Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14a & Rákóczy March CD

Of all the works that announced the arrival of the Romantic orchestra, none did so with quite the audacity of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. Composed in 1830 by a twenty-six-year-old in the grip of an obsessive passion, it remains one of the most viscerally exciting and structurally daring works in the entire symphonic canon. Its five movements trace the hallucinatory journey of a lovesick artist — from the restless reveries of the opening Rêveries, Passions to the grotesque sabbath of the finale — with an orchestral imagination that was decades ahead of its time.

This recording, part of the Perfect Classical Masterpieces series, presents the symphony in a committed and well-paced account by the Radio Symphony Orchestra Ljubljana under Anton Nanut. The Ljubljana orchestra brings a lean, direct energy to the score that suits the work's dramatic contrasts well: the Un bal waltz glitters with appropriate elegance, the March to the Scaffold has genuine menace, and the Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath closes the disc with suitably diabolical flair.

As a generous coupling, the Süddeutsche Philharmonie under Alberto Lizzio contributes the celebrated Rákóczy March (Hungarian March) — Berlioz's own orchestration of a traditional Hungarian melody, later incorporated into his dramatic legend La Damnation de Faust. It is a piece of irresistible swagger, and makes for a rousing conclusion to a well-filled disc.

Programme

Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14a — Hector Berlioz (1803–1869)
Radio Symphony Orchestra Ljubljana / Anton Nanut

• I. Rêveries, Passions (Dreams, Passions)
• II. Un bal (A Ball)
• III. Scène aux champs (Scene in the Fields)
• IV. Marche au supplice (March to the Scaffold)
• V. Songe d’une nuit du sabbat (Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath)

Rákóczy March (Hungarian March)
Süddeutsche Philharmonie / Alberto Lizzio

Total playing time: 51:20

Product Specifications

• Composer: Hector Berlioz (1803–1869)
• Orchestra (Symphony): Radio Symphony Orchestra Ljubljana
• Conductor (Symphony): Anton Nanut
• Orchestra (March): Süddeutsche Philharmonie
• Conductor (March): Alberto Lizzio
• Series: Perfect Classical Masterpieces
• Catalogue Number: 33007-2
• Format: Audio CD
• Genre: Classical / Romantic / Orchestral / Symphony
• Weight: 127 g (4.48 oz)
• Dimensions (standard jewel case): 142 mm × 125 mm × 10 mm (5.6 in × 4.9 in × 0.4 in)
• Condition: Preloved