Symphonie fantastique (Épisode de la vie d'un artiste … en cinq parties), in English "Fantastical Symphony: Episode in the Life of an Artist … in Five Sections", is a program symphony from 1830 by the French composer Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869). Leonard Bernstein described the symphony as the first musical expedition into psychedelia because of its hallucinatory and dream-like nature, and because history suggests Berlioz composed at least a portion of it under the influence of opium. More than any other work, I think this symphony started the romantic movement in classical music. The symphony is in five movements, which are extensively described in the Wiki article. The average playing time is 49 minutes (AllMusic). I have two versions, of which I have a slight preference for the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal under Charles Dutoit on a Decca/London CD.
