Hector Berlioz Symphonie fantastique Le Roi Lear Marek Janowski HYBRID MUL TICHANNEL Hector Berlioz (1803 – 1869) Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Leader: Andrés Cárdenes Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 Conducted by: Marek Janowski 1 Rêveries – Passions (Daydreams – Passions) 14. 15 Executive Producer: Job Maarse Largo – Allegro agitato e appassionato assai Recording Producer: Job Maarse Balance Engineer: Mark Donahue (Soundmirror, Boston) 2 Un bal (A Ball) 6. 05 Recording Engineers: Dirk Sobotka (Soundmirror, Boston) Valse: Allegro non troppo Ray Clover (Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh) Editing: Dirk Sobotka 3 Scène aux champs (Scene in the Fields) 16. 16 Adagio Recording venue: Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh (live recording, oct. / nov. 2009)) 4 Marche au supplice (March to the Scaffold) 4. 51 Made possible by a generous grant from BNY Mellon Allegretto non troppo Total playing time: 66. 22 5 Songe d’une nuit de sabbat (Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath) 3. 12 Larghetto - Allegro 6 Dies Irae 1. 54 7 Ronde du sabbat (Witches’ Round Dance) 2. 51 8 Dies Irae et Ronde du Sabbat ensemble 1. 55 Le Roi Lear, Op. 4 (King Lear) Biographien auf Deutsch und Französisch Overture for Orchestra finden Sie auf unserer Webseite. Pour les versions allemande et française des biographies, 9 Andante non troppo lento, ma maestoso – veuillez consulter notre site. Allegro disperato ed agitato assai 14. 51 www.pentatonemusic.com “Ma vie est un roman qui m’intéresse beaucoup” from his cantata Herminie and he bor- threatened to kill them both, but, luckily, ( “My life is a novel that greatly interests me”) rowed the “Marche au supplice” from his his friends were able to dissuade him from interrupted opera project, Les Francs-Juges. this plan. Furthermore, he also used a melody from Back in Paris, Berlioz reviewed the sym- he date is September 11, 1827. As is consecutive revelations of Shakespeare the Messe Solennelle – which was rediscov- phony and also composed a sequel to the Tthe rest of Europe, Paris is mesmer- and Weber. Now on the horizon, I could ered just a few years ago – in the symphony. work, which he entitled Lélio, ou le retour à la ized at the time by English culture. Among perceive the gigantic stature of Beethoven. For the première performance, Berlioz vie (= Lélio, or the return to life). In Paris, he the audience attending a performance The shock was almost as great as the one engaged a huge orchestra consisting of no once again set his eyes on Harriet Smithson. Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Théatre Odeon I had received from the Shakespeare per- less than 130 musicians. However, he had By now, she had become the directress of an is the 23-year-old composer Hector Berlioz, formance. Beethoven opened a new world not realized that the hall of the Théâtre des English theatrical group, which was staging who is subsequently overwhelmed by the of music to me, as had Shakespeare previ- Nouveautés would be far too small for the a series of performances in the city. Berlioz perceptive imagination of this dramatic ously revealed a new universe full of poetry.” size of his orchestra; after a tumultuous first was beside himself, and managed via a poet. And he discovers the actress Harriet Together, these ingredients led to a rehearsal, in which only the second and friend to convince his beloved to attend the Smithson, who is playing the role of Ophelia, creative impulse that finally resulted in fourth movements were played through, Conservatoire on December 9, 1832, where to be at least equally impressive. Thus the the Symphonie fantastique, which Berlioz the concert was cancelled. Subsequently, Habeneck was to conduct the Symphonie young composer is smitten by an all-con- composed in only three months at the the disappointed Berlioz wrote as follows in fantastique and Lélio. And this time, Berlioz’ suming passion for Shakespeare and the beginning of 1830. In this symphony, the his Memoires: “My entire plan failed due to a wish came true; the actress got the message. actress alike. Later, he states prophetically composer attempted to express a dramatic lack of music stands and a couple of chairs.” Berlioz described the evening as follows in that this woman will one day become his fact within the framework set by Beethoven. The concert finally took place on his Mémoires: “Miss Smithson was thinking wife, and that he will write his greatest sym- Berlioz felt that the symphony should be a December 5, with Habeneck conducting ‘My God! […] There is no doubt possible, it is phony based on this drama. total work of art, in which life and art, dream the symphony for the first time in the hall about me … he still loves me! ...’. From that However, not only Shakespeare was and reality flowed over in each other. He of the Conservatoire. However, that evening moment onwards it seemed, as she herself the subject of conversation in Paris. Another decided to unite everything he had writ- Harriet Smithson was on stage in the Opéra, has told me many times, that the hall began name on everyone’s lips was Beethoven. It ten so far in this one symphony. Therefore, and thus – once again –missed hearing ‘her’ to spin around; she could no longer hear so happened that, simultaneously, François he gladly also used themes from some of symphony. But that was no longer such anything, and went home like a sleepwalker, Habeneck was for the first time conducting his earlier works, although he elaborated a problem for Berlioz, as he had turned without exactly realizing what was going on.” a complete cycle of Beethoven’s sympho- them in a new way. Thus he used a previ- his attention in the meantime to another The German author and poet Heinrich nies at the Conservatoire. Naturally, Berlioz ously composed romance for the opening woman, the young pianist Camille Moke. Heine also attended this concert and was again among the audience, and of the symphony; the continually returning However, she preferred the piano- described the event in a considerably expressed his subsequent feelings as theme meant to represent his beloved builder Pleyel and went on to marry less poetic manner in a report on music follows: “I had just experienced the Harriet (the so-called idée fixe) stems him. Blazing with jealousy, Berlioz life in Paris dating from 1838. “The fellow sitting next to me in the lodge, a morbidly oversensitive and possessed of a rich 5. Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath. He sees an important source for the development talkative young man, pointed out to me the imagination, poisons himself with opium in himself at the sabbath gathering. Once again, of the idée fixe: the musical portrait of his composer, who was playing the kettledrum sudden desperation. [It is indeed well-known the beloved melody can be heard, but has beloved, which runs through all movements at the edge of the orchestra at the far end of that Berlioz himself regularly took opium – now lost its shy, yet noble character. Now it is of the symphony like some kind of leitmotiv. the hall: for the kettledrum is his instrument. RV.] The dose ingested induces a deep sleep just a vulgar little dance, commonplace and The specific line of the story is repre- ‘Can you see that plump Englishwoman in with violent dreams and strange visions. The grotesque. It is his beloved appearing at the sented at various levels. Only in a few places the stage box? ’, said my neighbour. ‘That beloved comes to him in the form of a seduc- witches’ sabbath! The death-knell rings out, does he provide an actual tone-portrait. is Miss Smithson; Monsieur Berlioz has tive melody (idée fixe), which refuses to let a burlesque parody of the Dies Irae. Witches’ Examples of this include the melody of been wildly in love with her for the past him go. Round Dance. the shepherd’s shawm, the rolling of the three years, and it is to this passion that we 1. Dreams – Passions. He remembers first Berlioz turned his story into music in a lit- thunder and the falling of the blade of the owe the wild symphony you are listening the dejection, the indefinable longing, the fits erally unheard-of manner. Thus he uses a large guillotine, followed by the crude bouncing to here this evening.’ Indeed, the famous of melancholy. Then comes the frenzied love, orchestra with a number of ‘new’ instruments. of the head into the basket and the cheer- actress from Covent Garden was sitting in which suddenly overwhelms him. The orchestration of the work is no less than ing of the crowd. Furthermore, Berlioz also the stage lodge; Berlioz had fixed his stare 2. A Ball. He encounters his beloved again revolutionary, and is entirely at the disposal makes very clever use of references to and on her, and every time his eyes met hers, at a ball, caught up in the pandemonium of a of the various sound effects he wished to cre- quotes from other musical genres and he rolled the kettledrum, as if furious. ” The magnificent party. ate. Thus, this symphony has become a highly styles. Thus, in the nineteenth century, the result was that Berlioz and Harriet Smithson 3. Scene in the Fields. On a summer’s personal document, rather than just a tone- waltz was automatically associated with the were married on October 3, 1833. Their wit- evening, he hears two shepherds singing, in painting composition. hubbub of a party or ball scene, whereas nesses were Franz Liszt, Ferdinand Hiller and turn, a pastoral song. All this helps to bring an The structure of the work is based on a slow march was used to depict a funeral.