Rachael Beesley

<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Violinist Rachael Beesley talks us through Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, deranged opium nightmares, and whether the violin or the french horn is the most difficult instrument.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Useful links:</span></p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/38GXGrNfyMtZTJykN1KXh7?si=YzuB4eiqTLSYYgtDOor1Qg"><span style="font-weight:400;">Spotify playlist for Rachael’s pieces </span></a></p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3BRom90ebzqKrDudeVZtYo"><span style="font-weight:400;">Spotify playlist for main pieces </span></a></p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2rzB0a4C4nNjO0MR8VLQdQ"><span style="font-weight:400;">Spotify playlist for final question pieces </span></a></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-weight:400;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGta6Mtecps&t=2461s">Aurora Orchestra performing a staged version of Symphonie Fantastique from memory</a> (watch from 23:00 for the symphony)</span></p><p><a href="https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://cdn.radiofrance.fr/s3/cruiser-production/2019/02/cbbba9d4-7549-4d6e-a963-bf113be3fe4b/600x337_musicopolis_berlioz_symphonie_fantastique_partition_autographe.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.francemusique.fr/emissions/musicopolis/1830-hector-berlioz-creation-de-la-symphonie-fantastique-69719&tbnid=-VtHw2MWGr_GMM&vet=1&docid=8LBtwFaWdbS_UM&w=600&h=337&q=symphonie+fantastique+image&source=sh/x/im"><span style="font-weight:400;">Original Symphonie Fantastique score with Berlioz’s descriptions for each movement </span></a></p><p><a href="http://www.hberlioz.com/Scores/fantas.htm"><span style="font-weight:400;">Berlioz’s text translated to English </span></a></p><p><span style="font-weight:400;"><a href="https://www.pbs.org/keepingscore/berlioz-symphonie-fantastique.html">PBS article with background information on the piece</a> </span></p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2014/aug/19/symphony-guide-hector-berliozs-symphonie-fantastique"><span