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Symphonie fantastique <\/em>is one of the greatest works of classical music ever written, but did you know that it was born out of the composser’s obsession with an actor he’d seen on stage in Paris? This is a story of a composer desperately wanting the attention of a woman \u2013\u00a0but when she missed the premiere performance, he simply went home with another woman. How very predictable.<\/strong><\/p> In 1827 the composer Hector Berlioz<\/a><\/strong> went to see a production of Shakespeare\u2019s Hamlet<\/em> in Paris. It was a life-changing experience: he was bowled over by the Bard\u2019s drama and became completely besotted with the Irish actress playing Ophelia, Harriet Smithson<\/strong><\/a>. Berlioz went on to write various works inspired by Shakespeare, including Rom\u00e9o et Juliette<\/em> and B\u00e9atrice et B\u00e9<\/em>n\u00e9<\/em>dict<\/em>, and his infatuation with Smithson inspired his great Symphonie fantastique<\/a><\/strong><\/em>.<\/p> Berlioz’s obssession with Smithson grew. He rented rooms near her and sent her letters \u2013 but to no avail. So he then embarked on the ultimate romantic gesture, writing an orchestral symphony for her. The first performance of the Symphonie fantastique<\/em> was arranged for 5 December 1830, to mark her return to Paris, but although the work was well received, she was not present. She didn\u2019t hear the work until two years later.<\/p>How Symphonie fantastique <\/em>came to be: Berlioz’s initial infatuation with Harriet Smithson<\/h2>