Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique [Original recording remastered]

Hector Berlioz (Composer), Colin Davis (Conductor), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
• Conductor: Colin Davis
• Composer: Hector Berlioz
• Audio CD (July 4, 2006)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B000E6EH1S
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,715 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very ideal Berlioz Fantastique in superb sound, October 20, 2007

By 

Yi-Peng (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Audio CD)

There are so many recordings of the Berlioz Fantastique that the best ones help to emphasise its unique qualities. One of these superb recordings is this version by Sir Colin Davis and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Although some people might find it a little austere, Davis secures superb playing from the Concertgebouw Orchestra. This performance is accorded superb sound that has corrected the problems of the original CD release.

This performance stands out because it maintains the steam throughout all the five movements, and Sir Colin Davis's tempi pushes the music along. After a rapturous reading of the opening Reveries section, he hurtles the Concertgebouw into the Passions, presenting the motto-theme of the symphony simply, yet sustaining the strands of the arguments. The Ball scene sounds suitably neurotic in his hands, and the Scene in the Country conveys a rapt sense of repose, with disturbing undercurrents towards the end. I know some people will complain about the over-austere character of the last two movements, but no, Sir Colin continues to sustain the momentum of the symphony. The March to the Scaffold may not be the most propulsive, but he certainly makes it sound grim, and conveys a suitably nightmarish and macabre effect. The finale, Dream of a Sabbath Night, is taken at a brisk clip and maintains the adreanaline to the end of the work, capping a scintillating performance of this groundbreaking symphony.

In short, I think this is a self-ercommending performance of the Fantastique that probably faces up to the competition today. Yes I know that Sir Colin's 2000 LSO Live version presents some stiff competition, but this superb studio recording has its own merits despite being 25 years old.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The pioneer of the tonal phantasmagoric!, April 10, 2010

By 

Hiram Gomez Pardo (Valencia, Venezuela) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Audio CD)

The "Symphonie Fantastique" still remains as a landmark into the classical universe. In many ways, it might be labeled the summit of the highest peak of an artistic expression.

It is far beyond and behind a simple symphony. It contains many elements that make of it unique and inimitable. The concept of the fixed idea, the suggestive landscapes and the cornerstone of what would be to come. The raising of the Symphonic Poem, with Liszt and Strauss as its maxim exponents.

That feature is at the same time, the most difficult obstacle to surpass at the moment to perform it. Because you have to take into account this is an incorporeal score, where the kaleidoscopic nature permeates the work from start to finish. That requires a vivid imagination as well as an exuberant melodic flight all the way through and obviously a first-order orchestra to materialize this ambitious project.

There have been countless versions over he years but just a few have been capable to express with majestic intensity and radiant lyricism its portentous meaning. Moreover, it could be stated that to win with this Symphony you must be hovered by a special pathos. And you may be sure Colin Davis has a lot of it. Besides, if you consider the presence of The Concertgebouw, what else may be requested? .This version captures with all the possible spell this magic poem.

Don't miss it.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "There can be only one"...........Connor MacLeod, April 4, 2009

By 

Timothy Mikolay (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Audio CD)

As ridiculous as MacLeod's assertion may be, it speaks volumes about what this recording has always meant to me. Of the dozens of recordings I have of the major 'war-horses' per se (Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler symphonies, Rachmaninov concerti, Baroque sewing machine music), this is the ONLY one I'll ever want.

Recorded in 1974, the most readily apparent characteristic of this reading is its momentum. Davis doesn't allow the orchestra to rest for a moment, creating tension whenever and where ever necessary. So many performances of 'Fantastique' lack the simple inertia to keep this score alive and the Dutch respond to Davis magically. The first movement, difficult to convey because of the orchestration parrying between sparse and complex, is performed with such ease and color; I simply have not heard a better first movement anywhere.

The second movement waltz, 'At the Ball', is absolutely gorgeous, especially with the added cornet. Anytime I hear this waltz without the cornet part, I'm ready to call the guilty conductor and ask him why he left it out. It simply cannot go without. Again the Concertgebouw performs this movement with such life and joy it dances off the disc!

The third movement is simply amazing. The english horn solo at the beginning and end (the shepherd's pipe) of the movement is forlorn, impassioned, lonely, it is what typifies a benchmark reading for this piece. The Berlioz bass drum at the end is perfect for the coming storm. In general, the Concertgebouw bass drum for this recording is right on. The depth, the bass, the power, it's perfect and perfectly played.
One of the better moments of the CD, the March to the Scaffold, is strictly paced here but the orchestra accentuates throughout and conveys a truly sinister scene. Listen to the bassoons and how they pierce the Concertgebouw acoustic like no other. Marvelous!

The last movement is the best Witch's Sabbath I know; the creepy beginning leading up to the ensuing Dies Irae is only just the beginning. The bells used in this recording I have yet to hear anywhere since and never on any disc before. They set the stage for some of the most frenzied and expertly played Berlioz in recorded history (I'm dead serious about this). The low brass Dies Irae is striking and never lets up. The prickly dance that interrupts the Dies shows us a level of execution the woodwinds of very few orchestras ever demonstrated. The sextuplets that lead up to the main fugue are incredible and their reaffirmation at the ending really make a statement about the greatness of this offering.

This recording is unparalleled. Because I love this music so much and Davis found the perfect orchestra for this recording session, I have not yet found a reason to buy another. It IS a benchmark for this work; it is an incontestable addition to anyone's music library.