“Symphonie Fantastique”

by Joey deVilla on January 31, 2008

Hector Berlioz and AC/DC’s Brian Johnson
Composer Hector Berlioz and AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson.

My calendar’s full, but if you’re thinking about making those first baby-steps into — ahem — culture, may I recommend Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique, which the Toronto Symphony Orchestra will perform tonight and tomorrow at Roy Thomson Hall, with super-maestro Charles Dutoit conducting. I think it’s pretty accessible: after all, it’s all about trying to impress a chick with your music, lust, obsession, orgies, drugs, devil-worship and a big-ass bell — dude, it’s AC/DC, if they’d formed a band 150 years earlier!*

(* It could also be a loose summary of my social life — or a very accurate summary of Robert Downey, Jr.’s — from ages 27 to 37.)

Links

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

1 sdv January 31, 2008 at 4:37 pm

I just heard the San Francisco Symphony perform this (about 2 months ago) and it rocked my world. Absolutely incredible piece of music.

2 opragal February 1, 2008 at 9:12 pm

the classical music world is FULL of rock ‘n roll lifestyle stories – take a dip into the worlds of Frederic Chopin or Franz Liszt – women used to leave home and follow them from country to country on their tours.

Leave a Comment

You can use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Previous post: Never Forget: 1-31-07

Next post: If You Think You’ve Got a Bad Commute Tonight…