Beethoven ‘Pastoral’ Symphony

RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Swann Van Rechem, conductor

Witness the brilliance of the RTÉ CO under the baton of French conductor Swann Van Rechem in this enchanting journey through the natural world.

Written when Mendelssohn was only 17, we begin with A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture. Light and playful, the Overture vividly evokes Oberon and Titania dancing through the woods, and was hailed by George Grove (The Musical Times) as “the greatest marvel of early maturity that the world has ever seen in music".

Chabrier’s idyllic Suite Pastorale then leads us through the French composer's childhood in Auvergne. The four bucolic scenes of the Suite Pastorale are taken from 10 pièces pittoresques, composed for piano in 1881.

The evening concludes with Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony - the joyful Pastoral. Written in tandem with the beloved Fifth Symphony, the Pastoral marked a parallel and equally defining moment in symphonic composition. A programmatic work depicting Beethoven’s love of nature, the Sixth reflects back the glory of the natural world to the audience. It marks a journey through the Viennese countryside - see our August 11 Summer Lunchtime concert for more Viennese delights – and depicts, as Beethoven himself remarked, “more the expression of feeling than painting”.

Join us for a cornucopia of musical expression portraying the beauty of the natural world.

Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra