France: Burgundy/ Loire

Description

The Places// The tour of France takes us to Burgundy, to the Pays de la Loire, to Franche-Comté and elsewhere and includes glimpses of the 17th century Château de Cheverny, with its hunting museum and souvenirs of the chase, and the Château d'Arlay, with its site for falconry. The Château de Bussy-Rabutain was rebuilt in the middle of the 17th century by Count Roger of Bussy-Rabutain, exiled from the French court after his scandalous Histoire amoureuse des Gaules, a literary preoccupation reflected in his collection of pictures. The restored gardens of the Château de Villandry are seen in their formal lay-out.The Music The music chosen to accompany the tour of the fertile and varied landscapes of France is by Beethoven and consists principally of his Pastoral Symphony, a work that reflects his feelings, as he recollects a visit to the countryside. The symphony includes elements of realism in its versions of bird-calls and its depiction of a storm, followed by a song of the thanksgiving, when the storm has passed. Also included is the Romance in G, a single movement for solo violin and orchestra, possibly intended for a violin concerto that was never written.