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The 2021-2022 BSO Season

Andris Nelsons conducts Ives and Berlioz

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Symphony Hall, Boston, MA

Music Director Andris Nelsons leads two very different works that we both innovative and experimental for their time. A staple of the BSO’s repertoire for generations, Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique virtually defined the emotional intensity of musical Romanticism while also vastly expanding orchestral virtuosity. Its five movements describe an artist’s emotional turmoil, ranging from blissful to unhinged, as he daydreams about his lover. Much more abstract and metaphysical is the American composer Charles Ives’s mysterious and questing tone poem The Unanswered Question (1908), which features a striking solo trumpet part against ensembles of strings and winds.

After the BSO’s performance, enjoy the special program Sing to the Moon by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. This half hour of music includes choral works by Elgar, Augusta Read Thomas, Brahms, Laura Mvula, and more.

Andris Nelsons conducting the BSO.

Performance Details

Mar 11, 2022, 8:00pm EST

Casual Fridays

Featuring

Program Notes & Works

Symphonie fantastique

Hector Berlioz

On December 9, 1832, Hector Berlioz won the heart of his beloved Harriet Smithson, whom he had never met, with a concert including the Symphonie fantastique, for which she had unknowingly served as inspiration when the composer fell hopelessly in love with her some years before.

The Unanswered Question

Charles Ives

Ives wrote his atmospheric The Unanswered Question originally for chamber ensemble in 1908; the version with full strings dates from the 1930s.

What’s Different About the Casual Friday Experience

  • These concerts have lower ticket prices at $40, $56, and $66, depending on seat location.
  • You'll get to know BSO double bassist Ben Levy through introductory remarks before the concert starts.
  • The program is shorter than a typical BSO performance, with no intermission.
  • Audiences seated in the Tech Section, a rear section of the floor, will enjoy Conductor-Cam seating. With strategically placed screens, patrons can see the conductor from the orchestra’s perspective.
  • Stick around after the concert for a Casual Conversation with the musicians to learn more about their experiences and the music you heard during the concert.
  • There’s no need to wonder if your outfit is dressy enough; casual clothes are encouraged at these concerts!

Symphony Hall

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