"Nature’s Symphony" for Yakima Herald Explore
The great outdoors have always been a muse for artists, writers, and musicians alike. From birdsong at dawn to the drama of a thunderstorm, nature offers endless rhythms, melodies, and moods.
This Saturday, September 27 at 7:30 PM at the Capitol Theatre, the Yakima Symphony Orchestra opens its season with a program that celebrates the timeless connection between music and the natural world. Join us at Tales from the Vienna Woods!
The concert features Johann Strauss Jr.’s Tales from the Vienna Woods, Jill Haley’s National Parks Suite No. 2, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral.” Each piece highlights how composers across time and space have translated the beauty of the outdoors into music. This type of music is programmatic—music meant to depict scenes and tell stories rather than simply existing for its own sake.
Tales from the Vienna Woods is a love letter to the forests cradled at the base of the Alps, a place where city dwellers would retreat for fresh air. The piece opens with a long, atmospheric introduction—bird calls in the winds, gentle horn passages, and the strumming of a zither. The melody slips into a sweeping waltz, carrying listeners through Strauss Jr’s trademark mix of elegance and charm.
In the 21st century, composer Jill Haley continues this tradition of turning landscapes into sound through her music. Haley has been an Artist-in-Residence at ten National Parks, living for weeks at a time in the wild serenity while composing music inspired by her surroundings. National Parks Suite No. 2 includes movements written during residencies at Badlands National Park in South Dakota and Glacier National Park in Montana.
The windy landscapes of the Badlands and the rainy conditions at Glacier inspired this suite of music. As elements, both wind and rain are both so intangible. Constantly shifting, wind and water in all its forms are hard to pin down in song. Her Suite to National Parks is a personal reflection of the awe when facing the majesty of nature.
Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony is one of the earliest and iconic examples of programmatic music that reflects his fondness for time spent in nature. As his hearing loss worsened, Beethoven took long walks in the countryside, seeking solace in the outdoors. This piece paints an image of idealized rural life, through country dances, bird calls, and babbling brooks. One of the most thrilling moments comes in the fourth movement, where the orchestra conjures a thunderstorm with rumbling basses, crackling strings, and lightning flashes in the winds. When the storm clears, the finale offers a gentle shepherd’s song that gives way to an outpouring of happiness and gratitude for the time spent close to nature.
Taken together, these three works remind us that music is not confined to the concert hall. It can spring from the rustle of trees, the rush of water, or the sweep of mountain air. Whether through a zither or an oboe, composers have long used instruments to echo the sounds of the world around us. Here in Yakima, we live in such close proximity to the beauty that the earth has to offer. From the rugged beauty of the canyons to the bald peaks of Mt. Rainer and Mt. Adams peeking out from the clouds to greet us, too often, we may find ourselves taking this privilege for granted.
For listeners, this concert is not just an evening of great music—it’s a chance to reconnect with the landscapes we know and love, to hear them transformed into melodies and harmonies that transcend time. In celebrating nature, this program reminds us of our own place as listeners and witnesses to the ongoing symphony of the earth. How will you listen to the call of nature the next time you step outside?
Tickets at YSOmusic.org. For more information, call 509.248.1414.
—Ella Kim