Rafael Payare conductor
Magdalene Ho piano
RCM Symphony Orchestra
Carlos Simon Fate Now Conquers
Beethoven Piano Concerto no 1 in C major op 15
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique
'Irresistible zest, controlled impetuosity, dreamy sensibility and a nostalgic expression' – Berlioz on performing his own music
Rafael Payare is at the helm for what is sure to be a spellbinding RCM Symphony Orchestra concert, featuring Berlioz’ dramatic and passionate Symphonie fantastique as well as Carlos Simon's piece inspired by an entry in Beethoven’s journal, 'Fate Now Conquers', and Beethoven's First Piano Concerto performed by Magdalene Ho.
Berlioz was a Romantic through and through, and the young man at the heart of the Symphonie fantastique’s story might have been the composer himself, his obsessive nature represented by a recurring motif or ‘ideé fixe’. In the opening ‘Reveries, Passions’, Berlioz conjures up what he called ‘volcanic love’, followed by a waltzing ball scene and pastoral interlude. Then come the sinister ‘March to the Scaffold’ and nightmarish ‘Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath’, reflecting what Berlioz described as the key elements of his style: ‘passionate expression, inner warmth, rhythmic impetus and unexpectedness’.
Hear a pre-concert performance of rarely heard French repertoire including music by Berlioz on the College’s majestic Flentrop Orgelbouw organ; free for concert ticket holders.
