This berlioz classic has a crowded recording history, so its really impossible to make a single definitive choice out of the many fine and not so fine renditions. The music in symphonie fantastique is eerie and ominous while the feeling impacted on the listener is one of unease. Elements of romanticism seen in berliozs symphonie. World of books sells used books online to over 190 countries worldwide. The result was a five movement orchestral masterpiece. This musical composition has a hallucinatory and dreamlike quality, possibly because of the composers. Berlioz uses a range of orchestral effects to create the scene of a gathering of witches violins using the backs of their bows to create bubbling cauldron sounds, the sound of a funeral bell and outbursts of musical laughter. Berliozs symphonie fantastique and romeo et juliette from berliozs dramatic symphony. Songe dune nuit du sabbat see also texts and documents.
He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works. The woman reappears throughout the symphonie in the form of an idee fixe, a fixed idea the young man cannot shake, a musical innovation berlioz used to advantage. The music is dense, high pitched and quick paced while the rendition is honed to perfection to suit the music. The delightful, wee factory workers redhaired, dancing puppets created by illusion master basil twist and operated with glee by the deft corps exemplify the pure imagination of the musicals original source, dahls beloved 1964 childrens book about a poor kid whose wildest dream comes true. Symphonie fantastique has an enduring popularity and gives us a musical memoir of berliozs infatuation with smithson. Frustrated in love, a young musician of deep sensitivity and ardent imagination takes opium with those words, hector berlioz set the scene for his symphonie fantastique a story of gothic horror and glittering excess, rolled into one roofraising musical phantasmagoria and scored for the biggest orchestra the world had then seen. The love story behind berliozs symphonie fantastique. My concert band arrangement of the final movement from hector berliozs symphonie fantastique. Hector berlioz december 11, 1803 march 8, 1869 was a french romantic composer, conductor, music critic and author, best known for his compositions symphonie fantastique and grande messe des morts requiem. Hector berlioz wrote the symphonie fantastique at the age of 27. He was one of the greatest composers of the 19th century. Historical background, analysis, views and comments norton critical scores by hector berlioz and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In neoclassicism, there was a belief that both fantasy and romance were the rejection of the real and the truth that was a part. Aug 19, 2014 zelters opinion of the symphonie fantastique is not recorded, but the composers and musical luminaries in the audience for the first performance of the piece, when it finally happened on 5.
He left multiple recordings of other works, but none over such a short timespan. It is one of the most famous romantic works for orchestra. Print and download in pdf or midi symphonie fantastique. But symphonie fantastique remains his chef doeuvre, a piece that swims beyond the confines of literal representation to find visual equivalents for the sensual experience of music. Love cannot express the idea of music, while music may give an idea of love, wrote the composer. Pierre monteux conducting the san francisco symphony orchestra. The composition of this revolutionary masterpiece marked a breakthrough in the composers career, at once the culmination of his years of apprenticeship, and the starting point of his mature work as a symphonic composer. An analysis of the five movements in the symphonie. In the opening movement the young musician first sees the woman of his dreams. Hector berlioz symphonie fantastique lyrics and tracklist. Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his treatise on instrumentation 1844.
Symphonie fantastique diablerie in four movements or a symphony in words by j michaud phd this most unusual book, subtitled a diablerie in four movements or a symphony in words, is unique in occult literature. Zelters opinion of the symphonie fantastique is not recorded, but the composers and musical luminaries in the audience for the first performance of the piece, when it finally happened on 5. The sole protagonist is lelio, formerly known as the artist from symphonie fantastique. Alexander street is an imprint of proquest that promotes teaching, research, and learning across music, counseling, history, anthropology, drama, film, and more. The story is about a love sick, depressed young artist, while in his despair poisons himself with opium. The piece begins by introducing the listener to the vulnerable side of the protagonist, the. Hector berlioz classic fm the worlds greatest music. Its tough to admit in these politicallycorrect times of ours, but one of the most influential, enduring and celebrated of all classical masterworks, the symphonie fantastique of hector berlioz, was meant to depict a drug trip. He was not particularly good at playing any instrument, but he was brilliant at writing for the orchestra. The film is based upon the life of the french composer hector berlioz.
The hopeless romantics guide to nineteenth century program music 1 inspired by the great philosophers, poets and storytellers of his day, berlioz was one of the first composers who sought to merge drama and music into a single genre through the medium of his own creative and highly innovative soundscape. Oct 04, 2016 berlioz lorin maazel cleveland orchestra. Symphonie fantastique west australian symphony orchestra. This edition from dover publications combines two of hector berliozs most famous works into one book symphonie fantastique and harold in italy. Hector berlioz is generally acknowledged as the first romantic composer to lavish great care over orchestration, and the symphonie fantastique is his most popular work. The symphonie fantastique features the cor anglais musical instrument, which is an alto oboe, pitched a fifth lower in f than the oboe. Symphonie fantastique berlioz simple english wikipedia. But ticciatis spontaneous interpretation makes the symphonie fantastique sound even more like a product of a fevered romantic imagination, namely berliozs. Symphonie fantastique fantastical symphony duration.
Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Elements of fantasy and romanticism the concept of fantasy and romance is one which alters according to the movements, time frame and expressions used in literature. Symphonie fantastique, h 48 harold en italie, h 68 romeo et juliette, h 79 grande symphonie funebre et triomphale, h 80. Dream of a witches sabbath, finale of the symphonie fantastique, more supernatural than the other movements. It is an important piece of the early romantic period. In three different versions of the program, we see that berlioz changed his story in subtle ways. Berliozs symphonie fantastique exemplifies the fascination that the romantics had with the grotesque and the macabre. Elgar, in the south alassio concert overture for orchestra.
When examining different time frames, fantasy and romance alter in their definitions and approaches. Episode in the life of an artist, orchestral work by french composer hector berlioz, widely recognized as an early example of program music, that attempts to portray a sequence of opium dreams inspired by a failed love affair. Symphonie fantastique is nothing less than berliozs extravagant attempt to attract harriets attention. Charles munch was the principal conductor of the boston symphony orchestra from 1949 to 1962, where he led the bso in many historical performances of his specialty, the french repertoire, including the two found on this disc. Linn records ckd 400 hybrid sacd if one is looking for a performance that is generally well balanced between the four major sections of the orchestra strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion, this is a good performance and recording to get. Find classical music concert listings symphonie fantastique.
The symphonie fantastique has always been the work with which berliozs name is most closely associated. March 8, 1869 was a french romantic composer, conductor, music critic and author, best known for his compositions symphonie fantastique and. This is transformed in the following movements, as he experiences a festive party, a stroll in the countryside, opium. Symphonie fantastique fort worth symphony orchestra. Symphonie fantastique tells the autobiographical story of the composers love for smithson and his emotional torment. Symphonie fantastique by charles munch on amazon music. Many, finding the story distasteful, were aghast that a composer would put into music something so explicitly autobiographical. He based the program on his own impassioned life and transferred his memoirs into his best known program symphony. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Detailed key information regarding all musical elements relevant to the set work. On this edition of milestones of the millennium we experience the panoply of emotions of a young, lovestruck musician and composer, hector.
It is performed here on original instruments in its original 1830s orchestration in the atmospheric old hall of the paris conservatoire where it was first heard. Simply fantastic the fort worth symphony closes its season on a high note, with a rousing performance of berliozs symphonie fantastique, plus. The musical imagination can conjure up the wildest things, and the west australian symphony orchestra explored these impulses with the musical insights of french conductor fabien gabel, perthbased composer james ledger, and violist as well as composer, and conductor brett dean. Hector berliozs symphonie fantastique the most innovative symphony of the 19th century was born from diabolical passions published. Symphonie fantastique lp by hector berlioz vinyl used. The programme symphonie fantastique, the idee fixe. Buy symphonie fantastique lp by hector berlioz, in good condition. Symphonie fantastique 4th movement essay 494 words. An episode in the life of an artist, in five parts op. Symphonie fantastique search streaming video, audio, and text content for academic, public, and k12 institutions. It is an important piece of the early romantic period, and is popular with concert audiences worldwide. About symphonie fantastique this massive work takes almost an hour to perform and is written for an orchestra of 90 musicians.
The symphonie fantastique is an important composition of the romantic period in music. Find out more about our use of this data, and also our policy on profanity find out more about our use of this data. The symphonie fantastique was initially composed in 1830 and first performed in december of the same year under the. The title is taken from the fivemovement programmatic symphonie fantastique of 1830. Dec 07, 2011 the fifth movement from berliozs symphonie fantastique. Quiz from ashby musical enterprises course, history 1. The composition is also notable for its expanded orchestration, grander. May 24, 2014 simply fantastic the fort worth symphony closes its season on a high note, with a rousing performance of berliozs symphonie fantastique, plus terrific work by guest trumpeter tine thing helseth. The first performance was at the paris conservatoire on 5 december 1830. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Episode in the life of an artist in five sections op. Hector berlioz dream of a witches sabbath from symphonie fantastique. Leonard bernstein recorded the symphonie fantastique three times over a relatively short period.
Check out symphonie fantastique by charles munch on amazon music. In berliozs symphonie fantastique, the idee fixe refers to. Historical and stylistic context of the set work and key vocabulary. The symphonie fantastique is a symphony written by the french composer hector berlioz. It has hardly lacked for great recordings in the past, including those by monteux, walter, munch, bernstein and davis.
Symphonie fantastique symphoinie fantastique is a wholly programmatic work which imagines a desperate artist who is bisited by haunting images of a lost lover while under the influence of opium. Symphonie fantastique hrsinfonieorchester andres orozcoestrada duration. You can add or edit information about symphonie fantastique at. It begins with an introduction in three parts, marked largo, then allegro, followed by the sounding of bells. Became obsessed with angloirish actress playing ophelia and juliet in shakespeare program of 1827, love for her turned into creation of symphonie fantastique seen as an attempt to work out dramatic ideas in the framework of a beethoven symphony, but doesnt mimic beethovens musical style. Berliozs symphonie fantastique was so novel and so shockingfor its program and its musicthat it immediately caused an uproar, in the press, from other composers, even from berliozs friends. Dreams, visions, obsessions, and alien troubadours. Inspired by berlioz infatuation with irish stage actress. Transferred and restored from the original rca victor mono lp lm11. Dream of a witches sabbath by hector berlioz songfacts. Symphonie fantastique and harold in italy in full score by.
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