Beethoven – The Pastoral

MENDELSSOHN
Piano Concerto No. 2

BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”

A vibrant ode to nature.

Beethoven’s Pastoral in all its evocative power, and Mendelssohn’s rare Concerto performed by Lucas Debargue—one of the most distinctive pianists of his generation.

With Symphony No. 6, the “Pastoral,” Beethoven does not describe nature: he immerses himself in it, letting the music breathe, listen, traverse landscapes and their transformations—from the murmur of streams to the violence of the storm, through to the peaceful return of light. A musical language of striking modernity.

As an opener, Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 2—a rare, lively, and elegant work—is entrusted to Lucas Debargue, a free-spirited and singular pianist whose personal and poetic approach to the repertoire is like no other.

This concert is part of the Beethoven double-orchestra cycle that Laurence Equilbey leads with Insula orchestra and Insula camerata—her period-instrument orchestra and academy, united to explore Beethoven in all his depth and modernity.

This concert is performed on period instruments.

In Aix-en-Provence, the Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” by Ludwig van Beethoven, performed by pianist David Fray, will be played instead of the Piano Concerto No. 2 by Felix Mendelssohn.