Suite Pastorale, Op. 61

Suite Pastorale, made up of three movements - Idyll, Playful Shepherd Boys, Rain Upon the Fields - is characterized by an idealization of the simplicity of country life in close contact with nature. Suite Pastorale depicts the eternal and fascinating myth of Arcadia: a world in which man lives in harmony with nature, immersed in bucolic forest landscapes, one of the most important imaginary places to escape to for those who were, and still are, tired of culture and civilization. The evocative Arcadian world is made almost mythological by the attention dedicated to it by poets, writers, playwrights, painters, and composers who over the centuries have drawn lifeblood from it for their works. Full of metaphorical meanings, it is a place of shelter, a place to live and sing about love, even if it means disappointment, and it is the place of civilization opposed to barbarism. It is a symbol of happiness, a real and intact image of reality, motionless in space and time, where nothing changes. The myth of the "locus amoenus" has not disappeared but has kept all its charm intact over the centuries.

Suite Pastorale was commissioned to Franco Cesarini by the concert band of Aldeno (Trento/Italy) for the 100th anniversary of its foundation (1923-2023).

Suite Pastorale: an ideal concert piece that will delight your audience!