Fantastique!

After Beethoven's last symphony in the special concert, the Graz Philharmonic, under the direction of its principal conductor Vassilis Christopoulos, concludes the current season with the composer's 1st Symphony. Premiered on April 2, 1800, in Vienna, the work was a success, not least due to a very special idea: it begins with a long seventh chord, an expression of Beethoven's uniqueness, a freedom he took for himself, even as he referenced the models Haydn and Mozart.
The wild "Symphonie fantastique" by Hector Berlioz, a great admirer of Beethoven, tells the story of an artist who, suffering from unrequited love, desperately flees into a chaotic opium dream in the form of a musical drama. In five movements, the audience experiences the continuously degenerating states of mind of the protagonist. It is no coincidence that the "narrative" resembles Goethe's Faust and reflects the composer's admiration for the great German poet. Thus, the closing concert creates a
large connection to the opening production of this season.

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 1 in C major op. 21

Hector Berlioz
Symphonie fantastique op. 14

Cast
Musical Direction: Vassilis Christopoulos
Graz Philharmonic

Tickets: are available online at ticketzentrum.at as well as at the Ticket Center, Kaiser-Josef-Platz 10, 8010 Graz.

Public Accessibility: Tram 1, 7 I Stop: Kaiser-Josef Platz/Oper