The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and its Music Director Rafael Payare turn to two of Hector Berlioz's most vivid orchestral scores: the Symphonie fantastique and the concert overture Le carnaval romain. Composed in 1830, the Symphonie fantastique follows an artist's opium-fuelled reveries through five movements, from idée fixe-haunted longing to a witches' sabbath finale, and remains one of the boldest and most influential works of the early Romantic era. Le carnaval romain, drawn from music originally written for the opera Benvenuto Cellini, pairs a wistful English horn melody with the exuberant energy of Roman carnival festivities. Payare and the orchestra bring their characteristic colour, drama, and psychological intensity to both scores, showcasing Berlioz's pioneering orchestration and flair for the theatrical.