Hector Berlioz wrote semi-autobiographical program notes for this piece that allude to the romantic sufferings of a gifted artist who has poisoned himself with opium because of his unrequited love for a beautiful and fascinating woman. The artist’s reveries take him to a ball and to a pastoral scene in a field, which is interrupted by a hallucinatory march to the scaffold, leading to a fantastic dance. This is certain to be an audience favorite.