Hector Berlioz composed his Symphonie fantastique in 1830, inspired by his unrequited passion for Irish actress Harriet Smithson.
Compositional Technique
The Symphonie fantastique is a program symphony, meaning it tells a dramatic story through its music, culminating in a demonic, orgiastic finale.
Recording & Production
The Cleveland Orchestra launched its own recording label and streaming broadcast platform in 2020 to share its artistry globally.
Performer Biography
Franz Welser-Möst, the conductor of this recording, is in his 23rd year as Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra, making him the longest-serving musical leader in the ensemble's history.
Instruments
The orchestration for Symphonie fantastique includes unusual instruments like two cornets, two tubas, and an E-flat clarinet, which is used to distort the idée fixe in the final movement.
Recording & Production
This recording of Symphonie fantastique was captured live in Mandel Concert Hall at Severance Music Center in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 2, 3, and 4, 2024.
Compositional Technique
All five movements of the Symphonie fantastique feature a recurring musical theme called the idée fixe, or obsession, which represents the artist's love and transforms with the narrative.
You might also enjoy...
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 "Pathétique"
Rubinstein: Symphony No. 4, 'Dramatic'
Ultimate Classics - Berlioz: Fantasy Symphony
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 44
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27
Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 "Pathétiqe"
Gade, N.: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 6
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27
Nielsen: Symphony No. 2, Op. 16 "The Four Temperaments"
