Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, (with score)

After attending a performance of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet on 11 September 1827, Berlioz fell in love with the Irish actress Harriet Smithson, who had played the role of Ophelia. He sent her numerous love letters, all of which went unanswered. When she left Paris in 1829, they had still not met. Berlioz then wrote Symphonie fantastique as a way to express his unrequited love. There are many different portrayals of Harriet Smithson throughout the symphony. For example, the harsh narrative in the last two movements can be attributed to her rejection of him during this period of the composition. Smithson did not attend the premiere in 1830, but she heard the work in 1832 and realized Berlioz’s genius. The two finally met and were married on 3 October 1833. However, their marriage became increasingly bitter, and they eventually separated after years of unhappiness. The American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein described the symphony as the first musical expedition into psychedelia because of its hallucinatory and dream-like nature, and because history suggests Berlioz composed at least a portion of it under the influence of opium. According to Bernstein, “Berlioz tells it like it is. You take a trip, you wind up screaming at your own funeral.“ Berlioz put lots of emotion into the piece. He wanted people to understand his intentions behind it as they were the driving factor behind each movement and the story he attaches to the different parts of the piece. Berlioz said “For this reason I generally find it extremely painful to hear my works conducted by someone other than myself. 1. Rêveries – Passions (Daydreams – Passions) 00:00 2. Un bal (A Ball) 13:57 3. Scène aux champs (Scene in the Fields) 20:24 4. Marche au supplice (March to the Scaffold) 35:20 5. Songe d’une nuit du sabbat (Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath) 39:46 Recording: Conductor: Charles Munch Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra