Giacomo Rossini, Overture to William Tell
Dorothy Howell, Lamia
Hector Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique

A work fired by obsession and hallucination, Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique charts the life and love of an artist, ending in an opium-fuelled encounter with the supernatural. Durham University Orchestral Society’s symphony orchestra precede this with  two other highly descriptive works – Lamia by Dorothy Howell and Giacomo Rossini’s overture to his opera William Tell. Based on a poem by Keats, Lamia brought Howell national fame when it was premiered by Sir Henry Wood at the Proms in 1919 and paints the story of ill-fated love between man and serpent-turned-woman in vivid orchestral colours.

Tickets £16 / concessions £13