What is special about Symphonie fantastique?
Symphonie fantastique is an epic for a huge orchestra. Through its movements, it tells the story of an artist’s self-destructive passion for a beautiful woman. The symphony describes his obsession and dreams, tantrums and moments of tenderness, and visions of suicide and murder, ecstasy and despair.
Who is the beloved in Symphonie fantastique?
The text the composer writes to tell the story is the program. Throughout the symphony, Berlioz uses a melody to symbolize a woman. The woman is called “the beloved” and the melody is called the “idée fixe”. That melody comes back again and again over the course of the five parts of the symphony.
What are the five movements of Symphonie fantastique?
Movements
- “Rêveries – Passions” (Daydreams – Passions) – C minor/C major.
- “Un bal” (A Ball) – A major.
- “Scène aux champs” (Scene in the Fields) – F major.
- “Marche au supplice” (March to the Scaffold) – G minor.
- “Songe d’une nuit du sabbat” (Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath) – C minor/C major.
Who arranged the piece Symphonie fantastique?
About the Symphonie fantastique 14, by Berlioz, composed in 1830 and revised 1831–45.
What movement of Symphonie fantastique is also known as a dream?
Fifth Movement: “Songe d’une nuit du sabbat” (Dream of the Night of the Sabbath)
What happens at the end of Symphonie fantastique?
“The dose of narcotic plunges him into a heavy sleep. He dreams that he has killed his beloved, that he is condemned, led to the scaffold and is witnessing his own execution.”
What movement of Symphonie fantastique is also known as dream?
What happened at the premiere of Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique that shocked the audience?
At its premiere in Dec 1830, listeners found Symphonie fantastique so unexpected and shocking, that it immediately caused an uproar among critics and patrons alike. Some saw it as thrillingly new and exciting, and couldn’t stop applauding, couldn’t wait to shake Berlioz’s hand afterwards.
What does Berlioz’s musical theme represent throughout his Symphonie fantastique?
In music, it is traceable to the composer Hector Berlioz, who used the term to denote the recurring theme in his Symphonie fantastique: épisode de la vie d’un artiste (1830), a programmatic work depicting the life of an artist; the theme represented the artist’s obsession with his beloved.
What is Berlioz Symphony Fantastique?
Symphonie fantastique: Épisode de la vie d’un artiste … en cinq parties ( Fantastical Symphony: Episode in the Life of an Artist … in Five Sections) Op. 14, is a program symphony written by the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. It is an important piece of the early Romantic period.
Is there a copyright-free recording of the Symphonie fantastique?
A copyright-free LP recording of the Symphonie fantastique by Willem van Otterloo (conductor) and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at the European Archive Beyond the Score.
How many movements does Berlioz Symphony No 5 have?
The symphony has five movements, instead of four as was conventional for symphonies of the time: “Songe d’une nuit du sabbat” (Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath) – C minor/C major Each movement depicts an episode in the protagonist’s life that is described by Berlioz in the program notes to the 1845 score.
What instruments did Berlioz use in his Symphony No 2?
The score calls for a total of over 90 instruments: Berlioz specified at least 15 1st violins, 15 2nd violins, 10 violas, 11 celli and 9 basses on the score. Berlioz originally wrote for 1 serpent and one ophicleide, but quickly switched to two ophicleides after the serpent proved to be difficult to use.