Love and insanity, tenderness and vulgarity bordering on the grotesque: Hector Berlioz never avoided extremes, neither in his life nor in his oeuvre. His entire Symphonie fantastique is pervaded by a musical “idée fixe” representing a woman he adored. The symphony brought about his breakthrough and has remained popular ever since.

The impact of his masterly approach to composition, especially in the treatment of the orchestration, could still be felt in the 20th century. Berlioz revised the w...