Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony explore the life and music of Hector Berlioz in this film that is part of the monumental DVD series, Keeping Score. This series, originally shown on PBS, features beautiful documentaries on the lives and music of composers, shot on location, with Thomas's insightful biographical and musical commentary, and full concert performances. The best and most ambitious film series since Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts, the Keeping Score project was designed to bring classical music to people of all ages and musical backgrounds, and includes an interactive website with classroom resources, and an education program for teachers to help them incorporate music in all K-12 subjects.
Berlioz/Symphonie Fantastique
"I feel, therefore I am." For Hector Berlioz, and for the Romantic Movement, those were more than words; they were a song of the heart. Berlioz's musical theme representing his beloved becomes an idee fixe, which returns in every movement, transformed and transfigured into new meanings and context. But with the unprecedented outpouring of emotion in his Symphonie fantastique Berlioz almost overpowered Paris. This orchestral sonic spectacular, written to win the heart of a beautiful actress, demanded sacrifice from its author and his audience. From romantic daydreams to deadly displays of devotion, the symphony relates an ?episode in the life of an artist,? that artist being the love-obsessed composer himself. This symphony encapsulates the inner drama ? and trauma ? that made Berlioz one of the masters.
Enjoy this penetrating documentary on Berlioz with narrative insights by Thomas Tilson Thomas, plus the full performance of Symphonie Fantastique by the San Francisco Symphony in high definition and surround sound. Subtitles in English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese. 116 min.
