Pastoral Dreams | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Weber’s tale of a fairy king forms a fantastical prelude to Karl Goldmark’s lyrical Violin Concerto No 1. Both composers found success writing operas, but Goldmark’s work as an inspired piece of writing for violin achieves both grandeur and intimacy as it moves effortlessly between flamboyance and slow deliberation in passages of rich romantic elegance.

Beethoven’s Symphony No 6, ‘Pastoral’, a retreat from the modernity of nineteenth-century Europe tinged with a nostalgia for a countryside that nurtured Beethoven’s creative passions. Frolicsome melodies dance freely throughout until the penultimate movement conjures up a storm – almost literally – which passes with a glorious wave of relief in the Symphony’s climax.