1st Subscription Concert of the CNSO in the Municipal house

ABOUT

Fifteen years ago, our orchestra performed in the Smetana Hall of Municipal House, alongside two musical masterminds, conductor Libor Pešek and actor Jan Tříska. The program featured two incredible works by French composer, author and musical critic Hector Berlioz, his first work being the Fantastic Symphony: Episode from the Life of an Artist and the second being the lyrical monodrama Lélio, or the Return to Life. The Fantastic Symphony has become without a doubt the composer's best-known composition. The piece is full of love, passion, inner tension and disappointment. Berlioz himself once declared that “Music is the expression of a passionate and unhappy soul. ”

His inspiration for the piece was his unrequited love of the young Irish actress Harriet Smithson. After some time of writing pieces for her, Smithson became entangled with Berlioz, but their love did not last long and they divorced in a few years.

The lyrical monodrama Lélio, or the Return to Life, was written by Berlioz during his infatuation with Harriet Smithson, but also referenced his tragic love experiences with Camille Moke which occurred a year later, in 1831. The piece includes recitation, solo and choral singing as well as purely orchestral parts. The highlight of the piece is the unforgettable returning musical motif from the Fantastic Symphony, the so-called idée fixe.The world premiere of both works took place in 1832.

Now, the audience will have the opportunity to hear these two breathtaking compositions performed by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno, the soloists Jiří Rajniš, Giulio Pelligra and directed by our chief conductor Steven Mercurio. The concert will be narrated by Martin Hofmann.

Programme

Hector Berlioz
Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14
Lélio, or the Return to Life Op. 14b

Performers

Czech National Symphony Orchestra
Steven Mercurio conductor
Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno 
Petr Fiala choir master
Giulio Pelligra tenor
Jiří Rajniš baritone
Martin Hofmann narrator