Berlioz composed the Symphonie Fantastique while nurturing a platonic passion for the Irish actress Harriet Smithson, whom he discovered playing Ophelia at the Odeon theatre.
Performer Biography
Idil Biret, the pianist on this recording, began piano lessons at age three and graduated from the Paris Conservatoire with three first prizes when she was fifteen.
Notable Performances
The premiere of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique on December 5, 1830, was an "extraordinary success," with Berlioz describing the audience's reaction as "a fury!".
Composer's Artistic Vision
Liszt approached the transcription of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique with the same conscientiousness as transcribing the Holy Scriptures, aiming to transfer all musical elements to the piano.
Composition History
Liszt's piano transcription of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique was made in 1833 and published at his own expense, serving as a remarkable tribute to the original work.
Composer Biography
Franz Liszt, born in 1811 in Hungary, received piano lessons from Carl Czerny and composition lessons from Antonio Salieri, who had also taught Beethoven and Schubert.
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