The Symphonie fantastique uses a recurring musical idea, the 'idée fixe,' to represent the beloved Harriet Smithson, which runs through all movements like a leitmotiv.
Performer Biography
Marek Janowski, the conductor, transformed the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France into an internationally renowned ensemble during his sixteen-year tenure as music director.
Composition History
Berlioz composed his Symphonie fantastique in only three months at the beginning of 1830, incorporating themes from his earlier works.
Cultural Impact
The Symphonie fantastique heralded a new era in music history, influencing composers like Liszt, Wagner, and Stravinsky, and even prefiguring film music.
Composer Biography
Hector Berlioz, the composer, was deeply affected by English culture and Shakespeare's Hamlet, leading to an all-consuming passion for both the playwright and the actress Harriet Smithson.
Composition History
Berlioz's Overture Le Roi Lear was largely composed during a happy stay in Nice in 1831, which he described as 'the happiest week of my life.'
Critical Reception
The Symphonie fantastique was a revolutionary work that critics initially attacked, with Rossini famously stating, 'It is a good thing that this is not music.'
