Beethoven - Symphony No. 6 'Pastoral' / Remastered (r: Herbert von Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker)

Album available // Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies by Herbert von Karajan (2024 Remastered, Berlin 1962)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral"
00:00 I. Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande: Allegro ma non troppo
08:56 II. Scene am Bach: Andante molto moto
20:26 III. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute: Allegro - Attacca
23:27 IV. Gewitter. Sturm: Allegro - Attacca
26:52 V. Hirtengesang. Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm: Allegretto

Berliner Philharmoniker
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
Recorded in 1962, at Berlin
New mastering in 2022 by AB for CMRR

Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral" // Begun in 1807, it was completed in the summer of 1808 in Wiesenthal, near Heiligenstadt, and dedicated to Prince Lobkowitz and Count Razumovsky. The first performance took place in Vienna on December 22, 1803. A fervent lover of nature, Beethoven liked to spend most of the day in the countryside in summer. He was wont to wander through woods and fields with his inseparable sketchbook in hand. It is said that he refused an apartment because there were no trees around. "I like a tree better than a man," he once wrote. Then, in a letter to Thérèse Malfatti: "I'm so happy when I can wander through woods, coppices, trees, rocks. No man can love the countryside as much as I do! If only the forests, the trees and the rocks gave back the echo one wishes to hear!" At the end of September 1815, he scribbled the following: "Almighty God, in the forest I am happy; happy in the forest. Every tree speaks of you. O God, what sovereignty in such a forest. On the heights we find the peace that makes it possible to serve you." These words may echo those of the Apostle Paul: « (…) what may be known about God is clearly evident among them (to humans), for God made it clear to them.For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable (humans who don't want to believe in God). » (Romans 1:19,20) Schindler recounted that during a walk he took with Beethoven in beautiful Wiesenthal, the composer "gazed with pleasure at the magnificent landscape and confided to him [Schindler] that it was here that he had written the 'Stream Scene' from the Pastoral Symphony, while the birds, singing around him, participated in the composition."

Beethoven's sketchbooks show that he took infinite care in choosing the exact title of this symphony, as well as that of each movement. At first, he refused to give the work a title, deciding to let the listener find the symphony's meaning. Later, he changed his mind and wrote "Sinjonia caratteristica.Memories of country life. All painting loses, as soon as it [is] pushed too far into instrumental music." Later still, he modified the title and added: "Sinfonia pastorella. Anyone who understands what country life is like can imagine, without much prompting, what the author intends. It's more an expression of sensations than a painting." In the end, he wrote "Symphonie Pastorale. Not a painting, but simply a piece of music expressing the sensations that the pleasure of the countryside brings to man."

COMPLETE PRESENTATION: LOOK THE FIRST PINNED COMMENT

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D Major Op. 123

[classicalmusicreference]

Album available // Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies by Herbert von Karajan (2024 Remastered, Berlin 1962)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral"
00:00 I. Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande: Allegro ma non troppo
08:56 II. Scene am Bach: Andante molto moto
20:26 III. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute: Allegro - Attacca
23:27 IV. Gewitter. Sturm: Allegro - Attacca
26:52 V. Hirtengesang. Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm: Allegretto

Berliner Philharmoniker
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
Recorded in 1962, at Berlin
New mastering in 2022 by AB for CMRR

Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral" // Begun in 1807, it was completed in the summer of 1808 in Wiesenthal, near Heiligenstadt, and dedicated to Prince Lobkowitz and Count Razumovsky. The first performance took place in Vienna on December 22, 1803. A fervent lover of nature, Beethoven liked to spend most of the day in the countryside in summer. He was wont to wander through woods and fields with his inseparable sketchbook in hand. It is said that he refused an apartment because there were no trees around. "I like a tree better than a man, " he once wrote. Then, in a letter to Thérèse Malfatti: "I'm so happy when I can wander through woods, coppices, trees, rocks. No man can love the countryside as much as I do! If only the forests, the trees and the rocks gave back the echo one wishes to hear!" At the end of September 1815, he scribbled the following: "Almighty God, in the forest I am happy; happy in the forest. Every tree speaks of you. O God, what sovereignty in such a forest. On the heights we find the peace that makes it possible to serve you." These words may echo those of the Apostle Paul: « (…) what may be known about God is clearly evident among them (to humans), for God made it clear to them.For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable (humans who don't want to believe in God). » (Romans 1:19, 20) Schindler recounted that during a walk he took with Beethoven in beautiful Wiesenthal, the composer "gazed with pleasure at the magnificent landscape and confided to him [Schindler] that it was here that he had written the 'Stream Scene' from the Pastoral Symphony, while the birds, singing around him, participated in the composition."

Beethoven's sketchbooks show that he took infinite care in choosing the exact title of this symphony, as well as that of each movement. At first, he refused to give the work a title, deciding to let the listener find the symphony's meaning. Later, he changed his mind and wrote "Sinjonia caratteristica.Memories of country life. All painting loses, as soon as it [is] pushed too far into instrumental music." Later still, he modified the title and added: "Sinfonia pastorella. Anyone who understands what country life is like can imagine, without much prompting, what the author intends. It's more an expression of sensations than a painting." In the end, he wrote "Symphonie Pastorale. Not a painting, but simply a piece of music expressing the sensations that the pleasure of the countryside brings to man."

The symphony became very popular during Beethoven's lifetime. In 1829, shortly after his death, an attempt was made in London to make the performance more realistic by "dramatizing" the symphony: six actors played the roles of the "main characters", and an ensemble ballet mimicked the "plot" underlying the composition. Handel's "serenata" Acis and Galatea was performed as an overture, to put the audience in the right frame of mind. In 1863, the symphony was performed in Düsseldorf with "tableaux vivants", and the following year, a "mimed" performance was announced for London. Each movement of the symphony bears a descriptive subtitle:

I. Allegro ma non troppo: "Pleasant joyful impressions which awaken in man on his arrival in the countryside". Every little motif, even the typical accompaniment forms, is used to build the themes that become the main melodies, which then fade away until, once again, they are only secondary motifs or simple accompaniments. The persistent fifth played by the cellos and violas, which forms the basis of the main theme, is characteristic of the pastoral atmosphere and style. The theme is reminiscent of a shepherd's song, and sounds as if it were played on a chanter.
II. Andante molto moto. "Scene by the stream". This movement is reminiscent of a finely worked filigree. Towards the end, the songs of various birds are heard, and their names are written on the score. Beethoven instructed the copyists: "Write on the score the words nightingale, quail and cuckoo on the first flute, first oboe and first and second clarinets, exactly as they are indicated here.
III. Allegro. "Joyous reunion of peasants." About this movement, Schindler wrote: "A small country orchestra of seven men played for many years at the cabaret 'Les trois Corbeaux' in Upper Brühl, near Mölding. Beethoven had written little waltzes and country melodies for them on more than one occasion. One day when I was with him, he asked me, after handing over a new opus to the conductor, if I had noticed that the musicians, drowsy with beer, often played half-asleep. They often dropped their instruments and simply stopped playing. Then they would suddenly wake up with a start and attack with a few notes played at random, but almost always in the right key. Then they'd fall asleep again..." In this movement, Beethoven reproduced this scene to some extent, and it's only in a few bars that we hear the accompaniment and the chanted rhythm. At one point, the oboe only enters in the second quarter of the bar, as if too late, while the violins continue the same accompaniment.
IV. Allegro. "Thunder, Storm. The first rumblings from the cellos and double basses announce the storm, while the second violins imitate the first raindrops. Beethoven ingeniously multiplies dissonances, timpani rolls and string tremolos, giving this movement a highly expressive, realist character. The oboe's song dispels the clouds. This movement is followed, without interruption, by the finale.
V. Allegretto. "Song of the shepherds, Sense of happiness and thanksgiving to divinity after the storm ." Above one of the sketches are written the words "Thanksgiving . O God, we praise you." This movement was originally intended to begin with this hymn. It is just as innovative as the Allegro, for it makes use of several musical forms in combination: the rondo, the sonata and the variation. A simple folk melody (a song that can still be heard in the region south of Vienna) serves as the framework for this collective dance, which brings the entire orchestra together in a sonorous, fraternal communion.

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D Major Op. 123

[classicalmusicreference]

Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral" // Begun in 1807, it was completed in the summer of 1808 in Wiesenthal, near Heiligenstadt, and dedicated to Prince Lobkowitz and Count Razumovsky. The first performance took place in Vienna on December 22, 1803. A fervent lover of nature, Beethoven liked to spend most of the day in the countryside in summer. He was wont to wander through woods and fields with his inseparable sketchbook in hand. It is said that he refused an apartment because there were no trees around. "I like a tree better than a man, " he once wrote. Then, in a letter to Thérèse Malfatti: "I'm so happy when I can wander through woods, coppices, trees, rocks. No man can love the countryside as much as I do! If only the forests, the trees and the rocks gave back the echo one wishes to hear!" At the end of September 1815, he scribbled the following: "Almighty God, in the forest I am happy; happy in the forest. Every tree speaks of you. O God, what sovereignty in such a forest. On the heights we find the peace that makes it possible to serve you." These words may echo those of the Apostle Paul: « (…) what may be known about God is clearly evident among them (to humans), for God made it clear to them.For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable (humans who don't want to believe in God). » (Romans 1:19, 20) Schindler recounted that during a walk he took with Beethoven in beautiful Wiesenthal, the composer "gazed with pleasure at the magnificent landscape and confided to him [Schindler] that it was here that he had written the 'Stream Scene' from the Pastoral Symphony, while the birds, singing around him, participated in the composition."

Beethoven's sketchbooks show that he took infinite care in choosing the exact title of this symphony, as well as that of each movement. At first, he refused to give the work a title, deciding to let the listener find the symphony's meaning. Later, he changed his mind and wrote "Sinjonia caratteristica.Memories of country life. All painting loses, as soon as it [is] pushed too far into instrumental music." Later still, he modified the title and added: "Sinfonia pastorella. Anyone who understands what country life is like can imagine, without much prompting, what the author intends. It's more an expression of sensations than a painting." In the end, he wrote "Symphonie Pastorale. Not a painting, but simply a piece of music expressing the sensations that the pleasure of the countryside brings to man."

The symphony became very popular during Beethoven's lifetime. In 1829, shortly after his death, an attempt was made in London to make the performance more realistic by "dramatizing" the symphony: six actors played the roles of the "main characters", and an ensemble ballet mimicked the "plot" underlying the composition. Handel's "serenata" Acis and Galatea was performed as an overture, to put the audience in the right frame of mind. In 1863, the symphony was performed in Düsseldorf with "tableaux vivants", and the following year, a "mimed" performance was announced for London. Each movement of the symphony bears a descriptive subtitle:

I. Allegro ma non troppo: "Pleasant joyful impressions which awaken in man on his arrival in the countryside". Every little motif, even the typical accompaniment forms, is used to build the themes that become the main melodies, which then fade away until, once again, they are only secondary motifs or simple accompaniments. The persistent fifth played by the cellos and violas, which forms the basis of the main theme, is characteristic of the pastoral atmosphere and style. The theme is reminiscent of a shepherd's song, and sounds as if it were played on a chanter.
II. Andante molto moto. "Scene by the stream". This movement is reminiscent of a finely worked filigree. Towards the end, the songs of various birds are heard, and their names are written on the score. Beethoven instructed the copyists: "Write on the score the words nightingale, quail and cuckoo on the first flute, first oboe and first and second clarinets, exactly as they are indicated here.
III. Allegro. "Joyous reunion of peasants." About this movement, Schindler wrote: "A small country orchestra of seven men played for many years at the cabaret 'Les trois Corbeaux' in Upper Brühl, near Mölding. Beethoven had written little waltzes and country melodies for them on more than one occasion. One day when I was with him, he asked me, after handing over a new opus to the conductor, if I had noticed that the musicians, drowsy with beer, often played half-asleep. They often dropped their instruments and simply stopped playing. Then they would suddenly wake up with a start and attack with a few notes played at random, but almost always in the right key. Then they'd fall asleep again..." In this movement, Beethoven reproduced this scene to some extent, and it's only in a few bars that we hear the accompaniment and the chanted rhythm. At one point, the oboe only enters in the second quarter of the bar, as if too late, while the violins continue the same accompaniment.
IV. Allegro. "Thunder, Storm. The first rumblings from the cellos and double basses announce the storm, while the second violins imitate the first raindrops. Beethoven ingeniously multiplies dissonances, timpani rolls and string tremolos, giving this movement a highly expressive, realist character. The oboe's song dispels the clouds. This movement is followed, without interruption, by the finale.
V. Allegretto. "Song of the shepherds, Sense of happiness and thanksgiving to divinity after the storm ." Above one of the sketches are written the words "Thanksgiving . O God, we praise you." This movement was originally intended to begin with this hymn. It is just as innovative as the Allegro, for it makes use of several musical forms in combination: the rondo, the sonata and the variation. A simple folk melody (a song that can still be heard in the region south of Vienna) serves as the framework for this collective dance, which brings the entire orchestra together in a sonorous, fraternal communion.

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[notaire]

Lebhafte und wunderschöne Interpretation dieser thematischen und perfekt komponierten Sinfonie mit seidigen Tönen aller Streicher, brillanten Tönen aller Blechbläser und vor allem milden Tönen aller Holzbläser. Der intelligente und unvergleichliche Maestro dirigiert das weltklassige Orchester im relativ schnellen Tempo und mit künstlerisch kontrollierter Dynamik. Wunderbar vom Anfang bis zum Ende!

[michaeleickermann]

This recording was my first CD in 1986!

[lilianekurth]

❤❤❤❤❤la Pastoral ma préférée !❤❤❤😊😊merci, je l 'ai écoutée comme gamine en 1945, je l'ai entendu toute ma vie, diriger par les plus grands ❤❤❤❤❤😊

[cantkeepitin]

Thanks for writing these detailed hints. However, the sounding of the accompanying words is so much more beautiful in German.

[IsaacGuzmán-ff]

Musica para la consciencia, esencia, alma.muy bien
😊

[bchristian]

'Scene by the Brook' is my favorite. It really conveys the feeling that no matter how difficult things seem, it will turn out all right in the end. You can hear Beethoven coming to terms with his own personal affliction in that movement.

[renaudpontier]

L'épisode de l'orage est absolument extraordinaire; violent, brutal et pourtant suprêmement harmonieux, et la détente conduisant au final est magique.

[mariainesdeandradealcantar]

Valeu a pena❤❤❤ganhei o dia ❤❤❤❤BEETHOVEN, O ILUMINADO, AQUELE QUE TRANSCEDE OS

[rachelkrieger]

absolutely wonderful. and exhilarating thank you so much..

[changchp]

Mastro Karajan can do Beethoven six under 36 minutes while it took Mastro Bohm roughly 47 minutes to finish.

[danilorainone]

maestro coulda used a lil dab a brylcream

[luiseldelaguitarraazul]

:( comercial in the middle of the first movement... how you could to do that... is a crime...

[pdunderhill]

A strange man, he lived his life in separated boxes. DG recordings of slightly obsessively over produced music but glorious live Concerts in London at least. Maybe he was a man overwhelmed by history, but I never read a convincing account of his time in Berlin in the Third Reich. A Conductor of rare ability but the morals of a Rat.