New World Symphony - Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique

The dawning of the age of Berloiz

When most of us develop a boundless crush on someone out of reach, a few daydreams and some ice cream usually do the trick, but not for Hector Berlioz, whose unrivaled passion at the sight of actress Harriet Smithson led to the creation of his finest, most expansive symphony. Vivid and dramatic, the peaks of love and the hopelessness of finding it unreturned become a fantastical journey, one labeled by Leonard Bernstein as the beginning of Psychedelia. Allegedly composed through a fug of opium, the success of the work did eventually bring Smithson to him, for a brief and fiery marriage.

Presented by the New World Symphony and featuring the talents of Micheal Tilson Thomas and Yuja Wang, the program also offers the opportunity to hear a brand new Carnie Hall co-commission from Julia Wolfe and rendering of Prokofiev's virtuoso final Piano Concerto (No.5.)