Part 2
(Solo violins, PAUL BEARD ,
MARIE WILSON , BARRY SQUIRE , JULIUS
UNGERSON)
See the short article on page 12
Berlioz's genius as a miniaturist is shown at its best in the two symphonic pieces Dance of the Sylphs and Minuet of the Will o' the Wisps from his Damnation of Faust. These two pieces are not only perfect in construction, but are inbued with the utmost delicacy and charm, both in the themes and in their orchestral and harmonic treatment. The Dance of the Sylphs comes from part two and takes place on the banks of the Elbe where Faust through the influence of Mephistopheles dreams of Margaret and the graceful spirits of the air hover over him and whisper that she will soon be his. The minuet of the Will o' the Wisps comes from part three where Faust in front of Margaret's house evokes these ' spirits of inconstant flame ' and ' caprice' and bids them ' dance! in the name of the devil '. The rousing and brilliant Hungarian march is based on themes that originally belonged to a work by a Moravian military bandmaster named Ruzicka, who lived during the years 1758 and 1823. Berlioz's version of the march is introduced in part one of his ' Faust' when Hungarian troops approach ' a plain in Hungary ' where Faust finds himself alone at sunrise.
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