G. Berlioz Fantastic Symphony: history, video, content, interesting facts

G. Berlioz "Fantastic Symphony"

The most famous and significant work, released from the pen of Berlioz, is the Fantastic Symphony. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it became the first program symphony in the music of romanticism. The brilliant composer independently created a program for her in the form of a script, with a detailed and vivid description of all the events that were to unfold before the eyes of the public. Thus, the symphony could well have a stage incarnation. However, the musical content of the symphony is so rich and expressive that one of its performance is enough to trace everything that the author wanted to tell.

The history of Berlioz’s “Fantastic Symphony”, the content of the work and many interesting facts can be found on our page.

The history of the creation of "Fantastic Symphony"

Which of you boasts an original surprise for your soulmate? But the famous French composer Hector Berlioz, who fell literally at first sight, could, and how! It can be understood, it is impossible not to fall in love with the charming young actress Gariette Smithson, who plays Juliet. In addition, it all happened in the city of love - Paris, where the atmosphere itself is imbued with a romantic mood.

The young composer did his best to attract the attention of the girl, gifts, letters of confessions and even notes were used. However, they all remained unanswered, she did not want to listen to him either. Moreover, the actress was already beginning to annoy the annoying regular fan, greatly aggravated the situation with the fact that young people spoke different languages ​​and in this regard there was a huge gulf. The girl was English, and Berlioz, as is known, was French. But the great composer found a way to build a bridge over this abyss and melt the heart of a beautiful woman, and it had to consist of music. How so, you ask? Everything is very simple! After a careful analysis, Berlioz decided to write a kind of serenade of the beloved, which would reveal all his true feelings.

This encrypted love message was Hector Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony, his first work in a similar genre. Everything in it is unusual: the music itself, vivid expressive images, orchestration and the number of parts. It contains five parts, instead of the usual four. So that by mistake no one made an amendment, the composer made an inscription by hand that there were no misprints and that it should be performed in just this version. In the plot of "serenade" the love story of a young young artist, who is unrequited in love. Familiar story, is not it? In each part there is a wonderful theme that draws the feelings of the hero.

At the premiere of "Fantastic Symphony" Berlioz was waiting for a delightful success. The public great received innovative work. But the main surprise was waiting for him after the premiere! The message worked and actress Harriet Smithson understood everything even without words, thanks to the expressive music. After the concert she came to the one who composed this serenade and ... invited herself on a date! But that's not all, after a while G. Berlioz and his beloved got married, having finished a happy ending in their “Fantastic Symphony”. Here it is, the real power of music, for which there are no boundaries and barriers.

Interesting Facts

• Berlioz for the first time in his work showed the importance of a leitmotif, and his ability to change depending on the mood of the hero. Later on, this technique became quite popular in the musical tradition, many famous composers resorted to it.
• At the end of the symphony, the composer used the theme "Dies irae", which sounds in the introduction, and conveyed the dance of the dead, rattling the bones, using a unique technique: playing the violin and viola with a bow shaft.
• After the completion of the Fantastic Symphony, Berlioz composed the monodrama "Lelio, or Return to Life", which was built only on the material of the symphony. This kind of continuation, although at concerts these works rarely sound together.
• Despite the beautiful creation story associated with the beloved Harriet Smithson, the symphony is dedicated to Emperor Nicholas I.
• The premiere was successfully held on December 5, 1830 in Paris under the baton of Francois Gabeneca. Two years later, the second and final edition of the composer was performed.
• After the premiere, at which the Fantastic Symphony was first performed, Berlioz wrote a letter to his friend and admitted that he had "brutal success"
• Despite his great love for Garriet Smithson, Berlioz’s family life with the actress did not work out and soon he became completely interested in another girl, Spaniard Maria Recio.
• A great fan of the symphonic creativity of Hector Berlioz was Niccolò Paganini. When he first heard "Harold in Italy," the maestro was shocked by this piece. The next day he wrote out a check for the sum of 20 thousand francs to Berlioz. Paganini decided to provide such financial assistance to the composer so that he devoted himself entirely to composing a new symphony. In addition, in a note attached to the check, Paganini named Berlioz the successor of the great Beethoven.
• In the cinema as a musical accompaniment "Fantastic Symphony" is found in the films: "In bed with the enemy" 1991; "Clerks 2" 2006; "Equal" 2015.

Content of "Fantastic Symphony"

Fantastic symphony - the story of a young, but too impressionable musician. Love experiences overwhelm him so much that he decides to die, taking a deadly dose of opium. However, she decided to postpone her death, leaving the young man in a borderline state. Without consciousness, but surrounded by incredible visions and hallucinations, the hero begins to feel absolutely all his experiences as music. His wife, who became the cause of a desperate act, also seemed to be embodied in a melody, which now and then obsessively accompanies him everywhere and always.

Part one is called "Dreams. The passion", and describes the memories of the hero of the days when he just met his beloved. His first emotions were passion, confusion, anxiety. They preceded his fateful meeting with his beloved. Then she came, and love rolled in a wave. Repeatedly feeling feelings, but now everything was about her: jealousy, anxiety, happiness of a new meeting.

Part two - "Ball", describes a magnificent celebration where the hero meets his beloved again.

The third part, "Scene in the fields"begins with the village motives, played by the shepherds in the endless meadows, accompanied by subtle sounds of nature. This picture calms the heart of the musician, he comes to a peaceful and blissful state, which is interrupted by the appearance of his beloved. And again the soul is filled with anxiety and excitement, he suspects deception , he cannot believe in his happiness ... The shepherd’s trill is heard again, but this time the second shepherd does not answer him, as if confirming the hero’s loneliness.

Part four, "The procession to the penalty“Heroes continue to be tormented by painful visions. This time he turns out to be a murderer who committed a crime against his dearest man - his beloved. And retribution caught up with him - he faces a public execution. Marching symbolizes this tragic procession, heavy and solemn at the same time. In the end the hero again hears the motive, personifying his beloved, as a weak reminder that she is still alive.

Fifth part, entitled "Sleep on the Sabbath night", takes the hero to the vision of his afterlife. He finds himself in a terrifying gathering of terrible evil spirits that celebrates his death, indulging in the most ugly pleasures. And now, among this bacchanalia, She reappears, but completely different, without a shadow of past aristocratic modesty and sweet charm. She turns into a mad dance, she is greeted like a long-time acquaintance, the coven continues with a new force ... The vision is completed by a bell ringing, notifying about a funeral. The hero of the Fantastic Symphony rose in line with the typical representatives of rum nticheskih literary works.

Music "Fantastic Symphony"

The musical content of the symphony requires a special review, as its first compositional experiences are reflected in it, and unique solutions were born, replacing the classical forms. In the first part, the leading role is played by the slow and painful sound of violins. Then comes the turn of the melody, which leitmotif will pass through the entire symphony - the theme of his beloved. It is represented by the unison of the violin and flute, and as the story progresses, it develops into a symbol of anxiety, gloomy mood.

In the second part, Berlioz makes a kind of breakthrough in the musical tradition of his time - for the first time in a symphony, the waltz sounds like the personification of deep romanticism.

The third part is permeated with a slow and serene sounding of the wind, which is interrupted by the theme of the beloved. Timpani, sounding at the end, as if announcing the coming grief. In contrast to the pastoral motifs, the fourth part, with its marching sound, makes a special impression. And again, the music clearly conveys every detail of what is happening: the roar of the crowd, the heavy steps of the executioner, the fatal blow ... The fifth part begins mysteriously and frighteningly: the string playing accompanied by the timpani periodically explodes in jerky chords of the wind. The leitmotif of the beloved is once again heard, but he is not romantically disturbing, but provocative and grotesque, because she is no longer a modest charmer, but the main witch, who is met by hellish laughter transmitted by the rolls of the orchestra.

The merits of Berlioz in music can be compared with what he did in his work V. Hugo and Delacroix in painting. The composer was not afraid to apply something new in the field of musical form, harmony, and also instrumentation. These experiments were very successful, although the fame and universal public recognition did not immediately come to the composer. In the future, his work had a significant impact on many composers of the Romantic era: R. Wagner, F. Liszt, R. Strauss and others. Hector Berlioz himself remains the brightest representative of romanticism in music and the creator of symphonic program music.