Symfonieorkest van de Munt . Kazushi Ono

As his swansong with the Symphony Orchestra, the principal conductor Kazushi Ono has organised a programme that will certainly prick up your ears. The 1830 'Symphonie Fantastique' by Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) is one of the most important Romantic orchestral works. It was originally entitled 'Épisode de la vie d'un artiste, symphonie fantastique en cinq parties /Episode from the life of an artist in a five part fantasy symphony'. It was highly autobiographical and displayed all the signs of Berlioz's passionate but unrequited love for the Irish actress Harriet Smithson, which drove him to despair. As a piece of music it was revolutionary in many respects. Firstly, it was the first instrumental programme music and it is innovative as regards orchestration. This can be seen in the arrangement of the harps. He also employed playing techniques uncommon at the time, such as 'col legno': striking the strings with the back of bow rather than drawing the hair over the strings. More Berlioz will be heard in the four-part solo cantata 'La Mort de Cléopâtre' written for the Prix de Rome in 1829. Thirty years later, Berlioz finally managed to fulfil his dream of creating an opera based on Cleopatra. Sandwiched in the middle of the programme, you will get the chance to hear the less frequently performed Concerto for Oboe, Harp and Strings by Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998) written in 1971 for Heinz and Ursula Holliger.