The Hallé: Symphonie Fantastique

Smetana Overture: The Bartered Bride 7′
Dvorák Violin Concerto 32′
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique 49′

Sir Mark brings the 2018–19 Opus One Series to a boisterous close with the overture to Smetana’s folk-opera, a huge favourite in the concert hall and a brilliantly virtuosic show-piece for the orchestra. The rustic Czech mood continues with Simone Lamsma’s interpretation of Dvorák’s Violin Concerto, bursting with typical sunny lyricism and a memorable dancing finale. Our exploration of the music of Berlioz could hardly be complete without his best-known and admired work, full of the passions and dreams, fantasies and phantoms of the most creative mind in French 19th-century music.