Some of the greatest works in the history of music owe their existence to unrequited love, and one of them is the «Symphonie fantastique«, a milestone in Romantic music. Hector Berlioz wrote one pleading letter after another in his attempts to woo the beautiful singer Harriet Smithson, who steadfastly resisted his advances. To cleanse his soul, Berlioz expressed his feelings in this programmatic symphony. As its «idée fixe», his passionate yearning pervades the whole work from its opening reverie to the final witches’ sabbath. More magical sounds are to be heard in «Circle Map» by Kaija Saariaho. The Finn is one of the most often played female composers of our time. In charming enhancement of these enthralling works, Yutaka Sado shows us Sibelius‘ mystic «Swan of Tuonela» gently gliding over sparkling waves.