Passion and drama are hardly uncommon themes in the world of classical music, especially when considering the Romantic Era (roughly 1820 to 1910) — when composers shook off rigid conventions in favor of more emotional intensity and personal expression. This weekend, the Nashville Symphony will present one of the most innovative works of that period — Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. Often described as a “musical hallucination,” this exquisite piece portrays a tortured young artist who falls into deep despair over an unrequited love and poisons himself with opium. Inspired by Berlioz’s own obsessive infatuation with the Shakespearean actress Harriet Smithson (whom he would eventually marry), Symphonie Fantastique uses a recurring theme — or the “idée fixe” — to represent the composer’s beloved. Resident conductor Nathan Aspinall reportedly chose the piece for its passionate storytelling. He has also selected Benjamin Britten’s deeply lyrical Violin Concerto No. 1 to feature the internationally acclaimed violinist Benjamin Beilman. And kicking off the evening is György Ligeti’s marvelous Concert Românesc, a folk-inspired piece that harkens back to the composer’s Romanian roots.
Feb. 21-22 at the Schermerhorn
1 Symphony Place
