Beethoven’s Pastoral

To see Richard Tognetti and the ACO perform Beethoven is to experience a ‘magnificent unanimity’* of vision, drama and expressive force. In this majestic and uplifting finale to our 2026 National Concert Season, Richard and an expanded ACO perform an all-Beethoven program that takes audiences on a journey through creation and wonder, beginning with the dramatic Coriolan Overture before culminating in the master craftsman’s Pastoral Symphony. Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony is a love letter to the countryside. But it’s more than a musical picture of languid hills and changing seasons. Beethoven set out to capture how being immersed in nature feels. The awe of a sudden storm, and the inner peace that descends when it passes. The sense of wonder in a calling bird. Beethoven wanted you to feel his Pastoral Symphony, not just hear it. Russian Australian pianist Konstantin Shamray shares a remarkable musical synergy with Richard Tognetti and ACO Principal Cello Timo-Veikko Valve. It is fitting that this trio come together for Beethoven’s lyrical Triple Concerto, a work that basks in the joy of collaboration.