Beethoven's Symphony No 6 Pastoral | Academy of Ancient Music

Thunderstorms, sea-spray, nightingales and country dances. Laurence Cummings and the Academy of Ancient Music join Mendelssohn and Beethoven to celebrate the beauties of nature, romantic style.

For the Romantic generation, nature was all about personal experience. Felix Mendelssohn tasted the salt on his tongue when he took a boat trip to the Hebrides. Beethoven said that his Pastoral Symphony was ‘more an impression of feelings than a painting’ – but its vibrant colours have made it one of the best-loved of all Romantic symphonies.

And until you’ve heard it played on period instruments, you’ve no idea just how glorious those colours can sound. Laurence Cummings takes the Academy of Ancient Music on a rare adventure into the nineteenth century: with the teenage Mendelssohn’s exuberant concerto, and relishing all the serenity, power and (yes!) fun of Beethoven’s very personal hymn to nature.