Two of the most famous and beloved symphonies ever written! Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 had a significant influence on the young Hector Berlioz, who drew inspiration from it for his Symphonie fantastique, the first masterpiece of Romanticism. At the origin of this creation stood a monumental figure in the French musical landscape of the time: François Habeneck, founder of the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, and a fervent advocate of Beethoven’s work in France. The program mirrors the ensemble Habeneck chose for the first performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in Paris in 1828. Les Siècles and François-Xavier Roth invite us to relive the transition to Romanticism as experienced by the Parisian public in the early 19th century.

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 is one of the most famous works in the classical repertoire. This piece, which germinated in Beethoven’s mind long before he began composing it in 1805, and premiered in Vienna in 1808, is particularly known for its iconic four-note rhythmic motif, which the composer described as “fate knocking at the door.” But it is the boundless energy of “Liberty,” inspired by the French Revolution and even the early days of the Empire, that drives Beethoven to a level of exultation never before reached in music.

Symphonie fantastique, Episode in the Life of an Artist (1830), exactly contemporary with Victor Hugo’s battle of Hernani, opens the door to musical Romanticism. Greatly influenced by Beethoven, this first symphony exhibits a level of success and originality that was unparalleled at the time. The term “program music” (which narrates a story) emerged from this innovation. Half-autobiographical, half-fantastical, the work transposes the love of a delirious young musician (Berlioz) whose obsession with his beloved (the English actress Harriet Smithson, whom he discovered playing Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet) appears as a recurring theme, present throughout all five movements and nicknamed the “idée fixe.” This persistent melody never leaves the artist’s fevered mind, eventually torturing him and driving him to poison himself, though he survives: a “March to the Scaffold” leads to a fantastic “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath,” ending in an implacable and irresistible plunge into the abyss, with the full force of the orchestra sounding as never before.

The premiere was triumphant, but Harriet, who had rejected all of Berlioz’s advances, was unaware. When, in 1832, a friend invited her to the second Paris performance of the Fantastique, she sat in the audience, not realizing that she was THE subject of the work (something the entire audience knew!). Berlioz, glaring at her like a demon, played the timpani throughout the piece. Moved by the incredible atmosphere of the concert, she finally agreed to meet Berlioz, and they were soon married and became parents. Though the rest of their union was less happy, it remains one of the most extraordinary artistic love stories…

Performed on historically appropriate instruments

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