Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as the Pastoral Symphony, was completed in 1808 by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827). The symphony has five, rather than the four movements typical of symphonies preceding Beethoven's time. Beethoven wrote a programmatic title at the beginning of each movement (see Wiki for more details). It tends to divide classical music lovers, some put it near the bottom of his nine symphonies, some near the top. For me it is clearly his best symphony, and even his best work altogether. The average playing time is 40 minutes (AllMusic). My version is by the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan on a Deutsche Grammophon CD (seventies series).
