Los Angeles Philharmonic

CDBER | The American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein described the symphony as the first musical expedition into psychedelia both 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. The piece tells the story of a gifted artist who, in the depths of hopelessness and despair because of his unrequited love for a woman, has poisoned himself with opium. The piece tells the story of the artist’s drug-fueled hallucinations, beginning with a ball and a scene in a field and ending with a march to the scaffold and a satanic dream. The artist’s lust is represented by an elusive theme called the idée fixe — the object of fixation. After attending a performance of William Shakespeare's Hamlet on 11 September 1827, Berlioz fell in love with Irish actress Harriet Smithson, who played the role of Ophelia. He sent her numerous love letters, all of which were unanswered. When she left Paris in 1829, they had still not met. Berlioz wrote Symphonie fantastique as a way to express his obsession. Smithson did not attend the premiere in 1830, but she heard the work in 1832 and realized the piece was about her. Berlioz began to court Smithson and later manipulated her into marriage by swallowing a lethal dose of opium in front of her. Hysterical, she accepted the proposal, upon which Berlioz produced a vial of antidote from his other pocket. The two were married in 1833 and eventually separated. | 5 Movements | c minor/C Major; A Major; F Major; g minor; c minor/C Major |

Tracklist:

Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14 (Episode De La Vie D'Un Artiste) (52:11)
1. Rêveries - Passions (Träumereien - Leidenschaften) Largo - Allegro Agitato E Appassionato Assai 14:13
2. Un Bal (Ein Ball) Valse: Allegro Non Troppo 6:08
3. Scène Aux Champs (Szene Auf Dem Lande) Adagio 16:41
4. Marche Au Supplice (Der Gang Zum Richtplatz) Allegretto Non Troppo 4:43
5. Songe D'une Nuit Du Sabbat (Beim Hexensabbat) Larghetto - Allegro. Ronde Du Sabbat 10:25… (mais)