STRAVINSKY  
Petrushka
(34 minutes)

BERLIOZ
Symphonie fantastique
(49 minutes)

BENJAMIN ZANDER, CONDUCTOR

View the entire Concert on YouTube

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The second concert of the BPYO season brings together two of the most revolutionary and colorful works in the repertoire: Stravinsky’s ballet Petrushka and Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique. Both tell fantastic stories with the most lavish orchestration.

Petrushka, one of the most beloved of all Stravinsky’s works, demands the utmost virtuosity from every member of the orchestra. To convey every dramatic detail of the story, super-titles will be projected above the stage, keeping you abreast of every flirtation and clash between the story’s puppets: Petrushka, the Ballerina, and the Moor.

Symphonie fantastique is one of the most thrilling aural experiences you can have in the concert hall. Berlioz’s composition revolutionized all composers’ understanding of what was possible in writing for a symphony orchestra. This is a concert ready to be enjoyed by every member of your family. – Benjamin Zander

Igor Stravinsky Petrushka – 34 minutes

• Igor Stravinsky composed the music to the ballet, Petrushka, in the years of 1910 and 1911. He later revised it in 1946.
• The Ballet Petrushka is a tragic drama that takes place in 1830 during the Shrovetide Fair in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It shows the love interests and jealousies of three puppets. The puppets are brought to life by a character called the Charlatan. Petrushka loves the Ballerina puppet but she rejects Petrushka in favor of the Moor puppet. This makes Petrushka angry and he challenges the Moor to a fight. The fight ends with the Moor killing Petrushka. At nightfall the ghost of Petrushka rises and shakes his fist at the Charlatan, then dies once more.
• The ballet premiered on Jun 13, 1911 in Paris performed by the Ballets Russes.
• Petruska is considered to be one of the greatest ballets and continues to be performed with the original design and choreography in-tact.
• View the ballet Petrushka in full on Youtube

Hector Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique – 49 minutes

• Hector Berlioz wrote Symphonie fantastique: Épisode de la vie d’un artiste en cinq parties (translates to: Fantastical Symphony: An Episode in the Life of an Artist, in Five Parts) in 1830.  It was first performed on December 5, 1830 at the Paris Conservatory.
• Hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform Symphonie Fantasitque on Youtube