1st Subscription Concert

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 Symphonie Fantastique and the second being the lyrical monodrama Lélio. The Symphonie Fantastique 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 Symphonie Fantastique, 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.