# Symphonies like Beethoven's 6th (Pastoral)?



## adyo (Apr 3, 2014)

Hi there,

New to classical music, but fell in love with the Betthoven's sixth 
Here is a great performance on youtube

Are there any similarly joyous, exultant symphonies to recommend?


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Not a symphony, but otherwise spot on: Haydn's _Die Jahreszeiten_! It's also an obvious influence on the Pastoral.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Mendelssohn "Italian" symphony
Schumann's "Spring" symphony
Schubert's early symphonies
Haydn's Surprise and Bear symphonies
Prokofiev "Classical" symphony
Bizet's Symphony in C


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## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

The Raff 3rd Symphony "Im Walde". Here is a you tube link to a historic 1949 performance by the CBS Symphony, Bernard Herrmann conducting.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Dvorak's 9th and Sibelius's 3rd Symphony come to mind.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

I'd say Brahms' 2nd symphony.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Itullian said:


> Mendelssohn "Italian" symphony


His "Scottish" also strikes me as sort of pastoral in feel, along with his "Hebrides" overture.



neoshredder said:


> Dvorak's 9th and Sibelius's 3rd Symphony come to mind.


Dvorak's 8th might also work.


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## shangoyal (Sep 22, 2013)

I think Schubert's excellent 9th symphony also qualifies as jubilant and exultant.


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## Jeff W (Jan 20, 2014)

Alfacharger said:


> The Raff 3rd Symphony "Im Walde". Here is a you tube link to a historic 1949 performance by the CBS Symphony, Bernard Herrmann conducting.


Seconding Raff's 3rd and also adding his 7th 'In The Alps'.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

There is no other symphony like Beethoven's Pastoral. It is unique. Nothing else like it.

A fruitless search.


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

Perhaps Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.1 and Sibelius's Symphony No.6 have a sort of "Awakening of feelings upon arrival of winter in the country".


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

neoshredder said:


> Dvorak's 9th and Sibelius's 3rd Symphony come to mind.


Interesting. Neither of these works strike me as particularly "joyous", nor pastoral (save the largo of 'New World').


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Gavriil Popov's 5th symphony from 1956 was subtitled 'Pastoral' and it does feature the seemingly obligatory stormy bit. 

Chastened like so many cultural figures by denunciation in the 1930s and needlessly attacked again in 1948 during the Zhdanov conference, he seemed to keep his nose sufficiently clean from then on (albeit with the help of alcohol) but was largely ignored and his reputation not completely restored until after his death in 1972 aged 67. 

Popov was undoubtedly subtle enough to indulge in a little bit of Shostakovian double-meaning where necessary, and I think this symphony, while generally pleasant and ultimately optimistic, may just contain a little bit of hidden agenda (the five movements are entitles 'Pastorale', 'Storm', Struggle', Hopes' and 'Pastorale' again). Worth a listen anyway - there's a recording on Olympia with Gurgen Karapatien conducting the USSR SSO.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

The sixth symphonies of Haydn and Sibelius are lovely and optimistic--and the latter is quite strange!

Tom Service provides handy listening notes and links to good performances:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2013/oct/15/symphony-guide-haydn-sixth-tom-service

http://www.theguardian.com/music/to.../26/symphony-guide-sibelius-sixth-tom-service

Perhaps I'll make a playlist with these and Beethoven's Pastoral myself--and call it 666!


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Hugo Alfvén - Symphony 3


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## John Galt (Feb 3, 2015)

adyo said:


> Hi there,
> 
> New to classical music, but fell in love with the Betthoven's sixth
> Here is a great performance on youtube
> ...


My favorite Beethoven symphony  The only one I like, actually.


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## Überstürzter Neumann (Jan 1, 2014)

Justin Heinrich Knecht: Grande Symphonie (1873). Might have been an inspiration for Beethoven, in any case a nice work.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

There is only one Beethoven Symphony No. 6, and I would say nothing quite like it.

Here is a lovely single movement orchestral summer pastorale, 
Arthur Honegger - _Pastorale d'été _


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