pitch rises; violins joined frist by the clarinet, then by the oboe - 0:19
19.   Return to opening idea, but with new instrumentation and articulation - 0:25
20.   Clarinets, horns, bassoons and flutes now join expansive variation - 0:49
21.   'New' insistent rhythm derived from the first four notes of the piece - 0:09
22.   With the dawn chorus, a whole forest is waking up; feelings of rapture - 0:36
23.   First violins play a derivative of the opening figure, joined by wind and strings - 0:32
24.   Sudden change of key, from the home key (tonic) to the dominant - 0:30
25.   Arrival at the hightly contrasting second main theme - 0:55
26.   Unusual properties of second main theme - 2:15
27.   Rhythmic clash between simultaneous groups of three beats and groups of two - 1:09
28.   winds fall selent as the violins and violas interrupt with a new theme - 0:30
29.   Winds answer with the same morse-like rhythm but at half the speed - 0:51
30.   Crescendo leads to strings' acceleration of the pace with no increase in tempo - 1:05
31.   Beginning of coda, directly based on morse-like rhythm of the main theme - 0:22
32.   Strings reiterate small fragment of the new theme 13 times in a row - 0:48
33.   A simple, rising violin phrase leads to a repeat of the Exposition - 0:18
34.   The nature and function of the Development section in sonata form; 'harmonic' rhythm explained - 2:22
35.   The nature of harmonic rhythm illustrated - 0:35
36.   A typically Beethovenian exercise in the frustration of expectation - 0:38
37.   Repetitiousness and magic effected largely through instrumental colour - 0:42
38.   Then come four, almost identical bars - 0:08
39.   Even greater magic, with sudden switch of key and tone colour - 0:28
40.   Entire Development section up to this point - 1:55
41.   The Development continued - 1:23
42.   Increased unease and suspense as harmonic rhythm accelerates - 2:03
43.   Arrival at the point of Recapitulation; back to the beginning, as a reminder - 1:50
44.   Beginning of Recapitulation - 0:50
45.   More Beethovenian frustrations of expectations which he himself has just set up - 1:01
46.   Harmonic rhythm speeds up, giving the impression of an accent on every beat - 0:34
47.   Prevailing mood restored; new theme from clarinets and bassoons - 0:28
48.   Violins and violas take up theme; horns, cellos, double-basses accompany - 0:48
49.   A hush falls, followed by a return of the movement's most familiar tag in strings - 0:58
50.   Clarinet takes up the running triplet figures of the main closing theme - 0:32
51.   First violins take up the opening phrase again, accompanied by double-basses - 0:37
52.   Beethoven slips in one last surprise; cue to complete movement - 0:59
53.   First movement (complete) - 11:01


Second Movement, Scene by the Brook (more info)
Composed by: Ludwig van Beethoven Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann, narrator


54.   General introduction; the birth of a melody - 1:59
55.   Brook music quickens; syncopated horns; theme changes hands; evocation of birdsong - 1:19
56.   The 'motto' theme introduced by violins and treated to round-like overlappings - 0:52
57.   Transitional 'bridge' theme sets off for new key group. But is it? And does it? - 0:39
58.   Will he, or won't he? Beethoven keeps us guessing - 1:09
59.   The run-up to the Second Group - 1:14
60.   Arrival at the Second Group; but where is the actual Second Subject? - 0:39
61.   A new tune is introduced by the bassoon - 0:38
62.   Tune is repeated three times - 1:00
63.   ...which the full orchestra now takes up in varied form - 0:45
64.   Theme carried by flutes and first violins in a charmingly waltz-like development - 0:48
65.   A reminder of precedent - 0:14
66.   Back to the prevailing triple-metre with violins, bassoons and flutes - 0:16
67.   Another reminder of precedent... - 0:16
68.   ...and a cue to some unexpected departures - 0:38
69.   The transformational magic of Beethoven's 'tone-painting' - and a new varation - 0:50
70.   Conversation of clarinet, flute and oboe on the way to the Development - 0:43
71.   Harmonic movement emphasised by violins; oboe takes up the First Subject - 0:38
72.   Flute and oboe discuss the First Subject, before arriving together at the Transition - 1:04
73.   Gains in volume and intensity lead to a new key-change - 0:47
74.   More thematic transformation through the agency of tone-colour - 1:11
75.   Harmonic fluideity - instability - as the central engine of the Development section - 1:40
76.   Harmonic instability, thematic dissolution increase, then lessen with approach of Recapitulation - 1:41
77.   Recap. and transformation: key and material are right, but what a change of presentation! - 1:29
78.   Just when we know what's coming, Beethoven changes the rules (or at least the harmony) - 0:53
79.   Transformation by reorchestration; switch to long sustained chords; then everything stops - 1:20
80.   The silence is broken by voices of nightingale (flute), quail (oboe) and cuckoo (clarinet) - 0:40
81.   First violins bring back motto theme - 0:12
82.   Cue to complete movement on CD 2 - 0:32

Thrid Movement, Merry Gathering of Country Folk (more info)
Composed by: Ludwig van Beethoven Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann, narrator


1.   Beethoven and the Scherzo: an introduction; Part One of opening phrase taken by the strings - 1:32
2.   Immediate response; Part One is answered by a march more singing, continuous legato - 0:23
3.   Entire orchestra gives out opening theme, this time fortissimo and with powerful accents - 1:06
4.   A mustical ball game. The contrast of this and the first two movements could hardly be greater - 0:33
5.   After quietly teasing suspense, Beethoven mocks village band, first the oboe, then the bassoon - 1:18
6.   Clarinet joins in, then horn takes the tune - the dance no longer boisterous but lyrical - 0:48
7.   Strings sweep the village musicians aside and hurtle us into the new, boisterous 'Trio' section - 0:46
8.   The air is alive with the sound of (mock) bagpipes, tambourines and fifes - 1:00
9.   Coda; begins as the movement itself begins, but soon diverges in harmony and instrumentation - 1:18
10.   Original layout compressed; order of events is changed nd Beethoven springs a big surprise - 0:42
11.   Third movement (complete) - 5:14


Fourth Movement, Thunderstorm (more info)
Composed by: Ludwig van Beethoven Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann, narrator


12.   Unparalled portrait of nature's power over humanity, with some stupendous orchestration - 3:05
13.   Self-generating form and terror of total unpredictability; 'anxiety motif' from the violins - 1:34
14.   The 'lashing rain' motif - downward-driving arpeggios from the first violins and violas - 0:36
15.   The 'lightning' motif, and its recurrnece later in the movement - 0:22
16.   'Rain' motif, derived from descending scale pattern from the violins at the outest - 0:13
17.   Shivering tremolandos from the strings and increasingly eerie harmonies from the wind - 0:18
18.   Steady crescendo in strings; terrifying, downward spelling-out of chords in the violins - 1:37
19.   Extremes of dynamic contrasts; the unsettling, disturbing, undermining effects of chromaticism - 1:02
20.   Abandonment of melody, and most traces even of rhythm; sustained, discordant harmony - 0:20
21.   Storm dispersed, the sun reappears, bathing sodden earth below with its life-giving rays - 1:52
22.   Cue to complete preformance of Fourth Movement - 0:09
23.   Fourth movement (complete) - 3:55


Fifth Movement, Shepherd's Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm (more info)
Composed by: Ludwig van Beethoven Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann, narrator


24.   'Yodelling' figure from clarinet, then horn, the violins, who introduce the main theme - 0:59
25.   Details of instrumental magic in the interplay of horns, cellos, clarinets and bassoons - 1:06
26.   Main theme heard three times in a row - and yet never the same way twice - 1:06
27.   Now we get the whole orchestra, playing full out, with violins all double-stopping - 0:36
28.   Transition to the next section, based on the last two notes of the main theme - 0:43
29.   The rhythmic basis of new transition theme, first in violas, then takes up by first violins - 0:38
30.   Another rhythmic details of extended transition comes increasingly into the foreground - 0:29
31.   ...and is then heard in expanded version, taken in sequence by the strings, from the top down - 0:51
32.   New phrase, introduced by violins, brings us resoundingly back to the opening material - 1:13
33.   Main theme, re-orchestrated; unexpected drift into another key and a new, gently flowing theme - 2:15
34.   Hints of a return to main theme; long 'pedal point'; running commentary from the violins - 0:58
35.   Main theme returns, but significantly altered, and not entirely intact - 0:37
36.   Running commentary now heard in the middle, with alternating pizzicatos both above and below - 0:24
37.   Part Three of main theme given to entire orchestra, leading to final appearance of Theme two - 1:21
38.   Extended coda; overlapping variations of main theme, rather in the manner of a round - 2:09
39.   Suddenly the scene changes. A variation of the 'running commentary' cited in Tracks 34 and 36 - 0:51
40.   The crowning glory, as the Shepherd's Song of Thanksgiving takes on a 'heavenly' magnificence - 2:10
41.   Cue into complete performance of Fifth Movement through the 'gateway' of the Fourth - 1:09
42.   Fourth and Fifth movements (complete) - 13:47


Second Movement, Scene by the Brook (more info)
Composed by: Ludwig van Beethoven Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann, narrator


43.   Second movement (complete) - 12:03

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