Beethoven’s Pastoral

‘Natural’, ‘artificial’… Isn’t that a curious contrast? Hasn’t nature always inspired art, and doesn’t art move us in a natural way? We call something ‘artificial’ when it is not genuine, as if Gustav Mahler’s ‘Blumine’ or Ludwig van Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ were any less genuine than their natural sources of inspiration. The landscapes depicted there may well be imaginary, yet their effect is hard to deny. Mahler’s ‘Blumine’ transports its audience to a place of deep contentment and contemplation; this place may be different for each of us, but it is genuine. Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’, on the other hand, takes us through characteristic rural scenes and thus still speaks to our very souls, even 200 years later. However, the so-called ‘pastoral’ mood only comes to life thanks to the contrast with city life. In this programme, this contrast becomes audible in Oscar Strasnoy’s ‘Sinfonia Concertante’. Set amidst the two pastoral worlds of Mahler and Beethoven is a double concerto, written for Jean-Guihen Queyras and his long-standing duo partner Alexandre Tharaud, which deliberately sets itself apart from the rest of the programme in terms of musical language and genre. It is through this contrast that the “Arrival in the Countryside” – as Beethoven describes the first movement of his Sixth Symphony – truly comes into its own.

Individual tickets for subscription concerts can be booked from 20 August 2026. Until then, please send us an email with details of the desired category and number of tickets.  6.45 pm Concert introduction with Gabiz Reichert and Oscar Strasnoy in the City Council Chamber