I’m not a big fan of compilation CDs, but this one happens to contain a beautiful performance of Arthur Honegger’s “Pastorale d’été” (“Summer Pastorale”), perfect music for a summer’s afternoon, conducted by Leonard Bernstein, on his birthday. Listen for Honegger’s allusion to Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony.
And, while we’re on the subject, Bernstein talks about and conducts the “Pastoral” Symphony, here:
Here’s a late summer treat courtesy of Arthur Honegger – his “Pastorale d’été” (“Summer Pastoral”), a musical souvenir of a morning in the Swiss Alps. The work is one of Honegger’s most attractive pieces, alternately languorous and lively in its serene, eight minute span, with plenty of sunshine, gentle breezes, and bird song. Note the allusions to Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony.”
I hope you’ll join me tonight for more Honegger on “The Lost Chord,” when we listen to a very different work – his ballet “Sémiramis” – as part of a salute to the dancer Ida Rubinstein. (You can read more about it in yesterday’s post.) That’s “Ida Danced All Night.” Enjoy it at 10 ET, with a rebroadcast Wednesday evening at 6; or listen to it later as a webcast at wwfm.org.
PHOTO: Idyllic Alps
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