This week’s inspiring performance is the 4th movement of Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz. The orchestra is a combination of members of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. The conductor is Gustavo Dudamel, currently the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Symphonie Fantastique is a 5-movement work inspired by a fantastical story imagined by the composer. The 4th movement — March to the Scaffold — depicts a crazy scene of the main character dreaming he is being led to his own execution. The music is a brilliant mixture of wild, solemn, and exciting melodies. Dudamel and the orchestra capture the musical insanity of Berlioz’s imaginiation in this wonderfully over-the-top performance.
MPTrumpet 