Essential Classics Unlocked for Piano - Book 5: Berlioz

The Symphonie fantastique was composed in 1830 and first performed in Paris later that year. Its five movements tell the feverish story of a young artist haunted by an idealised vision of his beloved, represented throughout the work by a recurring melody known as the idée fixe. The story progresses through a glittering ball and a peaceful country scene before descending into the famous March to the Scaffold and the fantastical Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath.