Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony

Martin Handley presents the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a programme imbued with musical reflections on the natural world, from Anna Thorvaldsdottir's CATAMORPHOSIS, which is inspired by the fragile relationship with have to our planet, to Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony. Plus Bruch's ever-popular violin concerto, played by the star Danish violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider.

Anna Thorvaldsdóttir
CATAMORPHOSIS

Bruch
Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor

Interval

Beethoven
Symphony No.6 in F major, Op.68 (Pastoral)

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider (violin)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Kirill Karabits (conductor)

Broadcast live from the Royal Festival Hall in London, and presented by Martin Handley.

Anna Thorvaldsdottir's CATAMORPHOSIS, a reflection on our fragile relationship with our planet, is a dramatic work that is also full of hope. It revolves around a distinct sense of urgency, driven by the shift and pull between various polar forces - power and fragility, hope and despair, preservation and destruction.

Max Bruch wrote his Violin Concerto in 1866 and dedicated it to the great violinist Joseph Joachim. It has since become one of the most popular works in the concerto repertoire.

Tonight's programme ends with Beethoven's 6th Symphony, the 'Pastoral', which was composed in the rural outskirts of modern-day Vienna and reflects Beethoven's deep affection for the countryside. Beethoven paints bucolic pictures of rustic calm, birdsong, flowing brooks and a thunder storm before the finale, a Shepherd's Song of thanskgiving.

To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".