The Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique goes beyond the Fantastique.
by Paul J. Pelkonen
The Symphonie-fantastique, written in 1830 by Hector Berlioz, is in some ways a victim of its own success.
It is programmed somewhere every season, allowing a large symphony orchestra to wow its faithful subscribers with Berlioz' five-movement journey into phantasmagoric landscapes. It is literally an orchestral head trip: from the passions and dreams of a young man to two nightmare movements that are (both) arguably among the greatest tour de force pieces to be written in the 19th century. On Monday night, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique put this much-loved war-horse work in context, programming it alongside its little-known sequel Lélio for their second concert this week at Carnegie Hall.
Hold up a minute, Mr. Superconductor. There's...a sequel?
by Paul J. Pelkonen
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| Historian at work: Sir John Eliot Gardiner leading the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. Photo from the official website of The Monteverdi Choir © 2018 SDG |
It is programmed somewhere every season, allowing a large symphony orchestra to wow its faithful subscribers with Berlioz' five-movement journey into phantasmagoric landscapes. It is literally an orchestral head trip: from the passions and dreams of a young man to two nightmare movements that are (both) arguably among the greatest tour de force pieces to be written in the 19th century. On Monday night, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique put this much-loved war-horse work in context, programming it alongside its little-known sequel Lélio for their second concert this week at Carnegie Hall.
Hold up a minute, Mr. Superconductor. There's...a sequel?
