A new perspective on Beethoven’s Pastoral

The ‘locus amoenus’ – the ‘lovely place’ – describes an idyll that has inspired music, art and literature since ancient times. This fascination with a place in nature, a Garden of Eden on earth, so to speak, forms the cornerstone of the ‘pastoral’ aesthetic as we know it today. Idyll, natural paradise, Garden of Eden: these are all terms that perhaps border a little too closely on kitsch and clichés. Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’, however, is far removed from kitsch. With its terrifying thunderstorm, it has also moved away from the ‘Locus amoenus’ mentioned at the outset. So how did it come about that Beethoven wrote such a symphony? What is there still to discover and hear anew in such a well-known symphony? Principal Conductor Roberto González-Monjas will guide you through Beethoven’s pastoral depiction with his commentary and musical examples, and share his personal approach to this masterpiece. In the second half, Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony will sound entirely new against this backdrop – in a new light, so to speak.