Berlioz free!! This lunchtime

Cacophonous, disturbing, melodic, romantic, discordant (in patches), a friend said, ‘varied’ – and lots more adjectives could be used to describe Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique, played by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Stephane Deneve.

Stephane did an impromptu few minutes – a welcome few minutes for my party of international students from the University of Strathclyde just around the corner from the magnificent Royal Concert Hall. Monsieur Deneve talked about his fellow countryman, Hector Berlioz, and what prompted him to write this wonderful piece of music.

Then we were into it, walking though meadows, dreaming of Harriet Smithson and the unrequited love Hector bore for her – the agonies of passion – putting himself through the tortures of imagining he had killed his love – marching to the scaffold, mocked by witches, in a loud and tumultuous finale, followed by equally tumultuous applause. It wasn't always that way though - early performances of the work saw outraged and disgusted people get up from their seats and shout at Hector Berlioz as he flung himself about conducting this groundbreaking work. It was to become the mountain from which people like Gustav Mahler quarried to produce his own brand of symphony, but at first it was not always well appreciated by audiences. Today, it was.

And then we were out and back along a slightly wetter looking Cathedral Street, down to the Livingstone Tower and into our classrooms.

Everybody enjoyed the experience, and for some it was their first time – the audience participation during the performance – the extended applause at the end – the walking on and off the platform by the conductor, and the repeated shows of appreciation for leader Edwin Palin, and the oboes, clarinets, brass and percussion of this great orchestra.

Robert L. Fielding