Symphonie fantastique New York Performances

Hector Berlioz’s *Symphonie fantastique* (1830) is a five-movement, story-driven symphony that tracks an artist’s obsession through fevered reverie, public spectacle, and a final grotesque dream. Its recurring “idée fixe” melody binds the narrative and helped shape the later language of Romantic program music. New York first heard the work in the 19th century as local orchestras expanded their reach beyond German symphonies, and it has remained a touchstone for orchestral color. At NJPAC, the New Jersey Symphony brings that unstable psychology into sharp relief.