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| Henri Fantin-Latour: Hector Berlioz, sa vie et ses oevres Symphonie Fantastique, Un bal |
The Symphonie Fantastique- A “program” symphony described as “an important piece of the early Romantic period” but there’s SO MUCH MORE to this piece of music.
It tells the story of an artist gifted with a lively imagination who has poisoned himself with opium in the depths of despair because of hopeless, unrequited love. In the first score from 1845, Berlioz wrote: The composer's intention has been to develop various episodes in the life of an artist, in so far as they lend themselves to musical treatment. As the work cannot rely on the assistance of speech, the plan of the instrumental drama needs to be set out in advance. The following program must therefore be considered as the spoken text of an opera, which serves to introduce musical movements and to motivate their character and expression.
After attending a performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet in 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, they had still not met. Berlioz then wrote the symphony as a way to express his love. She heard the work in 1832 and realized Berlioz's genius. The two finally met and were married on 3 October 1833.
The symphony is known for other aspects as well. 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."
Another quote from Bernstein about the symphony: “Pretty spooky stuff. And it's spooky because those sounds you're hearing come from the first psychedelic symphony in history, the first musical description ever made of a trip, written one hundred thirty odd years before the Beatles, way back in 1830 by the brilliant French composer Hector Berlioz. He called it Symphonie Fantastique, or "fantastic symphony," and fantastic it is, in every sense of the word, including psychedelic. And that's not just my own idea: It's a fact, because Berlioz himself tells us so.”
The next time you’re listening to 90.9 WGUC and the Symphonie Fantastique starts to play, maybe consider leaning back and closing your eyes- let Berlioz take you on a trip.
