# Symphonie Fantastique - First Psychedelic Work?



## Bach (Jun 2, 2008)

Leonard Bernstein called this symphony the first musical expedition into psychedelia because of its hallucinatory and dream-like nature, and because history suggests Berlioz composed at least a portion of it under the influence of opium.

How did you react to the work on initial hearing? Were any psychedelic emotions evoked?


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

Oh, very much. I started my listening career with rock 'n' roll, folk, and "real" psychedelic music, so the first time I heard Berlioz was like hearing a classical "White Rabbit". The part that, for me,, was the psychedelically strongest was the final "Witches' Sabbath" movement, especially at the entrance of the Dies Irae.

Interestingly, I still constantly see swirling colors whenever I hear that piece; it's one of the few synaesthetic experiences that I'm aware of having.

For me, however, the earliest piece that induces "psychedelic" emotions is your namesake's Art of the Fugue; there's something very Mayhayanan about the way in which all the voices interact in their various permutations.


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## Bach (Jun 2, 2008)

Interestingly I happen to agree with you. The Art of Fugue (although intended as an exercise) is magically descriptive - I think it was Glenn Gould who said that it leaves the extraordinary impression of an infinitely expanding universe, and I think this description encapsulates my emotion in reaction to the work beautifully. Definitely a psychedelic response.


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## Moldyoldie (Apr 6, 2008)

Bach said:


> How did you react to the work on initial hearing? Were any psychedelic emotions evoked?


Ha! I was bored to frustration and couldn't understand the fuss...that was until I heard the Bernstein recording! Wow, what an epiphany!


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## BAWIG05 (May 14, 2008)

I love his lecture after the symphony. (On CD)


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## Rondo (Jul 11, 2007)

I've been listening to the Charles Munch recording. Not much, okay. I just discovered the Boulez recording a few weeks ago. After hearing his Ravel and Bartok (namely _Concerto for Orchestra_), I thought, why not _Fantastique_?


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## The Deacon (Jan 14, 2018)

Nope.

Its like a mug of warm cocoa.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

It was this work, the finale anyway, that was my initiation into the wonderful world of orchestral music. Way back when, record companies gave out free LPs which had excerpts of new releases. Somehow one from RCA showed up and The Dream of the Witches Sabbath was on it - Munch, BSO. Being really into horror movies at a very young age, the sound of the bells and the dirge Dies Irae was thrilling! Played that track over and over. When I finally got to hear the whole symphony, it was a revelation. I loved it, except I thought the 3rd movement kind of dull and too long. It was one of the first pocket scores I ever bought. Can't say it was a psychedelic experience, I've never done any of those 60s drugs. Still a favorite, and still so very modern sounding. Hearing it live, with a great orchestra should be thrilling, but too often conductors today ruin it; they just can't let it go and want to control everything. Most of my favorite recordings are conducted by Frencn conductors, which I don't think is a coincidence: Paray, Munch, Monteux, Cluytens but Beecham is a long-time favorite, with Maazel not far behind.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

The Deacon said:


> Nope.
> 
> Its like a mug of warm cocoa.


Brilliant. Where was your beloved prog in 1830. Sorry, I forgot your tagline, Jimmeh...


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

[

Its like a mug of warm cocoa.

If one has great taste one can judge


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## Biffo (Mar 7, 2016)

Bach said:


> .... because history suggests Berlioz composed at least a portion of it under the influence of opium.


The imaginary artist of Berlioz' program is under the influence of opium when he imagined the Finale. There is no evidence that Berlioz was under the influence of anything when he wrote the work other than his own imagination. Much later in life he took carefully regulated amounts of opium to ease the pain of what he called 'intestinal neuralgia' - not sure what that is in modern terms.

'How did you react to the work on initial hearing? Were any psychedelic emotions evoked?'

I was completely knocked out by a live performance from Sir John Barbirolli and the Halle Orchestra and have never been the same since. My experience of 'psychedelic emotions' is entirely theoretical.


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