Today, it was just one thing after another that led me, finally, to listening to a performance of Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique conducted by the inestimable conductor Mariss Jansons.
I heard Maestro Jansons conduct a Tchaikovsky symphony series in Los Angeles many years ago when he just a young man in his early forties. Oh my. He was very convincing with that hackneyed fare even then and reminded me again what so wonderful in these scores.
I had, however, gone to those concerts knowing what I expected to hear. I had come across a recording he made with the Oslo Philharmonic, Pics@AnEx, (Mussorgsky) Get it?. I thought enough of the performance to check out where he got his training. Leningrad - Mavrinski. He was the real deal then, and today even more realer.
This is a performance to be really appreciated on many levels, not the least of which is how Maestro Jansons so deftly defines the orchestral colors, of which this music fairly bristles. As you listen, I hope you do, be amazed this piece was written in 1830 and the world at the time had heard nothing like it.
Now I'm going to find the score online and take some time with it.
bp
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