Hector Berlioz wrote countless love letters to actress Harriet Smithson – none were ever answered. The Symphonie fantastique became the composer’s outlet: the depiction of an extreme love drama in which the lover is murdered and the murderer is executed. The conductor of the spectacular score here is Daniel Barenboim. We also hear Emmanuel Pahud, principal flute of the Berliner Philharmoniker, as the soloist in Jacques Ibert’s flute concerto – captivating music which is dynamic, transparent and surprising.