Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Explained!) ---- Discovering Classical Music Ep. 7

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A listener's guide to Berlioz's Magnum Opus - Symphonie Fantastique, famously inspired by a drug-induced, opium trip where the artist fantasizes about his beloved, then his own public execution, then his dark, Satanic funeral. Lots of musical examples, and recommended recordings at the end.

Presented by Oscar Osicki

[InsidetheScore]

I should mention "orgy" in this context means secret rites used in the worship of Bacchus, Dionysus, and other Greek and Roman deities, celebrated with dancing, drunkenness, singing, and probably a lot of indiscriminate shagging.

[mikebirm]

Written in 1830 - just 3 years after the death of Beethoven - Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique is ahead of its time and completely original. Whether it's played on modern instruments or instruments of that era, the sound of this symphony is a masterpiece of orchestration, of which Berlioz was a master (his textbook on the subject is still considered one of the best ever written). If you're unfamiliar with this symphony, this video explanation is an excellent introduction. Leonard Bernstein famously called this music "trippy" and that's as good a description as any.

[eppursimuove]

The Symphonie Fantasique is a fantastic symphony.

[distortion]

This format is fantastic. Thank you for your contributions to online free music education

[chiaracorrado]

Thank you very much. As a high school student who wants to go to the music university, your work is really helpful and amazing. I love how passionately and clearly you explain, even thought I'm not an english native speaker I can understand almost everything. This symphony is too beautiful, by the way. Thank you!

[kingofbizzare]

I've been waiting for someone to do a video on this for ages, thanks for doing this! If I could like this video more than once, I would. March to the Scaffold in particular is one of my all time favorite musical works of any era (and I'm currently working on an electronic dance version of it inspired by how bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer would cover classical music). My personal favorite recording is Georg Solti with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (which I've pored over to the point where other recordings feel kinda weird to me). I'd have loved to hear a little more about how weird and unusual this music would have been at the time beyond the size of the orchestra and using harps in a symphony for the first time (the fact that it's a symphony with five movements would was pretty unprecedented for the time), but this still does a great job of analyzing the music with regards to the story, and will hopefully get more people to listen to this absolutely fantastique piece of music!

I'd love to see a video on The Poem of Ecstasy or Mysterium by Scriabin. Thanks for the video, and keep up the good work!

[roseterada]

I have always loved this piece since first hearing as an undergrad. Berlioz was masterful at creating beautiful melodies; I have wondered if he thought as a singer. This was a great choice for analysis. It must have seemed a next, very different step from Beethoven, who also pushed musical limits. Thank you very much.

[alexandresobreiramartins]

Great video. But despite how much I love and admire this symphony, I can't ever hear "Ideefixe" without thinking of Obelix's dog... :P

[svrfan]

I am an ardent classical music lover and pianist. Thanks to this post I rediscovered the Symphonie Fantastique. Thanks so much, also for the other though provoking and inspirational video's!

[raphaelneves]

I love his piano pieces...






Wait

[juliaschubert]

This was very very helpful for me, because I am writing an exam about this in school and after watching this interesting video and explanation I totally feel prepared and I think I have a much deeper understanding of the symphony now. Thank you very much!

[Wouter]

I can't find where to make suggestions on the Patreon page, so I'll post it here: Stravinski's Sacre!

[alexshellnot]

I know you might be tired of reviewing Game of Thrones music, but I really love your videos going inside the score. One score from thrones I haven't seen you delve into was score at the battle of the blackwater. I thought it really did an incredible job with the Stannis/Melisandre theme with the build up to the battle. The theme perfectly fits with the character. The score for this episode also holds my favorite soundtrack for Game of Thrones which is "Dont die with a clean sword." This is the music played as Stannis is rowing on to the beaches of kings landing as the Lannister men prepare to defend. The music swells with a brilliant clash between Stannis' theme and some sort of main title theme. It peaks as Stannis lands, the first one of his men, as he draws his sword and charges at the wall. The music plays he bombing theme, making it feel as if his victory is already assured. This landing alongside the music was my favorite part of Thrones and the peak of Stannis' character and the war of the 5 kings. I would love to see a video from you on the score for this episode. I would really find your insight interesting on it. Keep up the great work man, love your vids!!!

[rachmaninoff]

my suggestions for an introducing Video might be the late symphonic poems by Dvorak which are, at my opinion the pinnacle of bis orchestral writing. Liszt Faust symphony also would be great, and of course, the masterpiece of impressionism, Ravels Daphnis et Chloe.
But anyway, I like the way you introduce all these works of art to a public which perhaps is not always aware about the background of this music.

[siddhuzplace]

Berlioz's Requiem (grande messa des morts) is another great piece! I love that soo much!

[iraeich]

Nothing can prepare you for the March to the Scaffold and Witches Sabbath. What kind of mind comes up with this? A mad (genius) one.

[JoshyG]

Doing one on Schubert Piano trio 2 would be pretty good

[reynard]

My go-to recording for this piece is the wonderful 1973 Martinon/Orchestre National De L'O.R.T.F. version (mainly because it includes the not-often-played cornet solo accompaniment during the "Un Bal" movement), along with (in the 2 CD EMI Classics release) the cantata-ish "sequel" piece "Lelio". Another that I would recommend is the 1959 Goossens/LSO performance.

[JB-dmcp]

The alto oboe together with the oboe in the Scène aux Champs are some of the most evocative and whistful pieces of music ever written.

My favorite recordings are (until others come along) the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal conducted by Charles Dutoit (1985) (although some call it plodding), and the Orchestre Lamoureux conducted by Igor Markevitch (1962) (although some call it inferiorly played; his mono recording with the Berlin Philharmonic seems to be better.)

[rileyeltringham]

Alpine symphony by Strauss would be an awesome video.