If you wanted to experience the latest symphonies back in Beethoven’s time, you couldn’t simply stream them or buy a recording—you had to get your hands on the sheet music. But most people didn’t have a full orchestra at their disposal—so they made do with what they had. That’s exactly what Michael Gotthard Fischer did in 1811 when he arranged Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 (Pastorale) for string sextet, allowing chamber musicians to bring this masterpiece to life in their homes.
Now, over 200 years later, A Far Cry is taking that scaled-down version and bringing it to the concert stage with a fresh perspective. Crier Michael Unterman has expanded Fischer’s arrangement for full string orchestra, creating a version that strips away the winds, brass, and percussion while retaining all of Beethoven’s sweeping drama, rich textures, and pastoral imagery.
A Symphony Without Winds?
Beethoven’s Pastorale is famous for its vivid depictions of nature—the murmuring brooks, chirping birds, distant thunder. In the full orchestral version, much of this storytelling is done by the woodwinds, brass, and timpani. In A Far Cry’s string orchestra adaptation, the strings take on everything—emulating the sounds of flutes, oboes, and even horns through bowing techniques, articulation, and dynamic expression. The result is something familiar yet refreshingly new, an intimate yet full-bodied interpretation of one of Beethoven’s most beloved works.
Experience Pastorale Like Never Before
Don’t miss A Far Cry’s sporty arrangement of Beethoven’s Pastorale next week as part of Daybreak, A Far Cry’s January 31st concert at Jordan Hall. Paired with Quinn Mason’s Svítání, a sunrise-inspired work that explores the beauty of dawn, this program celebrates renewal, hope, and the next generation of musicians. Joining A Far Cry on stage will be exceptional student musicians from New England Conservatory performing side by side, as well as Project STEP’s Honors Trio in the prelude.
🎟 Join us for Daybreak! Tickets available at www.afarcry.org/all/daybreak-concert
Image Credit: Chamber Music Concert (1890) by Jules-Alexandre Grün
