Hector Berlioz and Franz Liszt first met in 1830, the day before the first performance of the Symphonie fantastique at the Paris Conservatoire. “We felt a keen sympathy for each other, and since then our relationship has only become closer and stronger,” Berlioz wrote in his memoirs. “He [Liszt] was present at this concert where he drew the attention of the entire audience to himself through his applause and displays of enthusiasm.” Three years later, Liszt was a witness at the wedding of Berlioz and Harriet Smithson, the Irish actress who inspired the great passion of the Fantastic Symphony. Meanwhile, the main themes of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No.1 were conceived the very year the composer first met Berlioz although the work wasn’t finished until 26 years later.
It’s nice to see these two friends reunited in this week’s National Symphony Orchestra concerts.
The concert opens with Bryce Dessner’s Mari, named for the Basque Forest goddess. It was commissioned during the pandemic by Czech Philharmonic conductor Semyon Bychkov and a consortium of international orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra. Bryce Dessner, a modern-day Renaissance man, has won Grammy Awards in the fields of classical and rock music. From Taylor Swift to Philip Glass, his works span the genres from film to orchestra to pop. For Mari, he walked in the old forest by his home in Southwestern France, seeking inspiration from the beauty of nature, and the Czech Philharmonic’s predilection for Dvorak and Mahler.
The concert continues with Franz Liszt’s scintillating Piano Concerto No.1 performed by British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, who receives enthusiastic accolades wherever he performs. The Independent called him “one in a million giant of solo piano,” and The New York Times said, “he commands the stage with aristocratic ease...Mr. Grosvenor makes you sigh with joy...A temperament rare in yesteryear, let alone now.” Berlioz’ love obsessed fever dream of a Symphonie fantastique commands the second half of the concert.
German conductor Anja Bihlmaier makes her NSO debut with these performances.
Program
Anja Bihlmaier, conductor
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
Bryce Dessner: Mari
Franz Liszt: Concerto No.1 in E-flat major for Piano and Orchestra
Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op.14
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