Suite pastorale

The French composer Emmanuel Chabrier’s Suite Pastorale originated in a set of 10 piano works he wrote in 1880, entitled Pièces pittoresques. Over the next eight years, Chabrier orchestrated four of these pieces, grouping them together in a 20-minute sequence reflecting fondly on his childhood experiences in the Auvergne. The Suite opens with “Idylle”, where an airy flute melody is underpinned by delicate string pizzicatos. The rhythmic pulse evokes a carefree country stroll—the trilling of a clarinet at one point recalling birdsong—but there are passing wisps of melancholy too. These are blown away amid the vim and vigour of the “Danse villageoise”, whose lusty revellers subsequently enjoy a period of rest and recuperation in the balmy atmosphere of “Sous-bois”, shaded by the trees. The “Scherzo-valse” concluding the Suite is boundingly energetic, its spirits fired by dazzling clarinet and flute solos toward a joyfully festive conclusion.