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Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: Poetry in Music – Berlioz and Tchaikovsky
August 19, 2022 @ 7:30 pm - 9:35 pm
$69 – $119
The prose of Lord Byron provides the artistic inspiration behind two large-scale symphonic poems by Berlioz and Tchaikovsky. MSO Principal Viola Christopher Moore assumes the instrumental role of Harold, a character who wanders through a tableau of Berlioz’s creation.
After the success of his startling Symphonie Fantastique, Berlioz was approached by the virtuoso violinist Paganini. Having recently acquired a Stradivarius viola, Paganini was looking for repertoire for the instrument. Harold in Italy was the result – a symphonic poem inspired by Lord Byron’s and Berlioz’s own travels in Italy.
Fifty years later, a composer suggested to Tchaikovsky that he write a symphonic work based on another of Byron’s poems, Manfred. Tchaikovsky became absorbed in the work during a trip to the Swiss Alps, dividing the work into four scenes with rich orchestral colour and dramatic nuance.