1. I practiced it for weeks ahead of time.
2. I listened to it a lot. It’s a pretty badass piece of music.
3. I discovered that it’s SO much more fun to play it with an orchestra than alone in your practice room.
4. The conductor actually took it at a reasonable tempo.
5. I sat through the rest of the rehearsal and got a lot of knitting done.
6. I thought about how insane and messed up the plot is.
And, oh yeah…
7. The concert also contained Wagner’s Magic Fire Music, so Berlioz was the least of my worries. HA!
I have now conquered Symphonie Fantastique and Magic Fire Music in a professional orchestra setting. Done and done.