The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Beyond the Score series invites audience members to delve deeply into an orchestral masterpiece--through a multimedia exploration of its historical context, how it fits into the composer's creative oeuvre and the details of a composer's life that influenced its creation.
French conductor Stéphane Denève will lead the CSO in an exploration of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique on Friday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 8 at 3:00 p.m. at Symphony Center.
These Beyond the Score performances will feature video projections and live performances by actors on the first half of the program, with a complete performance of Berlioz's masterwork on the second half.
In the case of Symphonie Fantastique, the inspiration behind the music was Berlioz's fascination with German romanticism, his desire to give his hometown of Paris a symphony of its own, and above all, his infatuation with Shakespearean actress Harriet Smithson.
In 1827, enthusiasm for the works of Beethoven and Shakespeare was sweeping through Paris. It was a madness that Berlioz shared. Never one to do things halfway, Berlioz took his enthusiasm further than anyone else: When he saw a performance of Hamlet for the first time, he fell madly in love with the actress playing Ophelia, Miss Harriet Smithson.
His passion and jealousy, possibly fueled by opium addiction, drove him to compose the Symphonie Fantastique. The first version of this symphony in five movements was completed in 1830.
Berlioz's music describes the life of an artist, his obsession with a beautiful woman, and his opium-influenced visions of ecstasy and despair. It is a self-portrait of Berlioz, who conceived the symphony partly as a way to get Smithson's attention.
Berlioz had a tendency toward extreme mood swings, and the music of Symphonie fantastique reflects this--it is music of emotional excess, extremes of joy and despair.
Regardless of whether you love or hate Berlioz, he will never bore you. Actor Matthew Krause portrays Berlioz for this Beyond the Score performance. Let's hope Krause is capable of great emotional range, as few composers are as flamboyant or as prone to emotional excess as Berlioz.
More information about these Beyond the Score performances is available HERE.
The CSO will also perform Symphonie Fantastique on several other concerts of a more traditional format on December 5, 7 and 10. These programs also hold Carl Maria von Weber's overture to The Ruler of the Spirits. Violinist James Ehnes will perform Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1 on the December 5 and 7 programs, and cellist Gabriel Cabezas will play Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 on the December 10 program.
For more information about these concerts, be sure to visit cso.org.
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