The impulse behind the Pastoral symphony was Beethoven's own love of the Austrian countryside. The five movements include a solitary walk by a brook, a peasants' dance, a spectacular summer thunderstorm, and a final, tranquil hymn of thanksgiving.

Shostakovich's early concerto is an exuberant and high-spirited piece which combines both instruments in ingenious and witty dialogue with the orchestra and each other.

The Firebird was Stravinsky's first big success, a richly coloured ballet score based on a Russian folk tale in which the young prince overcomes a demon with the protection of a feather from the fabled firebird. It is glittering, imaginatively orchestrated music, with a rhythmic impetus all Stravinsky's own.