Nature was often Beethoven's companion during his long solitary walks in
the countryside near Vienna. His communion with nature brought forth the
"Pastoral" Symphony, composed between in 1807/1808. Its first performance
took place in Vienna on 22 December 1808. Each of the "Pastoral"'s five
movements (it is Beethoven's only five-movement symphony) bears a
descriptive title, suggesting a scene from country life. In the second
movement, woodwinds imitate bird calls: flute (nightingale), oboe (quail)
and clarinet (cuckoo). Beethoven's joy is expressed throughout the work:
"How glad I am to be able to roam in woods and thickets, among the trees,
flowers and rocks", he said. "No one can love the country as I do... my bad
hearing does not trouble me here." This recording is part of Bernstein's
complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies recorded with the Vienna
Philharmonic Orchestra live in Vienna. The series won the Ace Award, the
U.S. Cable TV Association's top award for outstanding quality and
entertainment value. Bernstein's impassioned renderings of Beethoven move
audiences in a unique way. "Beethoven has always meant universality to me,
ever since my early adolescence, when I first heard that unforgettable cry
of 'Brüder!'. From that moment on, every... symphony came to mean heart-
to-heart communication, travelling satellite-fashion via the cosmos itself.
I offer [this cycle] to all music-loving ears as a testament of faith and
of my most profound reactions to this greatest of all composers."
(Leonard Bernstein, 1980)
The DVD is also released within the complete "Beethoven / Bernstein" DVD package which is available in selected stores worldwide and through Amazon or JPC.