Classical Music Playlist, October 31, 2024
Original album cover art of today's 'Symphonie fantastique' recording
The program of the Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz is that a lovesick young man takes an overdose of opium and then dreams himself in a surreal sequence of situations where, in each, he sees his unrequited love; her each appearance is a frustration of some kind to the dreamer, and somehow related to the scene. In one movement he dreams that he has killed her, is led to the scaffold and, as the dreamer, is witness to his own execution. But it doesn't end there! Afterward, he dreams himself at a witches' sabbath with sorcerers and ghouls of every kind gathered for his funeral. The entire Symphonie fantastique is today’s Halloween Midday Masterpiece.
