Description

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique / Rameau: Les Boréades – Berliner Philharmoniker, Simon Rattle (DVD)

UPC: 0880242575586

Product Features

Title: Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz / Les Boréades (Ballet Suite) by Jean-Philippe Rameau
Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle
Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker
Recorded: Live at the Philharmonie, Berlin, 6-8 November 1993
Running Time: 87 minutes
Picture Format: NTSC, 4:3
Audio Formats:Region Code: Worldwide (All Regions)
- PCM Stereo
- Dolby Digital 5.1
- DTS 5.1
Publisher: Medici Arts
Producer: TV Man Union, Inc.

Overview

This Medici Arts DVD features the Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, in a historic 1993 live recording. The program includes two major works: Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and the Ballet Suite from Les Boréades by Jean-Philippe Rameau. Notably, this concert marks the first audio-visual live recording of Simon Rattle conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker, a significant moment in musical history, as Rattle would go on to become the orchestra’s principal conductor and artistic director in 1999, succeeding Claudio Abbado.

The concert combines Rameau’s final masterpiece, a ballet suite from Les Boréades, with Berlioz's revolutionary Symphonie fantastique, which remains one of the cornerstones of the orchestral repertoire. The unique programming showcases Rattle’s visionary approach, linking the French Baroque with Romantic innovation.

Track Listing

Jean-Philippe Rameau - Les Boréades (Ballet Suite)
Hector Berlioz - Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

Interesting Facts

Simon Rattle's relationship with the Berliner Philharmoniker began with this 1993 concert, and just six years later, he was appointed the orchestra's principal conductor, a role he held for over 15 years.
Rameau’s Les Boréades was composed in 1763 but wasn’t performed until 1982, making it one of his lesser-known but deeply respected works.
Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, composed in 1830, is celebrated for its innovative orchestration and programmatic narrative, exploring the emotions of an artist in love, culminating in vivid musical depictions of dreams, passions, and hallucinations.