Berlioz composed his Symphonie fantastique in the early 19th century, just three years after the death of Beethoven, yet it inhabits a musical world of pure Romanticism. Its passionate idée fixe, which represents the object of the protagonist's unrequited love, is transformed throughout the work. She appears at a ball, then in the tranquil countryside, before her melody is transformed beyond all recognition into a grotesque mocking dance in the last movement, Dream of a Witches' Sabbath, and is combined with the Dies Irae plainchant, another idée fixe of the Romantic era. Philharmonia Orchestra website.| 10 Jun 10 | Southbank Centre West End, Greater London Performance Details => Venue archive |
