Philips 50: Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Davis; Concertgebouw Orchestra

Hector Berlioz (Artist), Concertgebouw Orchestra (Artist), Sir Colin Davis (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 8, 2001)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Umvd Labels
• ASIN: B00005CCAC
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #292,939 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Most performances of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique fall firmly into one of two categories: those that stress the work's classical, Apollonian qualities, and those that respond strongly to its wilder, Dionysian side. Davis is firmly in the Apollonian saddle, which means he leads a poised, balanced performance that's beautifully played by the Concertgebouw. It is a bit short on the excitement scale, so the hallucinatory march to the scaffold and witches' Sabbath can disappoint if you're familiar with the way they're whipped along by the likes of Munch, Paray, and Bernstein, among others. On the other hand, the waltz movement flows, and there's gentle poetry in the pastoral scene in the country. Davis observes all the repeats and uses the cornet part Berlioz later added to the second movement, another pair of pluses. Davis is an eminent Berliozian who's recorded this piece several times, along with all the composer's major works. This welcome reissue in good sound is a highly satisfying rendition of Berlioz's most popular work and an excellent supplement to the wilder shores of Berlioz interpretations. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A top-knotch Fantatasique with vastly improved sound, May 10, 2001

By	Yi-Peng (Singapore) - See all my reviews

As one of today's noted Berlioz scholars, Sir Colin Davis proves his worth with this wonderful classic performance of the Symphonie fantastique. Recorded with the Concertgebouw in 1974, it still shines among the many dozens of recordings available. The Dutch musicians produce first-class and peerless playing, with every subtle nuance brought out to the fore, and the Philips engineers respond positively within the condusive acoustics with wide-ranging, clear and atmospheric sound. And in this latest reissue, as if this was not enough, you get the extra asset of a clean and vivid new 24-bit remastering that also serves (with the removal of all extraneous tape hiss) to make this recording feel as if it was recorded only yesterday.

Davis starts his performance with a dream-like Reveries section, before he is able to lurch into the forward-moving Passions section. Here, he allows the music to move forward and show the hysteria of the artist in relation to his imaginary beloved, at the same time giving the idee fixe a life of its own to show off its irregular phrasing and original qualities naturally. The Ball sequence that follows this movement has a refined lyricism, and is presented in the manner of authentic Strauss waltzes, but the flickers of the troubled soul are able to pervade through the light-hearted carnival-like festivities of this movement. After the troubles of the first two movements, Davis slows down the pace with a shapely and beautiful Scene in the country. In this movement, there is an extra touch of vividness with the two oboe soloists and the thunderous sound of the timpani being brought to the fore. Still, the quiet pastoral serenity and the dark undertones are nicely allowed to remain prominent, with the dark undertones hinting us of what is to come in the opium-inflicted nightmare that is to follow in the two movements. And indeed, as we expect, the last two movements turn out to be even more macabre than we expect them to. We sink with the artist into his nightmare, where we are faced with a menacing March to the Scaffold and a Dream of a Sabbath Night with eerie, menacing harmonics, replete with Dies irae. Still, the excitement is never allowed to ebb away, for Davis holds the macabre proceedings together with the necessary skill of a Berlioz conductor, keeping every listener on the edge of his seat up to the closing pages, when the combination of the Dies irae with the witches' roundelay build up to a devastating climax in stampeding towards Satan and Hell.

To sum up, I can safely say that this is one of the most perfect recordings of the Symphonie fantastique available today, and can be recommended without any reservation to any lover of a good symphony or to a Berlioz neophyte, where this recording will be sure to find a happy home in his collection.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastique!, September 23, 2002

By	Curtis Lane (Orlando, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This is absolutely the best recording of this symphony I own--I currently own six. I will not make this review long as the two reviewers before me have covered everything I could think to say, but I wish to give my own bit of praise. It is true that this is not the most daring recording, but it is the most beautiful and flowing; I cannot think of a recording of any piece this flawless. It is certainly advisable to own a few more adventursome recordings but this is best for its pure beauty and power.

5.0 out of 5 stars Scintillating performance, May 19, 2009

By	G.D. (Norway) - See all my reviews

Colin Davis has recorded the Symphonie fantastique on several occasions, but this 1974 version is probably the best. Now, I should add a disclaimer here so that the reader knows where I am coming from: I view the work as a pretty mediocre effort; it has some interesting and inspired instrumentation and orchestral textures, and there is no doubt about its originality, but that alone does not make a masterpiece, and in my view this isn't one. Still, even I am almost convinced by this driven, electrical performance with a Concertgebouw on top form which produces some wonderful instrumental colors and smoldering fire and intensity. The various grotesqueries and the nefarious playfulness of the `Marche au supplice' stand out, but overall the players are able to make the most of the at various times glittering, fiery and dreamlike melodies and textures. No less impressive is by Davis's firm grasp of the structure and his ability to make an almost convincing case for the architectonics of this rather rambling creation. The sound quality is excellent as well, so if you want just one version of this work, this is probably the one to go for.